SATURDAY morning runners are back after Prudhoe parkrun started up again after lockdown – not that it ever really went away.

Director Holly Kelleher said: “Running is one of those things that can work during lockdown. We tried to encourage our members throughout.

“We had a ‘relay’ where individual members were tasked with a two-mile run holding a ‘baton’. The batons were anything from their household so we had teddies and dolls and more. My daughter and I took a pen and paper and wrote a message.”

She said there was one man who dressed as Spiderman and gave children on his route something to look out for each day.

The Prudhoe Riverside Parkrun begins at 9am each Saturday morning.

It is called a run, but Mrs Kelleher stressed that it is open to anyone: “You can run, jog or walk. We have people in buggies or pushing prams.

“It is a timed run, but you are only competing with yourself at whatever level you want.”
Mrs Kelleher said there was always an official at the back ensuring that everyone was safe and helping or just encouraging where needed.

The run usually attracts an average of 150 people.

Mrs Kelleher said: “We are about 20 per cent down at the moment because of the pandemic. The organisers have spent hours ensuring that runners will be safe. We have taken every precaution possible.”

Mrs Kelleher said by its very nature, running has been one of the first sports to open up after lockdown: “With parkrun it depends on the owners of the properties we run through, but I believe that the Northumberland runs, including Hexham, are up and operating again.”

As well as the Saturday runs, Prudhoe Parkrun holds a New Year’s Day event.

Mrs Kelleher said: “I was organising it for New year’s Day 2020.

“We had 405 runners. I saw this huge crowd coming towards me and I must admit I was a little overwhelmed.”

Junior parkruns have still not yet started but it is believed they will begin again in the near future.