04/09/2025
This weekend, the one millionth different person will volunteer at parkrun. Volunteers are at the beating heart of every event; their generosity and community spirit helps make parkrun what it is.
As we near this incredible milestone the first ever volunteer, parkrun Founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE pens a letter from the heart.
"This week we will reach an extraordinary milestone — the one millionth person who has volunteered with parkrun.
One million!
It’s a number that’s almost impossible to comprehend, but it represents something very real, very powerful, and very human.
It represents you.
You who cheer at finishes in the pouring rain.
You who time every footstep, scan every barcode, and set up every flag and funnel.
You who quietly support your local event week after week, often unnoticed, always appreciated.
I started parkrun with a simple idea: bring people together for a free, weekly, timed walk or run in the park. But I never imagined the true heart of this movement wouldn’t be the run itself — it would be the people who make it happen.
You.
Volunteering with parkrun isn’t just about roles and rosters.
It’s about connection, generosity, community. It’s about finding purpose on a Saturday and Sunday morning, making a new friend, helping someone feel seen for the first time in weeks.
It’s about creating spaces that are open, welcoming, and safe — for everyone.
You’ve built something bigger than a run. You’ve built a movement of love, support, and belonging.
From small villages to capital cities, from fields to beachfronts, your collective spirit has changed lives. Mine included.
We are all ‘One in a million’.
So to each and every one of you — whether you’ve volunteered once, ten times, or a thousand — thank you. From the bottom of my heart.
Here’s to the million who’ve already raised their hands.
And to the next million who will.
With love and gratitude,
Paul"
Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE
parkrun Founder and first volunteer Tìr Na Draíochta - The Land of Magic Dungloe River Walk Dungloe parkrun Rosses events Diary Dungloe Community Network
This weekend, the one millionth different person will volunteer at parkrun. Volunteers are at the beating heart of every event; their generosity and community spirit helps make parkrun what it is.
As we near this incredible milestone the first ever volunteer, parkrun Founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE pens a letter from the heart.
"This week we will reach an extraordinary milestone — the one millionth person who has volunteered with parkrun.
One million!
It’s a number that’s almost impossible to comprehend, but it represents something very real, very powerful, and very human.
It represents you.
You who cheer at finishes in the pouring rain.
You who time every footstep, scan every barcode, and set up every flag and funnel.
You who quietly support your local event week after week, often unnoticed, always appreciated.
I started parkrun with a simple idea: bring people together for a free, weekly, timed walk or run in the park. But I never imagined the true heart of this movement wouldn’t be the run itself — it would be the people who make it happen.
You.
Volunteering with parkrun isn’t just about roles and rosters.
It’s about connection, generosity, community. It’s about finding purpose on a Saturday and Sunday morning, making a new friend, helping someone feel seen for the first time in weeks.
It’s about creating spaces that are open, welcoming, and safe — for everyone.
You’ve built something bigger than a run. You’ve built a movement of love, support, and belonging.
From small villages to capital cities, from fields to beachfronts, your collective spirit has changed lives. Mine included.
We are all ‘One in a million’.
So to each and every one of you — whether you’ve volunteered once, ten times, or a thousand — thank you. From the bottom of my heart.
Here’s to the million who’ve already raised their hands.
And to the next million who will.
With love and gratitude,
Paul"
Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE
parkrun Founder and first volunteer
