I’VE SPOKEN before about the Parkrun, a free 5K event that runs every Saturday at various locations around the country.

In this area there is one at Lister and Horton parks in Bradford and at Aireville Park in Skipton.

These are great little events, run by volunteers and completely free, they are really welcoming and supportive events.

But there is also a Junior Parkrun as well. These are aimed at five-to 14 year olds; it’s a 2k run and our nearest run at Roberts Park in Saltaire.

So a couple of weeks ago, I set off with the children to Roberts Park. We’d printed off our bar codes so they could get a time and we all had our running gear on.

On arrival we found the start by the pavilion and the volunteers made sure we knew where we were going and how the event would run.

The Junior run at Roberts Park is three loops to make 2K. There were about 100 children there taking part along with lots of parents and younger brothers and sisters in buggies. Some of the runners were seasoned Park runners, some had done a few and then there were a few like Finlay and Alfie who were complete beginners.

Before the run started there were some awards for youngsters who’d completed a number of runs to reach milestones. The atmosphere was really friendly, all the children mingling, parents chatting (some moaning ha ha) but generally all positive.

It’s important to stress, as with the Parkrun, that this isn’t a race. It’s about the challenge of completing the run, setting your own time and then trying to improve it each time. But more importantly with the Junior run, it’s getting children active and seeing exercise as normal.

So just after 9am all the Junior Parkrunners started running round their circuit. Some ran alone, some ran with parents and siblings and some ran with other children.

Everyone was cheering each other on, parents were encouraging children they didn’t know and all in all it was a fabulous experience for everyone.

At the end of the run the children scan their bar codes at the finish line. Then within an hour, an e-mail comes through telling them what time they finished in, if it was their best time or not and other information.

Junior Parkrun is a great way to get your youngsters active and the whole family can join in. All you need to do is register online and then turn up in your trainers on a Sunday morning. All the Parkrun organisers ask is that you to volunteer now and again to help out.

Check out the website at parkrun.org.uk.

You can find more details about the Saltaire Junior Parkrun on the website, or search for them on Facebook.

We’ll be back again soon, aiming to improve on our times but more importantly to make sure we stay active and have fun as we do it.