Popular 5K Fareham parkrun described as 'pillar in the community' celebrates 10th anniversary - pictures

Cheerful runners celebrated the 10th anniversary of a popular parkrun described as a “pillar in the community”.

Keen joggers gathered to complete the 5K Fareham parkrun this morning (April 11) in the bright sunshine. After working up a sweat, many participates gathered at the Cams Mill pub to toast the event’s successes over the years.

Organiser Vicki Rowe-Shawyer, of Fareham, has been attending the weekly athletic event since 2018. She told The News: “The run went fantastically well. More than 300 people came along which was slightly higher than normal.

“Julie Salt was the first run director ten years ago and she came back as a guest. There were lots of cakes, balloons, and celebrations. The weather was perfect. The sun came out which helped. That made sure that everyone had a great time and stayed behind afterwards to enjoy the celebrations at the Cams Mill pub.”

The weekly event is held every Saturday at 9am. Attendees can walk or run the route from the Cams Mill pub, proceeding along the Fareham Creek Trail and back again.

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When asked how much the event has changed over the years, Ms Rowe-Shawyer said: “It had been well-established and had been going for a couple of years, but the community spirit has increased. Parkrun isn’t just about running or walking the 5K, but it’s about the friendships that are formed and the support which is given to everybody.

“We’ve got runners who don’t see many people during the week, so somebody cheering you on and speaking to you afterwards is often more important than the actual run. It has become a pillar in the community. It’s the highlight of everyone’s week.

“They know they’ve got that to look forward to, seeing friendly faces. There’s a core team of people who are always there, so if they recognise someone new, they’ll say hello and offer to walk or run it with them. It can be a bit nerve-wracking attending something for the first time knowing there could be a couple of hundred people there. We try to make it inclusive for everybody."

Ms Salt said: “Our first run was in April 2016. We’ve built a fantastic community here. We’ve had 104,000 people come and run with us. It’s just wonderful how we support each other every Saturday morning. It has grown massively. It’s friendship and fund, a wonderful thing.”

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