Kids in Cranbrook are up and running with help from Taylor Wimpey
Date: Wednesday 12 June 2019
We're helping Cranbrook-based youngsters enjoy fresh air and exercise on Sundays with a £600 donation made towards the establishment of a junior parkrun in the town.
A series of two kilometre running events for children aged between four and 14, junior parkrun is held in areas of open space around the UK every Sunday morning. They are open to all, free, inclusive and easy to sign up to. Participants register to print out a barcode which is scanned at the end of each run, with each runners' time tracked on the website. Since its inception in 2004, parkrun has amassed over 250,000 runners each week and works to encourage regular exercise in an inclusive environment.
Matt Rowett, a Cranbrook resident with a background in sport through his work as founder and Chairman of Exeter College Running Club, started raising funds to set up a junior parkrun in the town. With the weekly run now established, the group will be one of many to make use of the new open spaces in Cranbrook.
Matt said: "We'd been working hard for some time to raise the funds needed to establish a junior parkrun in Cranbrook, and had made considerable strides to achieve this. The £600 donation from Taylor Wimpey allowed us to hit our target for the essential equipment required to keep junior parkrun safe, such as a portable defibrillator and a PA system. To have this boost to our fundraising has been fantastic and we couldn't be more thankful to Taylor Wimpey for this generous donation which will allow the community to become more active."