Young people in Daventry are invited to make friends and have fun with weekly parkrun

Event director Sally Tilt with one of the young runners.

Daventry junior parkrun, for children aged 4-14, takes place at Daventry Sports Park at 9am every Sunday.

Sessions have been running since June 2016 and aside from a pause for the coronavirus lockdown, it is held every week and has just marked its 180th meet up.

In that time, children have passed through the finish funnel more than 8,000 times.

Sally Tilt, director, said: "The junior parkrun is a sister event to Daventry parkrun, the 5K event which takes place on Saturdays.

"Unlike many other activities for kids, there is no need to book and there is no charge to take place - children simply turn up and run the 2km course. If they register with parkrun.com and bring along their printed barcode they receive a time which is shared on the website."

She said families say it's a great way to start a Sunday.

Sally added: "It helps young people get some fresh air and fun in beautiful surroundings in a friendly atmosphere.

"Although it is called a junior parkrun, there is absolutely no need to run it. We have lots of children who sometimes choose to walk, sometimes to run and sometimes a mix of the two. The aim is to cover the 2km distance, and it is the same achievement if someone completes it in ten minutes or 20 minutes. Some adults like to run - and try to keep up - with their children, but children are welcome to run the course on their own."

There are marshals all around the course to support the runners.

"A rewarding aspect of Daventry junior parkrun is seeing children return week after week," added Sally.

"To mark their achievements, they are awarded with wristbands to mark when they reach particular junior parkrun milestones. It is surprising how it adds up - 11 junior parkruns is the equivalent of running a half marathon."

She said 59 children have completed 11 or more junior parkruns at Daventry junior parkrun to receive their half marathon wristband.

If you're interested in joining, visit parkrun.org.uk/daventry-juniors