Teams and individuals from local NHS organisations will be celebrating the 75th birthday of the NHS – NHS75 – by taking part in their local parkrun on 8 and 9 July.
The NHS has teamed up with parkrun UK and the NHS in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to host ‘parkrun for the NHS’.
The collaboration marks the creation of the NHS on July 5 1948 at the same celebrating the efforts of everyone working for the NHS and encouraging people to get more active.
A similar initiative for the NHS’s 70th in 2018 saw over 146,000 people take part, many of whom had never been to a parkrun before.
Events are free to attend with people invited to walk, jog or run. People can also volunteer or just come along to spectate and soak up the atmosphere.
Kirsten Bland from NHS Dorset said “Having previously finished the London Marathon back in 2010 and vowing never to run again, I started Couch to 5k back in January with the aim of reducing some extra ‘lockdown curves’ and have never looked back.
“Taking part in your local parkrun is a great way to get active and stay active as they are open to anyone, not matter what your ability. Parkruns are something I always look forward to despite the sometimes-challenging conditions, and this upcoming one to celebrate NHS75 is no exception.
“Since the NHS was launched back in 1948 it has helped a countless amount of people get back on their feet and this is a great opportunity to celebrate, so what could be better than pulling on the trainers and joining like-minded people to enjoy the sunshine and say thank you to our NHS colleagues.”
For more information on NHS75 go to NHS England » NHS Birthday 2023
