Not many people realise that the home of London Irish at Hazelwood also provides a home for lots of other sports. Since the club moved to this world-class facility over a decade ago, Hazelwood has welcomed a variety of schools and sporting activities. Parkrun a free, fun and friendly weekly 5K community event being one of them.

It was great to see that they celebrated a big milestone recently as they marked their 300th Parkrun since they joined the Hazelwood family. Since Parkrun started they have seen over 35,000 runners finish the two laps of the pitches all assisted by a great team of voluntary stewards. Like London Irish who heavily rely on the contribution of volunteer effort Parkrun has over 600 volunteers who help out. Another great example of people coming together to get stuff done which has a purpose.

Coincidentally, I participated in their 300th run, on the 18th Oct, and it opened my eyes. What was more of a gentle jog for me rather than a run, provided me with a different experience to my customary one of watching games of rugby. It was remarkable to see such a cross-section of people both young and not so young participate. It was also great to see that runners came from far and wide not just locally. The atmosphere afterward was great to see and for London Irish members this is something for you to consider – here is a link to their website, participation is free.

Parkrun provides an opportunity for all the local community regardless of age and gender to come together on a regular basis to enjoy the outdoors, get physically active and have a coffee in the Hazelwood Centre afterwards. This has got to be a good thing and fits nicely with the overall ethos of Hazelwood – A Community asset.