THE community came together to celebrate the first anniversary of a weekly running group.

Hawkwell junior parkrun was launched on February 4 last year and an event was held for the first birthday.

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The weekly timed run for children takes place on Clements Hall Recreation Ground in Hawkwell every Sunday morning.

The last event saw 103 children brave the chilly weather at the completely free event.

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A total of 27 volunteers also came together to make it a birthday to remember.

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Many runners and volunteers wore onesies to celebrate the event and volunteers, runners and their families also enjoyed refreshments and a special parkrun birthday cake in the winter sun.

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Lisa Swallow, event director said: “We’ve had an amazing first year and have been overwhelmed with support from our community.

“More than 850 children have enjoyed Hawkwell junior parkrun at some stage over the last year with many coming back on a regular basis, and we have had over 150 volunteers help us out these last 12 months through rain and shine.”

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“Our event is so much more than just a run in the park, many friendships have been made and families enjoy our event each week, and thanks to our volunteers it’s free.

“The birthday was a celebration of our wonderful community.”