OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE
Parkrun is a free, weekly, timed 5km run taking place in parks across the UK and internationally. We are incredibly lucky to have a parkrun right on our doorstep at Woodhouse Moor Park, taking place every Saturday morning at 9am. This was one of the first parkrun’s outside of London and has been running for 13 years! Every parkrun is made possible by a team of volunteers who perform different roles week to week. You could be organising the finish funnel, operating the stopwatch, or scanning the runners’ barcodes with your phone. Volunteering at parkrun is fun & rewarding and you’ll be helping people in Leeds to lead more active and fulfilling lives. This is a flexible opportunity and you can volunteer as and when it suits you!
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
parkrun volunteers conduct a variety of simple roles including the following:
- Time keeping – time keepers look after the stop watch and clock those all-important PB’s!
- Finish Tokens – These volunteers hand out tokens with positions on them as parkrunners cross the line.
- Barcode scanning – Each parkrunner has a bar code to identify who they are and a token showing their finishing position. Our bar code scanners log both of these to give each participant a finishing position!
- Marshals – Marshals guide parkrunners around the course advising them of any safety hazards and encouraging them along the way
- Tail Walker – The tail walker will always be the last person to finish at parkrun. They walk at the back of the pack to ensure every parkrunner/jogger/walker is accounted for
- And there are many more roles available…. Visit the parkrun website for more information about the variety of roles available.
SKILLS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
None of the parkrun roles require any special knowledge or experience, just enthusiasm & energy! If you’re volunteering for the first time you will most likely to asked to marshal so you can develop an understanding of the event and how it operates. Once you’ve done that you can request a particular role or you can just do what is needed on the day – volunteers will never be asked to do anything outside of their level of experience or comfort zone. Most of all, participating & volunteering at parkrun should be fun, so relax and enjoy yourself!
SKILLS DEVELOPED
Communication, Team Working, Leadership, Flexibility, Planning & Organisation, Independent working, Event management.
TRAINING & SUPPORT
You’ll receive on the job training on the morning of the event so you will probably be asked to arrive a little before the 9am kick-off to ensure you know what you are doing. Each event will have a Run Director who will be your point of contact on the day – they will be able to answer any questions you may have and will ensure the event runs smoothly.
REWARD & RECOGNITION
The volunteers really are the stars of the show at parkrun:
- You’ll get a round of applause and thanks-you’s and high-fives aplenty at every parkrun event
- Your name will appear in lights every week in the ‘This Weeks volunteers’ section of the Woodhouse Moor parkrun website
- Each time you volunteer this will be logged on your parkrun profile and registered volunteers can claim milestone t-shirts at certain intervals (50, 100, 250 & 500 events), just like parkrunners!
COMMITMENT
You can volunteer at parkrun as regularly or irregularly as you’d like – there is no minimum event commitment. Ideally you will be able to commit 60-90 minutes of your time each time you volunteer at parkrun depending on your role and the number of parkrunners at the event that day. You can see the future roster for the next 4 weeks of Woodhouse Moor parkrun.
FURTHER INFORMATION
- Volunteering at Woodhouse Moor parkrun couldn’t be simpler! Check out the future roster, chose your dates and a role and send an email to woodhousemoorhelpers@parkrun.com.
- You’ll need to register with parkrun to both participate and volunteer. It is free! Each time you volunteer this will be logged on your parkrun profile and contribute towards your milestone t-shirt
- You can also opt in to receiving regular emails about volunteering opportunities at Woodhouse Moor parkrun and other events via your email preferences if you have a parkrun profile
GET INVOLVED
We run a parkrun takeover at Woodhouse Moor parkrun every semester where University of Leeds staff and students can volunteer together! This is a great way for students and staff to see what parkrun is all about (without lacing up and running!) and give something back to our local community.
Our next parkrun takeover will take place on Saturday 18th February 2023. Volunteers will be needed from approximately 8.30-10am and you can sign up below! We will contact you nearer the time confirming your role on the day and all of the details – first time volunteers will be asked to marshal but if you have volunteered before you can request a specific role. Please note: You will need to register with parkrun prior to volunteering to get a barcode number.
