500th Park Run in Dunorlan

Tuesday, 26 August 2025 20:44

By Benny Fiddimore

The Tunbridge Wells Park Run marked a major milestone on Saturday 30th August.

The weekly run in Dunorlan Park held its 500th event.

It started just over 11 years ago, on 26th April 2014 and since then it's become a weekend staple for many of our area’s residents.

The event brings together the local community each Saturday, encouraging people of all ages to participate in outdoor exercise every week.

Listen to Benny Fiddimore's report:

Running is by no means compulsory however, and participants are actively encouraged to walk or jog the course too, allowing for an inclusive atmosphere.

There are several people who are also involved with parkrun who rarely or don’t ever complete the 5k course.

These are the volunteers, affectionately known as the ‘Hi-Vis Heroes’.

One of these people is Richard Craig-McFeely, who regularly volunteers as a photographer.

Richard has ran over 300 parkruns, but was forced to give up last year due to a knee injury.

He said: “I still love coming to parkrun but my role now is to take pictures, which gives me great pleasure”.

A selection of Richard’s photos can be seen through this article.

Judy Guest volunteered at the first ever RTW parkrun, and since then has clocked up 471 credits. She currently serves as Volunteer Co-Ordinator.

She said: “RTW parkrun is an amazing community event. It’s for everyone, whether you are a runner, a walker or even someone who does very little exercise. Volunteering gives you so much.”

Judy added that anyone who wants to volunteer should get in touch, as she is always grateful for more help these days due to participant numbers increasing over the years.

Whilst RTW parkrun now regularly has more than 300 people taking part each week, the first event attracted just 179 individuals.

Whilst volunteering and participating are of course integral to the event, many parkrunners would argue that the social aspect of parkrun is equally, if not more important to them.

Imogen Burman Mitchell perfectly summed up the post parkrun festivities: “You have a coffee, you hang out with your friend, and that is a wonderful start to a Saturday.”