Ben gives us an insight into his 5k run and the impact of volunteers at launch Sport Makers at Oak Hill 5k weekly parkrun event.
Sport Makers aims to inspire 800 people in North London to get involved, with each of them spending at least 10 hours organising or leading sporting activities in their local community. It is open to anyone aged 16 and over.
North London Sports Makers were in action organising and coordinating Barnet's first ever parkrun event, a great opportunity to get your friends, family or colleagues along to a fun and enjoyable FREE 5km event.
Parkrun is a weekly 5km timed run, jog or walk, open to all abilities. Whether you are interested in taking part as an established runner, wannabe runner or simply to improve your health and fitness, then parkrun is for you. The event is managed by local volunteers only. From Race director to water assistants local residents and sport enthusiasts are giving up their time to help get others active.
Sport Makers is part of the Places People Play legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country. Every Sport Maker will be invited to an informal and interactive workshop where they'll gain the skills and opportunities to get involved in sport in North London. Sport Makers will be introduced to organisations that need their help, and join forces with others who want to make sport happen locally. There'll also be opportunities to meet top athletes and plenty of incentives to stay involved. Sorts Makers will be administered by North London's local County Sports Partnership PRO-ACTIVE North London.
Charlie Watts, PRO-ACTIVE North London Sport Makers Coordinator, was thrilled about the prospects of the programme:
"We are very excited to be leading on the Sport Makers Programme as it is a fantastic opportunity for people across North London to be a key part of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy. Being a Sport Maker provides people with an opportunity to develop their skills and experience as well as meeting new people and making new friends. Most importantly, every Sport Maker will be giving something back to their local community and inspiring others to be more active".
The launch was supported by 100m sprinter and Great Britain Olympic hopeful Ashlee Nelson who is a North London resident and current student at Middlesex University. She was glad to see how the local community would be influenced by the project:
"It's fantastic to see so many people here giving up their time, effort and lives to support this event. Even more so when you find out they all live within a few streets of the park. Volunteers form the backbone of community sport and it's great to see an Olympic programme that recognises and captures their spirit."
parkrun Race Director and local Sport Maker, Will Morris described why he volunteers:
"Volunteering is an opportunity for people like me to have fun making sport happen in the lead up to the next years Olympic Games. I've also been able to help over 40 people complete a 5k race today. Without volunteers today's participants would not have had this chance and I'm glad I could give it to them."
Deputy Mayor for the London Borough of Barnet, Cllr Barry Evangeli attended the launch and was delighted by the prospects of Sport Makers in the borough:
"This programme is a great opportunity for adults to be inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games and make a difference in their local communities. The volunteers here today have shown tremendous spirit and dedication to their cause of getting more people active through running."
Today's launch was welcomed by the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP. He said:
"The volunteers that help out at local sports clubs up and down the country are the foundations of community sport. The new Sport Makers initiative is a key part of the London 2012 sports legacy and will help community sports clubs across the country get more people playing sport."
parkrun will be taking place every Saturday in Oak Hill Park with participants having to fill in a quick online registration form to take part. Visit http://www.parkrun.org.uk/oakhill/ to take part.
Feeling inspired? Do you want to be a Sport Maker? Or are you a Sport Maker already? Visit www.sportmakers.co.uk to register now or for more information contact Charlie Watts on 0208 4116740 or at c.watts@mdx.ac.uk
Loading...
6:17
Sport Makers North London Launch - Oak hill parkrun - 15th October 2011 - Opening Addressby PROACTIVEnorthlondon65 views
Link to this comment:
All Comments (0)