An opportunity arose to add to my various volunteer roles at Bexley parkrun, by donning the pale blue hi-viz vest as a parkwalker. My knees have been playing up so a 5k walk around Danson Park was just the ticket.

parkwalking has for some time been promoted by parkrun HQ, so it was nice to join up with some other walkers, one recovering from an achilles injury and two ladies, relatively new to parkrun, who were enjoying their Saturday morning stroll 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️.

The walk completed, I made my way to Chestnuts to join other volunteers for a coffee ☕️.

It was a classic late-November morning at Danson Park—cool, grey, and squishy underfoot—but the atmosphere was anything but muted.

This week, I had the privilege of seeing the entire event unfold from the finish funnel, volunteering as both Finish Token distributor and Report Writer.

Handing out those tokens is truly the best view: seeing the sheer effort, the final sprint, and the massive relief on everyone's faces is absolutely infectious.

The core of parkrun shines brightest on these chilly days. It was fantastic to see so many determined runners and walkers, and we also want to give a huge nod to our community partners who joined us, supporting the important White Ribbon initiative.

Thank you to all the runners, and especially to every single high-vis hero! It's an honour to write about the spirit you create every week.

What a truly wonderful morning at Danson Park! The November skies were thick and grey, but the atmosphere on the ground was golden thanks to our dedicated high-vis team.

From the perspective of the report writer, it was a pure privilege to witness the magic of volunteering firsthand. The cheering, the organisation, and the simple act of showing up turned a damp, quiet morning into a massive, warm celebration of community.

Volunteering is truly the best reward; seeing the genuine appreciation from every runner, jogger, and walker as they pass is infectious. It’s a powerful reminder that donating an hour of your Saturday results in endless connection and positive energy.

If you're looking for a rewarding way to start your weekend, please consider giving it a go—we wouldn't trade this view for anything!

Manish and myself were part of the high-viz team volunteering at Bexley parkrun this morning. Manish is one of our new members and was making his parkrun debut as a barcode scanner. A very foggy morning awaited us, but did not dampen our morning. Two GG members were running in the event, Sue Lee and Lisa Baxter; congratulations to Lisa who was running her 250th pr event.

Hiya, here to share my first session with GoodGym Bexley - parkrun volunteering!

I moved into Bexley a year ago. Being a little bit bored sitting in front of my computer at home, I decided that a light jog in the morning to the Danson Park and some chats with runners and volunteers on a Saturday morning would be a good change. It was a decision made two days before the event, but signing up was easy thanks to the clear instructions.

The sun happened to be warm and bright on the day. I was greeted by Goodgymers Sarah and Johnny, both of whom were running, among other amazing runners and volunteers at parkrun before it started.

I was on barcode scanning with three others and had the pleasure to see smiley (or wrecked AND smiley) faces at the finishing line while recording their results.

There were just over 400 runners, some alone, some with family or friends. Good vibes all around!

As one of the Run Directors at Bexley parkrun, it was my turn to oversee this morning’s event. A cool morning saw 383 participants turn up for their weekly 5k fix. Everything ran smoothly until I was handed a mobile phone left behind by one of the runners. No claimants by the time the event had finished, I made my way to Chestnuts for a coffee hoping the phone would ring and the owner would come and collect. No ring and therefore a decision had to be made as to what to do. Purely by chance, I noticed a caller on the screen and then realised the phone was on silent. After advising the caller (Dad) of our location, owner and phone were quickly reunited. An RDs life is always unpredictable 😂