Celebrating seven years of custodial parkruns
Seven years ago this month parkrun, in collaboration with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), launched the first ever prison parkrun event on a custodial estate. Parkrun Head of Health of Wellbeing in the UK, Chrissie Wellington OBE, takes a walk down memory lane, and explains why these incredible events truly are life changing.
“It’s an anchor if you like … I think it’s nothing but a godsend. I really do”.
It is not always easy for people to be active with others, particularly in contemporary society where human connection, movement and access to the outdoors has been engineered out of our day-to-day lives. These challenges are amplified on the custodial estate. However, as a pioneering organisation parkrun knew that a solution could be found to improve the situation for those in custody by bringing a dose of weekly, communal, outdoor activity into their lives.
It all began seven years ago when, in May 2017, a member of parkrun staff received an email from Physical Education Instructor (PEI) and gym manager at HMP Haverigg, Shane Spencer. Delving back into the archives they unearthed that game-changing message:
“I would like to inquire about getting a parkrun event set up inside our prison so that our prisoners can have the opportunity to get involved in this initiative. Hopefully they will then want to access an event closer to home upon their release”.
Six months later parkrun UK, in collaboration with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), took the ground-breaking step of launching an event at HMP Haverigg; the very first parkrun on the custodial estate.
In explaining why he decided to start Black Combe parkrun, as it is known, Shane said:
“I wanted to deliver something really unique that has never been done before and make a genuine difference. Having volunteered at my local parkrun a few times, I knew how inclusive it really is. HMP Haverigg had recently become a smoke-free prison and I wanted to get more lads involved who don’t really engage with the gym to try to encourage a more healthy lifestyle for them. My view was that parkrun would be ideal for this as it is available to all, whatever your fitness level”.
In 2019, Shane was awarded a Commendation from the Butler Trust for his ‘drive and creativity’ in promoting the physical and mental health of prisoners, including by setting up the UK’s first ever custodial parkrun event. This was a worthy recognition of the part he has played in driving incredible change.
The benefit of parkrun is that the model is simple and replicable, which ensures sustainability and scalability – within the community and across custodial sites. Since November 2017, Black Combe parkrun has been joined by over 30 other male and female prisons and young offender institutions (YOIs) across the UK, Ireland and Australia. There are opportunities to grow this number in the months and years ahead.
In the UK, over 80,000 thousand walks or runs have been recorded, by over 10,000 people, whilst over 3,000 people have volunteered.
In total, over 11,000 different people have taken part in these events since 2017.
Setting up a parkrun event in a custodial setting is relatively straightforward, and there is a network of wonderful volunteer parkrun event ambassadors who assist with this and provide ongoing support. Each event must have the permission of the Governor and a named event director, usually a member of prison or Young Offender Institution (YOI) staff, who oversees event delivery.
The custodial parkrun events are delivered in line with the parkrun model. That is, they need to be held weekly on a Saturday morning and be 5k in length. The events should, as far as the custodial site rules allow, be accessible to people of all backgrounds and abilities, and not just current gym users or those who are more active; with prisoners also helping to deliver the event as volunteers.
Custodial estate parkrunners like to stay until everyone has crossed the line, with the tail walker volunteer always being the final person to finish. There’s a lot of mutual support and friendly interaction, and sometimes prisoners and staff have time to meet and socialise afterwards. As one prisoner said:
“You get people out there that don’t normally converse with each other during their normal daily routine in the prison, but out there they are running, they’re talking, they’re helping, they’re cheering one another on, you know, there’s a lot of camaraderie out there.”
For example, after the event at Progression parkrun the parkrunners go back into the prison and have a cup of tea or coffee, and the prison band plays a few songs. As the event director, Richard Bruce, says:
“It is such a positive thing for the inmates, and it is definitely the highlight of their week.”
The feeling of community was echoed by Colin Rice, the event director at Lower Drummans parkrun which is held in the grounds of HMP Magilligan in Northern Ireland. Colin was recently awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the Butler Trust which recognises his excellent work in supporting prisoners. It was one of 30 awarded from a list of 400 nominations.
“It breaks down barriers between staff and the men, it’s something they have in common and on Saturday mornings they are all on the same page. For some of the men it is the only exercise they do in a week, there is no pressure on them, they can walk or run, do their own thing and feel like no one is watching. It offers us something completely different for the weekend. The men love volunteering, chatting together and cheering each other on.”
Some of the events pull out all the stops to make their events as impactful as possible, as Shane explains in the context of HMP Haverigg:
“We have incorporated many charity events with parkrun, our most recent being the MacMillan coffee morning. Visitors, prisoners and staff raising in excess of £700. I’m working on Christmas Day so will hopefully be doing a fancy dress event.”
Shane has also become involved in another parkrun project, the parkrun practice initiative. They were the first gymnasium and healthcare department in the country to link the parkrun event with the healthcare service on the site. As Shane says:
“It is already bearing fruit with referrals coming through our door, which is fantastic. parkrun is ideal for this due to the fact they have marshalling roles so men can join us even if they are not interested in walking or running, giving them a sense of purpose and belonging.”
For some prisoners, parkrun might be the only chance they get to be active outside. As one parkrunner at HMP Downview commented:
“Just being in the moment, I’m running to embrace the fresh air and be mindful of the beautiful scenery and the trees, flowers, and the greenery, the grass. I look up, I see the beautiful sky, and it just gives me a sense of awareness.”
Likewise, the parkrunners at HMP Berwyn celebrated the NHS’s 75th anniversary in style last year, with the parkrun event linking with the healthcare service in the prison. On that day 14 volunteers supported and cheered on 157 walkers, joggers and runners at Berwyn parkrun.
Due to the prisoner’s restricted access to the internet or telephone, many sites have a dedicated parkrun notice board on which a hard copy of the week’s results are posted, along with the weekly parkrun newsletter and other articles of interest. This is something the prisoners appreciate as they can then track their weekly progress and feel embedded within the parkrun community.
“We have had five participants to date that have enjoyed taking part in a parkrun event’ outside’ the prison walls. They have all been welcomed by the parkrun community, especially the volunteers who love seeing them engage and reach personal targets like non-stop running or a personal best time.
One of our regulars has already taken four minutes off his original time. Another participant volunteered to be a pacemaker for the 22-minute time – an amazing achievement, especially considering it was only his third ever parkrun.
We have been able to celebrate other achievements with them, including a woman completing her 500th episode of volunteering and a man who was completing his 500th finish who has also supported many of our ROTL participants to achieve personal best times.
We are very lucky to have amazing support from so many local events and look forward to being able to introduce our current parkrunners to the event closest to them on release.”
One of the young adults that had been taking part in parkrun on ROTL was released in early September. He has continued his parkrun journey, even bringing his mother and sisters along with him to introduce them to the initiative, and the community, that he has found so supportive and beneficial.
We were thrilled that Michele was nominated for the This Girl Can Grassroots Sportswoman of the Year Award at the prestigious Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year Awards in 2022. The award celebrates individuals who have actively engaged with and empowered people in their community through sport. The very fact that she was shortlisted is a credit to her incredible work, and that of so many staff across the custodial estate.
At parkrun milestones are awarded based on participation, with parkrunners being eligible for a t-shirt when they walk/run or volunteer a certain number of times. Those in custody are no different, and the event director is able to order milestone t-shirts on behalf of those prisoners, sometimes using the central prison budget or the parkrun donation pot for that event. However, the cost can be prohibitive for some establishments and so the number of t-shirts that have been ordered is currently far less than the number actually earned. Globally, there are currently 51 prisoners in the 100 finishes club, 213 in the 50 finish club and 560 in the 25 finish club. For volunteering there are currently 20 prisoners in the 100 Volunteer club, 79 in the 50 Volunteer club and 161 in the 25 Volunteer club.
Family and friends can also take part in parkrun and junior parkrun events in the community, providing a common and unifying interest and experience. This was highlighted by a parkrunner at HMP Downview, who said:
“I love sharing my results and my times with my friends and my boyfriend. I’ll phone up, ‘you’ll never guess what I’ve done this week?’, and be like, ‘I’ve been and knocked another minute off!”
Other members of the community have also chosen to support these events by donating clothing and other items to help facilitate the prisoner’s participation in physical activity. This month parkrun staff in the UK organised a huge collection of kit, and a whole car load of donated items was delivered to HMP Bronzefield, the largest female prison in Europe, for the women taking part in parkrun on the site. Thanks so much to everyone who donated so incredibly generously.
It is essential that offenders – having been released – are rehabilitated and successfully reintegrated back into society. As one prisoner made clear, parkrun events also provide a welcoming, supportive and non-judgemental community for them to be part of on release.
“I am taking this seriously. I’m committed to it. I’m devoted to it now … I think the long-term effects could be, like, just increased motivation over time. Perhaps not revert to prison. Just having something positive to do, like in the community when I go out.”
Another also stated their aim to participate in parkrun following release.
“I will be looking for a new life and part of that new life will be going to the parkrun and maybe meeting people with similar interests.”
The example of one former prisoner and custodial estate parkrunner Hermen Dange who, on release built on his passion for running and inspiring others, to launch Made Running in Manchester demonstrates how a reintegration into society, and links to parkrun, can help break the reoffending cycle, and the revolving door back into custody. Herman has since returned to visit HMP Hindley, where he was incarcerated, to speak to and encourage the prisoners there.
Benefits of parkrun on custodial sites
Our events give prisoners the chance to be active outside, in the fresh air on a regular basis. Although there is no one silver bullet which can be deployed in the battle to prevent offending and re-offending behaviour, parkrun can be a unifying force for good in the desistance from crime and changing lives for the better.
Although the headline numbers of events and parkrunners are impressive it is the wider benefits that also speak volumes.
Led by HMPPS in the UK, research has been undertaken in male and female sites, looking at the impact of these events on prisoners and staff. The findings have been published in the Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice and in the Journal of Forensic Practice.
This research highlighted some key benefits of parkrun to those in custody, including the opportunity to build positive relationships (with staff, other prisoners and their families); better mental and physical health; improved self-esteem and confidence; the increased sense of purpose, achievement and fulfilment and the creation of a safe, humanising and non-judgemental space in which to be active, and feel valued and respected.
“I just believe in myself a bit more now. I feel good about myself for the first time in a long time.”
“When you’ve finished it, you actually feel like you’ve accomplished something, and I think that’s great.”
“It makes us feel that basically we’re not […] just criminals and we’re human beings as well. That we’ve committed a crime, we’re doing our punishment and we’re trying to change our lives around. And it makes us realise that basically they’re not judging us.”
Access to the outdoors and nature was also highlighted, as was the sense of autonomy and freedom – again, these can contribute to rehabilitation and desistance.
The future
This initiative provides a unifying experience for those in custody, and those on the outside, whilst also offering those who are released the opportunity to sustain healthy lifestyle behaviours and be embedded within supportive social networks. The success of this initiative is contingent on strong and positive collaboration, between parkrun, other not-for-profit organisations, the state and the individual custodial sites.
They are not without their challenges though, with staffing shortages and building works meaning that some events have to be cancelled.
Looking to the future, the demand for parkruns will be met by the launch of new events in the existing territories of the UK, Ireland and Australia and, in time, parkrun will explore opportunities to expand to other countries.
In the existing countries, there are opportunities to further strengthen relationships with health and education services, as well as exploring opportunities along other parts of the criminal justice pathway, including with the police and probation services.
This initiative will grow in event and parkrunner number and impact, and will continue to place a tick in the box of interventions that are making a positive and lasting difference to staff and prisoners alike.
parkrun say:
‘Of course, we don’t work in silos and special and heartfelt thanks go to all the people and organisations who have shared this journey with us. These include countless staff at HMPPS; Professor Rosie Meek and other academic experts whose research shines a spotlight on the importance of physical activity in custodial settings; the team at Alliance of Sport (who launched the Get Well Stay Well programme of which parkrun UK is a member); Baroness Sater and the other members of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sport in the Criminal Justice System; the committed and enthusiastic custodial estate participants and wonderful staff who help to deliver the events week in week out; the ex-offenders who continue to bang the parkrun drum and the whole parkrun community who have supported and embraced this incredible initiative.’
We will leave the final word to the pioneer of the first ever custodial parkrun event, Shane Spencer.
“It helps the men to feel normal, they feel part of something bigger. The social aspect has been huge and it allows the men to socialise and be outside. The opportunity to volunteer has encouraged people to tail walk and scan barcodes which has supported social interaction.
We have tail walkers who encourage new participants if it’s their first time. parkrun is still our most attended recreational physical activity session. It has become even more inclusive, with spectators lining the route from their respective accommodation blocks. I often see faces joining us that don’t attend any other gym sessions. That tells me everything I need to know”.
Help set up more parkruns on custodial estates and make a positive, lasting difference in more prisoners’ lives. Find out how here.
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Please note that participation at custodial parkrun events is via authorised invitation only. Please refrain from contacting any custodial parkrun event teams directly.