Lydiard parkrun

23/05/2026

One day I will write a run report without mentioning the weather - but it won’t be today! Today Lydiard was bathed in sunshine for run number 734. There was a little bit of a breeze but it was pretty blimmin warm out there for the 553 of us who ran, jogged or walked around the course. Thank you to the volunteers who were also out there on the course supporting us.

We were joined by two groups today, firstly Lorraine and Fiona from Swindon Borough Council’s foster team were promoting Foster Care Fortnight. Please spread the word for them, they are looking for carers within a 20 mile radius.

We were also joined by the Magor Ladies Association who have completed their challenge of running and walking 900k between them during May. They are raising funds for the Brighter Futures charity and GWH hospital.

Congratulations to them on achieving their target and we hope you have raised lots of money!

Our numbers were swelled by RWB Hound’s club championship run, covering the start line in a sea of yellow and blue. Mike from Hounds ran the course with a 20kg backpack as part of his training for Race to the Stones, he’s raising money for SSAFA, the armed forces charity. As a side note to this, Lydiard parkrun is cancelled on 20 June for Armed Forces Day. https://www.lydiardpark.org.uk/event/armed-forces-day/ Other parkruns are available…

A few stats about today’s run: 553 of us completed the course, helped by 52 volunteers (including a tail walker with his arm encased in plaster, following a fall while ‘enjoying’ parkrun tourism elsewhere ). We welcomed tourists from Basingstoke, Bedgebury, Cardiff, Chippenham, Chipping Sodbury, Cirencester, Leicester , Quakers Walk, Stratford Park (Stroud) and Witney, also Jules Pearson our event support ambassador.

First finisher was Tom Hill from the Hounds with a PB of 17:15, with Jessica Stueber first female in a time of 20:59 for her 150th parkrun. 41 people joined us for their first ever parkrun today as well as 39 who completed their second parkrun. Well done all and hopefully you enjoyed yourselves with parkrun becoming a regular part of your Saturday.

Milestones today:
Kieren Robertson (25)
Nobby (Robert) Clark and Martin Cooper (50)
Steve White (100)
Jessica Stueber (150)
Jackie Moss (450)

In other news from the outside world, Darren Wood has done 999 parkruns. I expected to see the 1,000 barrier smashed today but I see that he was barcode scanning instead. Please think about following Darren’s lead and volunteering, whether you’ve done parkrun 9 times, or 999 times.

Thank you for reading this far, if you have! Remember we are cancelled at Lydiard Park on 20 June, see you next week for event #735.
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23/05/2026

Hi folks,

With the summer coming up and people disappearing on holidays for mid-term breaks and the like, we find ourself unusually short of marshals for the next few weeks.

If you can volunteer for a marshal spot we would really appreciate it, 30/5, 6/6 & 13/6 we are particularly light on cover.

Thanks in advance, email in at [email protected]

18/05/2026

Run Report for Lydiard parkrun Number 733



How fitting that on a parkrun day when messages of love, care, and kindness were in the air – like ‘it’s ok to not be ok’; ‘the world is brighter with you in it’; and ‘it helps to run, walk, or talk’ – we also had a message of gratitude and love from parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt.



Two weeks ago, Paul had appeared at Swindon’s LitFest. He had joined us for a Freedom Run, and then, in a packed-out Lydiard Conference Centre, told us about his early life, and what led him to start, name, and establish parkrun.



Today, he sent us a message of thanks, which RD Emma read out, loud and clear, in which he said this. ‘Many thanks for having me at your festival. It was a truly lovely day meeting so many wonderful people and feeling the love. Thanks to everyone who made the day special for me.’ And thanks to you Paul, for making parkrun special for us.



And, let’s hope it was a special day for 95 people who took part in parkrun for the first time today. It certainly will be for Anne Ray who has made it to 300 runs and for the 72 participants who got themselves new PBs and our congratulations.



Among today’s 510 runners, joggers, and walkers, we welcomed tourists from Birmingham, Cambridge, Doncaster, Evesham, Frome, Sandringham, Slough, and the Netherlands no less. Hope you all liked Lydiard parkrun and will take our good vibes and best wishes back to your own home parkruns.



Doubtless, your parkruns rely on terrific teams of volunteers. Ours certainly does, and we thank today’s team of 52, which included one volunteer who found himself performing an unexpected duty. As the run was about to get underway, it was realised that the defibrillator needed to be out on the course. So, quick-thinking Matthew Herring strapped it to his back and set off with the rest of us to deliver the defib to its station. That’s one way of getting an extra workout!



But the best way to benefit from parkrun is simply to do it as often as you can. And if parkrun doesn’t bring well-being and relief, there are, as we saw today, plenty of kind and caring organisations that offer help. These include Swindon Mind, Second Step, Best Mates, Ian’s Wander Walks, Kelly Foundation, Ipsum and A Worthy Hangout.


Till we meet again at Lydiard parkrun on Saturday 23rd May, keep well, keep moving, and keep the love and kindness flowing.



Matt Holland

[email protected]

16/05/2026

A massive thanks to Mind, Ipsum, Kelly Foundation, Second Step,
A worthy Hangout, Best Mates, Iain’s Wander walks
Who attended todays Lydiard parkrun Mental health awareness event and provided information on support and activities available locally.

Links to each of the attendees below
https://www.sgmind.org.uk
https://www.ipsum.care
https://4kelly.org/index.html
https://www.second-step.co.uk
https://aworthyhangout.co.uk
https://bestmates.org
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576422840699

Thank you to everyone who took time to engage, hopefully this will help break down the stigma surrounding mental health, we don't judge when someone pulls a calf or pings a hamstring through overload, so why is there stigma when someone is suffering from mental overload.


6000 people take there own life every year in the UK
Males account for 75% of su***des
Male su***des are highest in 50 to 54 year olds
and for females its 45 to 49 year olds
1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England
About 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8 to 25 in England have a probable mental health problem
• 1 in 4 people have suicidal thoughts
• 1 in 10 people self harm
• 1 in 13 people attempt su***de

The statistics speak for themselves, but we can make a difference,,, yes YOU can make a difference ,,,
if you are struggling speak to someone
Remember it's OK not to be OK,
Talk about mental health break down the stigma surrounding it especially men
ask someone if they are OK,,,, like, really OK

So why not Text a friend you haven't spoken to for a while and say hi,,, how are you

Don't be ignorant, understand mental health

15/05/2026

Bit of a last minute request.

We need a couple of marshalls tomorrow (16/5). If you can help out, please drop us an email at [email protected]

Thanks for your assistance.

No requirement to shout "EXTERMINATE!"

14/05/2026

Saturday 16th May we are holding a mental health awareness event, a number of organisations will be attending promoting positive mental health, breaking down stigma surrounding mental health and offering numerous ways to find that 'happy place'.
Have a chat with them, a few words really could save someones life.

Not convinced,
Ask 20-year-old Jonny Benjamin who in 2008 was stood on the edge of Waterloo Bridge in London intending to jump. Neil Laybourn a total stranger, who just happened to be passing, stopped and talked with Jonny, offering empathy and hope, telling him "it'll get better".
Years later, Jonny launched a public campaign to find and thank "The Stranger on the Bridge," resulting in an emotional reunion. They remain friends and advocates for mental health.

You really can make a difference, just think what would have happened had Neil just kept on walking.he

12/05/2026

Shining a floodlight on Mental Health, all may not be as it seems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX8TgVR33KM

Lydiard parkrun mental health awareness event 16th May 2026

97K likes, 2.2K comments. "Check in on those around you | 💛💚 "

11/05/2026

Parkrun #732 was run in warm sunshine, with hordes of us (514 to be exact) running, jogging or walking around the course. Numbers always increase when the weather is kind, however we were also joined by scores of participants from the Wiltshire Off Road Running League who presented their 25/26 series trophies after parkrun, literally giving their winners their day in the sun. Despite the warm weather an impressive 70 people recorded PBs.

RD Graham welcomed tourists from Crystal Palace, Dublin, Freshbrook (?!), Gloucester, Pewsey and Salisbury, as well as an astonishing 61 first timers. Is this a record I wonder? 17 people returned for their second parkrun, welcome to all of you and hopefully parkrun will become a regular part of your Saturday mornings.

Among the milestones reached, the Reverend Richard Curtis reached both his 400th run and his 250th occasion of volunteering. Richard is there week in week out as a stalwart volunteer and providing unofficial pastoral care to us all: greeting with a hug, baking cake, cheering runners in as they finish. Oh, and he’s a pretty decent runner too…

The full list of milestones from yesterday
Joel Koniarski, Robert Tarn, Anthony Hughes, (25 runs)
Sam Gough, James Donaldson, Carl O’Keefe, Lydia Ridyard (50)
Robert Leatherby (200)
Richard Curtis (400 plus V250)

First finisher was Prajwal Thapa Magar (17:01) on his first visit to Lydiard and first female finisher was Emma Leatherby (21:40) and a PB to boot. Well done to all our finishers and thank you to the 52 volunteers who made parkrun possible. We hope to see you next Saturday at 9am for parkrun.

08/05/2026

On 16th May, alongside our regular parkrun, we’re hosting a mental health awareness event with organisations attending who offer support and advice.
While men are more likely to need help, they’re less likely to seek it due to perceived stigma or reluctance to discuss their feelings.

More information will be shared during Mental Health Awareness Week (11–17 May).

Small steps lead to big changes

06/05/2026