The Reader: Parkrun merrily on high this Christmas holiday

Why not encourage your family and your friends off the sofa this Christmas with a 5k run/walk at your local parkrun? Debra Bourne’s neat paperback reader’s guide “Parkrun — much more than a run in the park” is a great stocking filler purchase.

Bourne — the director of Lloyd parkrun in Croydon’s Lloyd Park — presents chapters on the way the roots of the event, the way it builds communities, its statistics, global reach, and more; there’s something for everyone to dip into. And after that, join your local event on a Saturday — walkers, runners, kids, buggies and dogs all welcome.

In many areas you can even do so on Christmas Day morning if you’re up and presents have been opened before the 9am start.

Sort out your online registration beforehand at parkrun.com if you’d like your time recorded; otherwise, just turn up and join the crowd.

Oh, and it’s free.
Narmada de Silva

Editor's reply

Dear Narmada,

Your letter makes me want to lace up my trainers and go for a run — despite the icy rain.

I started running because it was simple. You don’t have to book into a scheduled class, it’s free, and no one cares what you look like. Parkrun is brilliant, especially if you need encouragement for that final kilometre. But if the idea of exercising with others makes you want to run in the opposite direction, the NHS has an online tool to guide you to your first 5k.

There is a caveat to the “just do it” appeal of running, however — all the boring things that are easy to dismiss when you’re desperate to fit in a run do matter. I injured a tendon because my shoes weren’t supportive enough and my technique was wrong and am only just getting back on track.

I can’t wait — I’ve missed the runner’s high, what Kenyan athlete Geoffrey Mutai called “the spirit”. The physical struggle of reaching 5k temporarily eclipses all other concerns; tonight it might even help you feel better about the election.
Susannah Butter, Comment Editor

Give high streets a festive boost​

London is a patchwork of villages woven together by the growing city. The health of their historic centres is what keeps it a vibrant place to live. Shuttered shops don’t just deprive us of places to buy things, they sap life out of these communities. If we could all commit to buying some of our Christmas presents on the high street it would give a much-needed boost.
Thomas Dexter

Our cross-party alliance for change

As candidates standing in the election today, we pledge, if elected, to use our voices and votes to make a positive change in the lives of current and future generations.

How? By acting today for tomorrow, and working to prevent problems — including the climate crisis and poverty — from happening, instead of dealing in short-term emergencies.

We will also ensure future generations have a seat at the table by taking their needs into account in new policies, budgets and laws.

And we will back Lord Bird’s Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill, which — if enacted — will prioritise the environmental, social, economic and cultural wellbeing of current and future generations.

Jonathan Bartley (Co-Leader of the Green Party); Joanne Ainscough (Wyre & Preston North, Labour); Sue Aitkenhead (Poole, Labour/Co-op); John Appleby (Tynemouth, Liberal Democrat); Callum Anderson (South West Bedfordshire, Labour); Lucy Bannister (Manchester Withington, Green); Jonathan Bartley (Dulwich & West Norwood, Green); Chris Bell (Morley & Outwood, Green); Lauren Bennie (Glasgow North East, Scottish Conservative); Paul Bidwell (Bracknell, Labour); Emily Blake (South West Norfolk, Labour); James Booth (Macclesfield, Green); Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington, Liberal Democrat)

Martin Brampton (Thirsk & Malton, Green); Nicholas Brown (City of Chester, Green); Andy Brown (Skipton & Ripon, Green); Julia Buckley (Shrewsbury & Atcham, Labour); Alan Bullion (Gillingham & Rainham, Liberal Democrat); Julian Burrett (Forest of Dean, Independent); Ed Carlisle (Leeds Central, Green); Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire, Green); April Clark (Tonbridge & Malling, Green); Adam Colclough (Stoke-on-Trent Central, Green); Michael Cope (Cardiff North, Green); Quinn Daley (Pudsey, Green); Mike Davies (Bath, Labour); John Davis (Wyre Forest, Green); Brendan D'Cruz (Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney, Welsh Liberal Democrat); Andrea Dexter (Somerton & Frome, Green); Simon Dodd (Dover, Liberal Democrat); David Drew (Stroud, Labour/Co-op); Charles Dundas (Livingston, Liberal Democrat); Matthew Edwards (Bradford South, Green); Jonathan Elmer (City of Durham, Green); Florence Eshalomi (Vauxhall, Labour/Co-op); Becky Finlayson (Coventry South, Green); Tony Firkins (Feltham & Heston, Green); Ian Flynn (Dudley North, Liberal Democrat); Tom Franklin (York Central, Green); Adam Freeman (South Staffordshire, Labour); Leon French (Doncaster Central, Yorkshire Party); Christopher Garghan (Birmingham Yardley, Green); Andrew George (St. Ives, Liberal Democrat); Ray Georgeson (Bishop Auckland, Liberal Democrat); Roger Godsiff (Birmingham Hall Green, Independent); Neil Gray (Airdrie & Shotts, Scottish National Party); Delphine Gray-Fisk (Slough, Brexit Party); Barry Harding-Rathbone (Poole, Green); Mike Harrison (Dudley North, Green); Dylan Harrison (The Wrekin, Labour); Nick Hartley (Newcastle-upon-Tyne East, Green); Adrian Heald (Mid-Norfolk, Labour); David Henwood (Oxford East, Independent); Celia Hickson (Shipley, Green); Julie Hope (New Forest East, Labour); Sally Horscroft (Lincoln, Green); Ryan Houghton (Aberdeen North, Scottish Conservative); Caroline Jackson (Lancaster & Morecambe, Green); Liz Jarvis (Southampton Itchen, Liberal Democrat); Andrew Johns (Walthamstow, Green); Dylan Jones (Tonbridge & Malling, Labour); Holly Kal-Weiss (Hertsmere, Labour); Dinah Keal (Thirsk & Malton, Liberal Democrat); Richard Kemp (Liverpool Wavertree, Liberal Democrat); Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon, Welsh Labour)

Peter Kyle (Hove & Portslade, Labour); Gary Lawson (Denton & Reddish, Green); Vivien Lichtenstein (Kensington, Green); Catherine Linstrum (Islwyn, Green); Chris Lofts (South Northamptonshire, Liberal Democrat); Robert Logan (Thornbury & Yate, Labour); Pete Lowe (Stourbridge, Labour); John Macefield (Walsall South, Green); Sue MacFarlane (Mid-Derbyshire, Green); Cass Macgregor (Glasgow North, Scottish Green); Alan MacKenzie (The Cotswolds, Labour); David Mawson (Darlington, Brexit Party); Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East, Labour); Chris McFarling (Forest of Dean, Green); Rachel McGann (Mid-Bedfordshire, Liberal Democrat); Nick Morphet (Hexham, Green); David Nagle (Elmet & Rothwell, Labour); Alex Nettle (Birmingham Ladywood, Green); David Nicholl (Bromsgrove, Liberal Democrat); Deanna Nicholson (Mid-Sussex, Green); Ruth Norbury (Wyre & Preston North, Green); Rob Nunney (Wythenshawe & Sale East, Green); Rob O'Carroll (Runnymede & Weybridge, Liberal Democrat); Joanne Oldale (Mid-Dorset & North Poole, Labour); Finola O'Neill (North Devon, Labour); Taiwo Owatemi (Coventry North West, Labour); Jill Perry (Workington, Green); Tay Pitman (Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central, Green); Steven Pritchard (Stoke-on-Trent Central, Liberal Democrat); Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight, Labour); Philip Randle (East Antrim, Northern Ireland Green); Claire Ransom (Romsey & Southampton North, Labour); Jenny Reeves (Faversham & Mid-Kent, Labour); Simone Reynolds (Old Bexley & Sidcup, Liberal Democrat); Mandy Rossi (Ashford, Green); Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton Kemptown, Labour/Co-op); Alec Sandiford (Stone, Liberal Democrat); Bella Sankey (Arundel & South Downs, Labour); Liz Saville Roberts (Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Plaid Cymru); Jackie Schneider (Wimbledon, Labour); David Sewell (North West Durham, Green); Phil Simpson (Birmingham Edgbaston, Green); Andrew Simpson (Daventry, Liberal Democrat); Vikki Slade (Mid-Dorset & North Poole, Liberal Democrat); Anthony Slaughter (Vale of Glamorgan, Green); Benjamin Smith (Runnymede & Weybridge, Green); Angie Smith (Wealden, Labour); Kate Smith (Amber Valley, Liberal Democrat); Simon Sprague (Croydon Central, Liberal Democrat); Thomas Stewart (Berwick-upon-Tweed, Green); Nicholas Stovold (Bethnal Green & Bow, Conservative); Matt Stratford (Eltham, Green); Siobhan Strode (Torridge & West Devon, Labour); Jeanette Sunderland (Bradford East, Liberal Democrat); Robin Swann (North Antrim, Ulster Unionist Party); Paul Sweeney (Glasgow North East, Scottish Labour/Co-op); Kay Tart (Hitchin & Harpenden, Labour); Georgia Taylor (Wealden, Green); Rhys Taylor (Cardiff North, Welsh Liberal Democrat); Wendy Taylor (Newcastle East, Liberal Democrat); Andy Thomas (Rutland & Melton, Labour); Richard Thomson (Gordon, Scottish National Party); Ted Thompson (Dumfries & Galloway, Scottish Labour); Isabel Thurston (Arundel & South Downs, Green); Marc Tierney (Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire, Welsh Labour); Peter Varley (Newport East, Green); Rebecca Wain (Ashfield, Liberal Democrat); Beth Waller-Slack (Blackburn, Liberal Democrat); Steffan Webb (Cardiff North, Plaid Cymru); Carlton West (Washington & Sunderland West, Liberal Democrat); Paul Williams (Stockton South, Labour); James Windridge (Halesowen & Rowley Regis, Green); Amelia Womack (Newport West, Green); Diane Wood (Yeovil, Green)