This is the first book to take an in-depth look at parkrun - the free, weekly, timed 5km run on a Saturday morning - and to examine why its participants love it so much and why it has been such an astonishing success. Author David Hindley – a self-described ‘middle of the pack’ parkrunner – draws on new research, including interviews with other runners, volunteers and organisers, to shine a light on the unique combination of ingredients in parkrun’s magic formula. Tracing the development of parkrun from its first event in the UK in 2004 to the global network of today, he takes a close look at themes like inclusion, volunteering, community, green space, health and well-being, and unpacks the mantra of ‘it’s a run not a race’ that has come to define the spirit of parkrun for so many of its participants. Part sporting event, part social movement, and part public health intervention, parkrun perhaps offers a model for sustainable public participation in other areas of social life. This book is compulsory behind-the-scenes reading for all parkrunners and parkrun volunteers, and anybody working in sport development, events, recreation, public health, volunteering or community organising.

Perfect for any parkrunner, or wannabe parkrunner, this concise and joyful book reveals how a Saturday 5km run in the park has become a worldwide phenomenon. The Ultimate Guide to parkrun (always with a lower case p!) covers how parkrun started, how it is staged every week, how to get involved as a runner, walker, or volunteer – and even how to start your own run. Written by a running writer and qualified athletics coach, this celebratory book goes behind the scenes to tell the heartwarming human stories behind parkrun. But it also brims with practical information, with training plans for different types of runners so that you can (if you wish to) improve your own finishing time. Published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the founding of the mass participation event in Autumn 2024, the book delves into parkrun’s origins as the brainchild of Paul Sinton-Hewitt, an unemployed man in London. Just 13 runners competed in the first Bushy Park Time Trial on 2 October 2004. Now parkrun has more than 9 million runners at more than 2,200 parks in 23 countries, with the most popular countries being the UK, Australia, and South Africa. The book features all aspects of parkrun, including how public-spirited volunteers put on the event, sustainably and for free, every week, and fun boxes such as the most interesting courses around the world, from Poland to the Falkland Islands. About the author Lucy Waterlow is a journalist, ghostwriter and author who has contributed to national newspapers and specialist publications such as Runner’s World and Women’s Running. She is a keen amateur runner, and a qualified England Athletics coach in running fitness. She is the co-author of Nell McAndrew's Guide To Running and Run Mummy Run: Inspiring Women to be Fit, Healthy and Happy.

This is the first book to take an in-depth look at parkrun - the free, weekly, timed 5km run on a Saturday morning - and to examine why its participants love it so much and why it has been such an astonishing success. Author David Hindley - a self-described 'middle of the pack' parkrunner - draws on new research, including interviews with other runners, volunteers and organisers, to shine a light on the unique combination of ingredients in parkrun's magic formula. Tracing the development of parkrun from its first event in the UK in 2004 to the global network of today, he takes a close look at themes like inclusion, volunteering, community, green space, health and well-being, and unpacks the mantra of 'it's a run not a race' that has come to define the spirit of parkrun for so many of its participants. Part sporting event, part social movement, and part public health intervention, parkrun perhaps offers a model for sustainable public participation in other areas of social life. This book is compulsory behind-the-scenes reading for all parkrunners and parkrun volunteers, and anybody working in sport development, events, recreation, public health, volunteering or community organising.

Full of romance and humour, this is a book about fresh starts, friendship and the unexpected places we find happiness. ‘I love getting lost in a Jules Wake book!’ Debbie Johnson, bestselling author of the Comfort Food Cafe series

Every Saturday morning, tens of thousands of people, all ages and sizes, gather at their local park to run five kilometres. Join Debra Bourne, Event Director at Lloyd parkrun, as she charts the rise of parkrun and finds out how and why this simple idea became the biggest and friendliest running community the world has ever seen.

An unprecedented exploration of the intersection of events and family studies, Family Events uses events as a lens through which to explore the concepts of families, family practices, family displays and family intimacies. Family Events explores the idea that how families come to be and, moreover, come to be defined as ‘families’ relies on events: whether that be via ‘family events’ – those which serve to celebrate being part of ‘my’ family – (e.g., birthdays, weddings, funerals), ‘events experienced as a family’ (e.g., a holiday or day trip) or ‘events which impact families’ (e.g., recession, war, global health emergency). Family Events brings together contributions from the social sciences, leisure and event studies which focus on a variety of different event contexts, including the life cycle, death and illness, sport, holidays, and community and religious festivals. Family Events offers a multitude of insightful perspectives on the intersection of events and family studies, and is a valuable resource for academics and students with a research interest in events, leisure and the family.

This important book explores how community-based interventions can bridge the gap between health services and the voluntary sector to create more sustainable, healthy communities. Moving beyond a technologically driven, medicalised approach to healthcare, the book shows how social prescribing can provide a direct pathway to improving community health, embracing connection and challenging inequality. Written by a practicing GP, and illustrated through practical guidance, it demonstrates how this can offer a cost-effective, preventative means to improving health outcomes, enabling communities to be more resilient when confronting major issues such as climate change or pandemics. Building to a case study of how these methods were used in one town, Ross-on-Wye, the book will be invaluable reading for those working in healthcare, public health, local authorities, and the voluntary sector, as well as students and researchers interested in these areas.

Discussions about spending on health and social care often fall into silos, determined by disease or the cause of death. Spending on health and social care is rarely assessed along the lines of a life-course model. It is also ironic that many public health interventions provide relatively convincing value for money, yet we still only spend approximately 5% of the NHS budget on prevention. Health Economics of Well-being and Well-becoming across the Life-course follows a life-course model with chapters aligned to pregnancy and early years; adolescence; working age; and older age phases of life. It enables the reader to think about older age in a different way and asks them to consider where we should be investing in cost-effective interventions to support the prevention of chronic disease, disability, and premature death later in life. Academically, it brings the rigour of evidence review to an eminently readable book using infographics and take-home messages. The economic and health economics evidence presented, drawing on systematic review evidence where possible, provokes discussion of the tension between prevention and cure in our health and social care systems.

Experiences in nature are now recognised as being fundamental to human health and well-being. Physical activity in nature has been posited as an important well-being facilitator because the presence of nature augments the benefits of physical activity while also enhancing motivation and adherence. This volume brings together a mix of cutting edge ideas in research, theory and practice from a wide set of disciplines with the purpose of exploring interdisciplinary or trans-disciplinary approaches to understanding the relationship between physical activity in nature and health and well-being. Nature and Health: Physical Activity in Nature is structured to facilitate ease of use for the researcher, policy maker, practitioner or theorist. Section 1 covers research on physical activity in nature for a number of important health and well-being issues. Each chapter in this section considers how policy and practice might be shaped by current research findings and knowledge. Section 2 considers contemporary theoretical and conceptual understandings that help explain how physical activity in nature enhances health and well-being and also how best to design interventions and research. Section 3 provides examples of current approaches. This book is an ideal resource for both researchers and advanced students interested in designing future-proofed research, for policy makers interested in improving community well-being and for practitioners interested in best practice applications.