Banstead Woods Report for Event 867 - 26th April 2025 It must be peak bluebell weekend and what a display they made in the woods today With the leaves in their spring green glory and the sun breaking out as the run progressed it was just about perfect conditions for the 867th run around the woods along with a large number of very vocal dogs I hope you thought the display was worth it 32 people recorded personal bests; there might have been more except for the blue distractions the majority of which have been run at BWp I’d like to give a belated shout out to Henry Smith Henry has run 14 times at Banstead and on all but one of those he has been over the line sometimes a full minute before anyone else Henry ran the course with a brilliant time of 16:34 beating his previous PB by 44 seconds But he was robbed of his first over the line position that day by Harrison Hayman who ran an impossible time of 16:09 these are impressive results for Banstead Woods Tomorrow is the London Marathon and there may have been some regulars who didn’t run this morning because they are taking part There will be upwards of 50,000 people running walking or jogging the 26.2 miles that make up the marathon from elite athletes and Olympic hopefuls to those for whom running a marathon is a ‘bucket list’ item others running for or on behalf of charities (either in fancy dress or not) Good luck to all who are competing or volunteering tomorrow Two of this year’s entrants are David Stancombe and Sergio Aguiar the fathers of Elsie Dot and Alice da Silva two of the little girls murdered last year attending a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport The men are raising money for projects set up in memory of their daughters and the other little girl who was killed I hope that they raise lots of money and that this brings some comfort that good can come out of that awful tragedy What a brave act to put themselves out there doing something that perhaps neither ever expected There are many runners of the London Marathon who do so for charity or for more altruistic reasons or who find themselves carrying out selfless acts These people are celebrated in the Spirit of the London Marathon Awards which recognises the unique and extraordinary stories which typify the event Perhaps David and Sergio will be recipients this year The awards were set up in 2018 following the inspirational sight in 2017 Wyeth and Rees were the first winners of the award Among other worthy winners are Inge Simonsen of Norway and Dick Beardsley from the USA who crossed the line hand-in-hand in the first London Marathon in 1981 after neither could break the other over the previous 26.2 miles The great Kathrine Switzer is another recipient officially race and complete the Boston Marathon in 1967 Katherine entered the London Marathon for the first time in 2018 10 runners who have participated in every London Marathon since the first in 1981 has volunteered at every London Marathon since the very first event in 1981 through his involvement with the 23rd Camberwell Scouts who holds the record for most money raised for charity at the London Marathon He raised an incredible £2,330,159.38 in 2011 Elliott Brock donated bone marrow that saved the life of medical student Vicky Lawrence They ran the London Marathon together in 2021 for the Anthony Nolan blood cancer charity Local man David Weir was recognised in 2019 In 2018 he won his eighth elite men’s wheelchair title He went on to win six Paralympic gold medals and there are many gold-painted letter boxes in the Wallington area that celebrate his medals for the 2012 London Olympics There have been awards for overcoming physical challenges Like Chris Moon MBE who was blown up in 1995 clearing landmines for a charity in Africa he ran the London Marathon and has now completed 14 And PC Leon McLeod who struggled with anxiety and PTSD after the London Bridge terror attacks in 2017; he was one of the first officers on the scene He ran in 2019 to raise money for the charity PTSD999 And not forgetting those who overcame other challenges like Aaron Plummer who ran the London Marathon in 2020 proving to the world that learning disability is no barrier to achieving your dreams Michael Watson the boxer who sustained life-threatening head injuries during a world title fight with Chris Eubank in 1991 but in April 2003 completed the London Marathon an inspirational example of mind over matter I had the privilege of walking and talking to a few of the walkers So that Jenny can spot Amy easily in the crowd Amy has died her hair a rather lovely shade of lilac; you may have spotted her Amy told me that last year she was a volunteer with the specific role of helping runners who were struggling and might drop out to finish and complete a life affirming achievement To Amy and all the other Spirit award winners you all deserve our respect and admiration; inspirations one and all Perhaps there should be Spirit of Parkrun awards – there would certainly be lots of potential recipients It’s about taking a bit of a risk and seeing what happens I had no idea how important it would become in my life the friends I would make and the fun I would have Any views expressed in this report represent those of the author of whom 79 were first timers and 32 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 55 different clubs took part The event was made possible by 22 volunteers: Tricia ARNOLD • Therese PANETTA • David FREEMAN • Waller PAUL • Gill STALLEY • Kevin LEWIS • Nicholas FOSTER • Ian JOHNSON • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Elliott BURTON • Gary RUFFHEAD • Lorraine GARROD • Derek GARROD • Steve HILL • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Mark OLIVER • Alison CATTERMOLE • Paul QUINN • Simon HOBSON • Judith SHEPHARD • Tilly CHARLES-EDWARDS • Andrew TAYLOR Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Banstead Woods parkrun started on 16th June 2007 Since then 17,516 participants have completed 148,981 parkruns covering a total distance of 744,905 km A total of 712 individuals have volunteered 16,262 times © parkrun Limited (Company Number: 07289574) No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner Banstead Park in Harehills has received a brand-new mural celebrating the local community and the vibrancy of nature and wildlife Painted by acclaimed street artist HazardOne it is part of a project aiming to make public spaces in the region safer and more welcoming for women and girls which will also see the park benefit from several other improvements have worked with Leeds charity Getaway Girls to come up with ideas for the mural and for how the park could be made better Work has already begun and will continue over the coming months including updating the lighting and opening up sightlines at the Roundhay Road end of the park by replacing bigger shrubs with spring and summer flowers New signage will also be added to welcome visitors to the park The multi-use games area will also be refurbished with new markings and a second entrance and a social seating area will be added to the park Wrapping all the way around the outside of the wall surrounding the multi-use games area the new mural is set to be finished Friday 17 January Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate said: “This is an exciting scheme to improve one of our busiest community parks and make it more welcoming for everyone “The new flowers will give a burst of colour through spring and summer and the mural will do the same all year round Improving the entrance will make the park look more welcoming from the main road and the upgrade of the lighting should ensure the busy walking route from one side of the park to the other can be used year-round “The park will look smarter with new seating and updates to the multi-use games area which will support a range of sports including basketball “I would like to thank the girls in the area for their contribution to this excellent project which will result in lasting improvements to the park.” Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities said: “Everyone in Leeds should feel welcome and safe in our parks and it’s great to see this project taking the steps to make that a reality in Banstead Park The design of the mural and the improvements all come from ideas from women and girls in the local community and they’ve been brilliant in bringing the park to life.” Street artist HazardOne said: “It's been great working with Getaway Girls and the Women and Girls Alliance Leeds for this Leeds City Council project in Banstead Park Street art is such an impactful way of transforming and brightening up spaces and it's been such a fun project to work alongside people from the Harehills community “The design is based on what the young women and girls from the community wanted to see in their public spaces As a Yorkshire lass it's always so rewarding to be part of projects at home that make community spaces more welcoming The project is being delivered by Leeds City Council and the Women and Girls Alliance Leeds It is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which is administered locally by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Official local authority website for Leeds providing information on local services It is with great sadness that we announce that Colin Sutherland one of our most enthusiastic and popular regular parkrunners Colin completed 78 parkruns with us and was an inspiration to many demonstrating that age is no barrier to healthy exercise and his enthusiasm was obvious to all who met him His parkrun career was not without incident but each time he was determined to return to the Woods In periods when he was unable to participate he volunteered as funnel manager In recent months he was unable to be in the Woods while he waited for his knee operation but could frequently be seen riding his bike around Banstead at a pace that had some of us wondering if he was on an e-bike (he wasn't!) Some of Colin's family were with us on Saturday and we're all grateful that parkrun played such a positive role in the later years of his life Our thoughts are with all his family at this time We understand that an occasion celebrating Colin's life will be held in Reigate on the afternoon of next Saturday We will pass on full details when available Banstead Woods Report for Event 833 - 7th September 2024 I was looking forward to travelling to Banstead as I'm about half way through completing all the 'Londone' parkruns I want to try and do this sustainably and not travel by car but to cycle; but the indifferent weather recently put paid to that on Saturday of whom 32 were first timers and 22 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 26 different clubs took part The event was made possible by 21 volunteers: Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • Anne RODEN • David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • Waller PAUL • Chris BAILEY • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Elliott BURTON • Gary RUFFHEAD • Steve HILL • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Gareth Vaughan JONES • Mark OLIVER • Stuart ENGLAND • Steven KILCOYNE • Judith SHEPHARD • Cissy TAYLOR • Andrew TAYLOR • Jimmy O'GORMAN • Artem SITNIKOV Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 16,470 participants have completed 142,045 parkruns covering a total distance of 710,225 km A total of 685 individuals have volunteered 15,532 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 862 – 22nd March 2025 I commented that the conditions were about as bad as I had ever seen them the conditions were just about perfect for a run/jog/walk around our lovely woods the light was good with the sun trying to poke through the cloud cover jogged or walked around the course today following our briefing from Dave Freeman who had us on our way by 9.04am The conditions meant that an amazing 26 of the starters achieved PBs – that’s 12% There were apparently 29 first timers but only a few of them owned up at the start line but there was at least one person from Sydney Australia – which trumps just about all other tourists unless (as Elliott said) there was someone from New Zealand There were a few milestones worthy of mention today David Roberts ran his 100th parkrun – well done David Tom and Emma were running the last of their challenge to run all the parkruns within the M25 – thank you for choosing us Nick Foster racked up his 400th volunteering position – thank you Nick Regular Sharon Miller clocked up her 300th parkrun 244 have been run in Banstead Woods and in addition And that doesn’t count the words of encouragement that Sharon often shouts out to participants as they make their way around the course and many thanks for all your help along the way I fell over while I was running earlier in the week and broke a finger so I have been feeling a bit sorry for myself I was tail walker this week and hands are not much needed to carry out the duties in that role I was accompanied by the other tail-end marshal Trish and we had a jolly old time walking and chatting as we ambled around the woods and wondering when the bluebells would start poking through the ground I mentioned my fall and Trish told me about her skiing accident some 25 years ago which left her in a coma for 10 days with a brain injury She was probably saved by a doctor who insisted she be helicoptered off the mountain to a hospital which meant life saving treatment was given within an hour she had months of rehabilitation ahead of her while she regained her sense of smell and taste got back her memory and relearned tasks like catching a ball But one of the things that got her through that terrible time was her determination to run 5k The accident was in January and by September she reached her goal and run 5k in Hyde Park It was not long after that she became a parkrunner I found Trish’s story both moving and inspirational and demonstrated what a very positive activity running 5k can be It rather put a broken finger into perspective I am not a great sports enthusiast – I don’t have a favourite football team I don’t understand the off-side rule or even care; I have no idea what is happening in a rugby scrum; and I simply don’t know why otherwise sane people (both my sons included) are happy to watch cars speed around a race track 58 times in 100 minutes American football is incomprehensible – I have been to a few matches - actually they wouldn’t know what I meant by the term ‘match’ cheerleaders and mascots (sometimes live horses) careering across the pitch and they start running after a rugby shaped ball all those men leave the field and another 70 come back on And don’t get me started on baseball and cricket and all the statistics which are apparently so vital to the appreciation of those sports But even I can’t avoid the emotion generated by major sporting outcomes especially if there are Brits involved even if I don’t want to actually watch the event itself And there has been plenty of elite activity in the last few weeks and I cannot deny that I note that Newcastle United won something called the Caraboa Cup recently the team’s first trophy in nearly 60 years The England rugby team beat Wales in the Six Nations by a staggering 68 to 14 in what I believe to be an outstanding display of the sport British drivers came in 1st and 3rd in the first Grand Prix of the season with 4 drivers in the top 15 including the great Lewis Hamilton The British successor to Andy Murray has battled his way into the top 10 world tennis rankings with a win at the Indian Wells tournament Why am I rabbiting on about this in a parkrun report first because I believe we are all elite athletes at parkrun it is about the individual pitting their wits (and bodies) against the course and the elements Whether you finish in under 17 minutes or are still battling the elements (and your body) after 40 minutes parkrun has a new star in its midst and someone likely to become one of the elite athletes of his generation Young Louis Robinett recently finished 2nd in the Poole parkrun in a time of 17:01 you will be saying that whilst this is a good time its not outstanding – except that young Louis is only 11 years old! Now that is an achievement worth celebrating of whom 29 were first timers and 26 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 32 different clubs took part The event was made possible by 18 volunteers: Tricia ARNOLD • Robin HOLMES • Therese PANETTA • David FREEMAN • Waller PAUL • Phil FENTON • Jane LUXTON • Kevin LEWIS • Nicholas FOSTER • Elliott BURTON • Lorraine GARROD • Derek GARROD • Nick BILLING • Alison CATTERMOLE • Henry SMITH • Tilly CHARLES-EDWARDS • Artem SITNIKOV • Arthur MOCKETT Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 17,276 participants have completed 147,773 parkruns covering a total distance of 738,865 km A total of 705 individuals have volunteered 16,150 times Children can enter Narnia’s magical forest through the wardrobe and see the novel’s most iconic figures The beautiful tree sculptures from CS Lewis’ classic children’s book “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” have been carved from standing deadwood by Ella Fielding Greenspaces Officer at Reigate and Banstead Borough Council thought it would be so fun to go through the wardrobe and imagine you are in a forest but it is only completed once it is experienced by others My job is to make it to a point and then all the magic is made by everyone else.”   The 5km circular Narnia Trail was created by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council in 2017 to mark the designation of Banstead Woods and Chipstead Downs as a local nature reserve was a deer park sheltering the Royal deer – and deer can still occasionally be seen wandering the woods today Just a short distance from the A217 near Banstead and five minutes walk from Chipstead Station the trail starts and finishes at the Holly Lane car park There are no toilets or refreshments on the trail itself though the visitors can get a cuppa from the mobile van in the carpark The trail takes only about half an hour to complete and there are some gravel paths and steep sections and it can get a bit muddy and slippery after rain there are wooden signs depicting nature and wildlife for children to spot it is however particularly lovely when the woodlands are filled with bluebells in mid-April and May (avoid the temptation to take them home as bluebells are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) If you wish to take a longer walk once the children have discovered all the wonderful sculptures you can follow some of the many other intersecting paths which will take you through 250 acres of beautiful ancient woodlands and chalk grasslands Whether you choose to do a short or long walk you might like to round off your day with a drink at the local pub just down the road from Holly Lane car park Walks in South West London and Surrey For best viewing experience of this website Please enter a place name in the search bar After provisionally the warmest May Day on record in the UK higher than average temperatures will subside over the weekend Environment Agency Updated: 04:30 (UTC+1) on Tue 6 May 2025 it will turn increasingly cloudy from off the North Sea Some bright or sunny spells developing by evening Staying dry with some lengthy clear skies overnight Turning chilly with a touch of grass frost in places Largely dry with variable amounts of cloud and bright or sunny spells on Wednesday with variable amounts of cloud and bright or sunny spells throughout the period Dry across the vast majority of the UK with clear or sunny spells but also some patchy cloud Cloud will likely thicken across the far north and northwest during the weekend with some outbreaks of rain for a time There is also a small risk of some heavy showers in the far south or southwest high pressure will be dominant across the UK This will bring predominantly fine and dry weather for the majority of places Temperatures are likely to be slightly above normal for the time of year although there is a chance of some cold nights Fairly typical weather for the time of year is most likely through this period fine and dry weather is more likely to dominate although this will be interspersed with occasional spells of rain and showers with a risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms in places temperatures will most likely be near to or slightly above average Banstead Woods Report for Event 844 - 23rd November 2024 I’ve volunteered a handful of times at various parkruns usually when I’m being a tourist and me and my friends are looking for a way to get involved at the local event before we dash off But as I approach one of my parkrun milestones in a few weekends time I realised that I hadn’t yet volunteered at my home parkrun I felt I had to put this right before I reach my milestone so I decided to volunteer to write this week’s report As I chatted at the start line to the Run Director and volunteers I was wondering aloud as to what I should include in my report and I hoped that some inspiration would come to me as I ran around the 1 ¾ lap course I feel that I couldn’t write this week’s parkrun report without giving a special mention to the weather For those of us that woke up and braved the elements this morning we managed to escape the worst of Storm Bert (which became very clear as the day progressed) but even the cover of the trees couldn’t quite fully shield us from the gusty winds and the rain The autumnal leaves had been steadily falling over the last few weeks but after this storm I’m sure there won’t be many that have managed to cling onto their branches I’ll be hitting a parkrun milestone soon and to mark the event a group of my friends from SW and central London will be waking up early and making a trip down to the Woods to join me they’ve been asking me what to expect and what Banstead Woods parkrun is like I’m always so thankful that I can splash and squelch through the puddles and mud without worrying about losing a trainer in the process but being rewarded with a downhill stretch twice and as you approach the finish makes up for the pain as you struggle up it All the volunteers congregate at the bottom and give you that push and cheer to get you up it I also describe Banstead Woods as one where you can run your own race and not have to worry about other runners this is technically true of all parkruns (and is what makes parkrun so great) but Banstead is not so crowded that you’re jostling for space on the paths or queueing to run around obstacles (a common observation from my friends who are regulars at the more concentrated London parkruns) which I personally love as you can really feel at one with the woods and nature It’s then a lovely finish as you come around the last corner and down the final straight and all the runners I give a notable mention to the Narnia wood carvings I’m sure these have been written about in previous reports so I won’t go into too much detail here It’s so nice to see that they continue to attract visitors (young and old) to the Woods who marvel at the greatness of the White Witch the majesty of Aslan and to step through the wardrobe I tell my friends that Banstead Woods is friendly It truly embodies the spirit of parkrun and sits at the heart of our local community - I bump into and catch up with my fellow run club members (shout out to Tadworth AC); I see my neighbour and her dog always looking so smart as he trots across the finish line; and the many regulars that I see each week the recognition that we’ve all woken up to get our weekends off to a great start the words of encouragement as we run around the course together and the happy smiles and well dones as we collect our finish tokens Well done to all the runners who completed (a very wet and windy) parkrun this week and a big well done to Liz who completed her 600th parkrun today of whom 11 were first timers and 13 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 23 different clubs took part Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • Phil FENTON • Jane LUXTON • Kevin LEWIS • Paul CAVE • Kerena IVENS • Elliott BURTON • Steve HILL • Mark OLIVER • Alison CATTERMOLE • Jenny MAC DONNELL • Mark EDWARDS • Cissy TAYLOR • Andrew TAYLOR • Chris MARTINS • Jo MOON • Joseph WATSON-SMITH • Jade WARNER • Benjamin MOON Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 16,797 participants have completed 144,177 parkruns covering a total distance of 720,885 km A total of 691 individuals have volunteered 15,769 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 840 - 26th October 2024 The weather conditions belied the glorious conditions in the woods today It was dreary and ten tenths cloud cover and the visibility wasn’t great The temperature was around 10degC and there was a slight chill in the air The woods were beginning to dry out after the rain this week particularly on the long uphill section after the start where there was free water and muddy patches the fact is that the woods looked dazzling in her autumn colours Whilst there is still a lot of green foliage on the trees as you looked up The event was larger than usual but Run director Elliot Burton did his usual sterling job briefing all the ’guys’ who ran only 2 of whom were completely new to parkrun including from Gloucester and Folkestone to name but two locations in the south and a couple from Prestwich in the north – a long way to come But wherever you travelled from today and whether this was your first parkrun ever or just the first time you have visited our beautiful woods There were a couple of milestones today: Louise Appleton Our first two over the finish line were Harrison Hayman who ran a PB in 16:38 (we don’t see many sub 17 minutes at BWp – way to go who ran in just over 17 minutes in his first outing at BWp (come back next week But heartly congratulations to our milestoners and our speedy finishers 34 clubs were represented at today’s event; perhaps that was increased due to the unusually large number of attendees but the highest number of participants came from a single club Reigate Priory AC 31 members of RPAC turned up to run in commemoration of one of their comrades who tragically passed away in May of this year We observed a minute’s silence in Steve’s memory before the start of the event Perhaps they knew that Banstead Woods had been Steve’s favourite parkrun But it wasn’t just Steve’s running buddies from RPAC who were at BWp this morning there was a group of people from his wife’s fitness group SparkFit who also came along to show solidarity and support for Kathy and walked the first circuit I thought you might be interested in a few fun (and not so fun) facts about the worldwide phenomenon that is parkrun Did you know that the Czech Republic doesn’t have a parkrun of its own but a parkrun does operate within its borders the Cieszyn parkrun is registered in Poland and start in Poland but partway through the route crosses briefly into the Czech Republic before returning to Poland The less fun fact is that parkruns in France have been suspended indefinitely due to a protracted legal argument around whether parkrun is a ‘competitive’ sporting activity In France medical certificates are required by law for all competing in such an activity Our parkrun leaders are working tirelessly to try to overcome this barrier There are no parkruns in Spain or Portugal for similar reasons What is wrong with these people (the French Of course it isn’t a competitive sporting event It’s about getting people out in the fresh air with a common goal of running or walking 5km someone comes up to me and says that parkrun has been a life saver for them Far from needing a medical to take part in parkrun in case the event damages your health the entire point of parkrun is to improve one’s health I wish the powers that be in parkrun well in their negotiations with these blinkered nations It is a travesty that so many people are being deprived of involvement in something that provides only good for all of whom 40 were first timers and 22 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 34 different clubs took part Mike BRYANT • David FREEMAN • Phil FENTON • Kevin LEWIS • Nicholas FOSTER • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Elliott BURTON • Lorraine GARROD • Derek GARROD • Steve HILL • Sharon MILLER • Julia KING • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Mark OLIVER • Nick BILLING • Alison CATTERMOLE • Paul QUINN • Andrew TAYLOR • Anna SLADE • Willow MEADOWCROFT • Benjamin MOON Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 16,672 participants have completed 143,367 parkruns covering a total distance of 716,835 km A total of 687 individuals have volunteered 15,682 times Reigate and Banstead borough council has installed more than 120 solar-powered bins capable of holding at least five times more than traditional litter bins The new bins will be installed in areas of high footfall including town centres with the older bins being removed Residents have been told to look out for bins with colourful depictions of local attractions The Big Belly Bins use solar power to compact waste and send an alert to the borough’s cleansing team so they can be emptied only when needed and before they become full The council hopes that this will result in fewer journeys which will reduce its fuel costs and pollution as well as freeing up time for the cleansing team to focus on work such as clearing up fly tipping and graffiti Nine of the bins will also be able to talk back to residents the sea creatures in Lady Neville Park playground and the penguin in Woodhatch Park executive member for neighbourhood services said: “We’re taking litter seriously and our new solar-powered bins will make it easier for people to dispose of their rubbish responsibly and help keep Reigate & Banstead litter free and looking good solar-powered bins help us to reduce our carbon footprint but they’ll look smart too: some will have eye-catching designs to celebrate the borough and some will be particularly hungry creatures that may even thank you in person for feeding them There really will be no excuse for dropping litter in the borough.” have been funded through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which is a charge on new development to help fund the infrastructure needed to support new homes and businesses Full contact information: HERE Get the latest waste and recycling news straight to your inbox We are using cookies to give you the best browsing experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again This website uses cookies to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site Keeping these cookies enabled helps us to fund and improve our website which is free to visit and use All such information remains confidential and we use only to determine which pages are popular with readers Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences More information about our Cookie Policy Banstead Woods Report for Event 818 – 25th May 2024 be warned that the walk up to parkrun takes between five and ten minutes whom I met when she was setting out the finish funnel Always a priority to find where this is when you are a first time visitor with the two longest sides being uphill and downhill the start is about a quarter of the way along one of the longest sides so this means that you start above the steepest part of the course The result is that you only have to run up the steepest part once I was told that the former course required runners to climb the hill twice Unfortunately there isn’t much flat land near the information desk to warm up so if you are one of those folks who like to run a kilometre to raise your heart rate before parkrun you will probably need to run up one of the long sides of the course After a meticulous first timers briefing (with one genuine first timer to parkrun present) There is a steady (but not too steep) climb for the first three hundred metres so for a while I didn’t feel that I was getting anywhere and I motivated myself with the thought that there was only one more climb to go The long downhill stretch is very pleasant you can build up speed so that you can run the final two hundred and fifty metres to the finish although it’s quite stony in the finishing strait A couple of people suffered twisted ankles (including Tee Sodje who hobbled his way manfully around most of the course and Julie Medhurst who fell in the home strait and managed to get a hairline ankle fracture) I ran in hybrid shoes (between road and trail shoes) One unusual feature is a dedicated starting area for people running with dogs and this is the first time that I have seen such a thing you will see signs warning that the course narrows Congratulations to Max Caufield who was first finisher in just seventeen minutes and thirty two seconds First lady home was Lisa Rooney in nineteen minutes and forty nine seconds Next parkrun for Lisa will be her three hundredth of whom 32 were first timers and 23 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 25 different clubs took part The event was made possible by 23 volunteers: Neil SUNDERLAND • Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • Waller PAUL • Kevin LEWIS • Carol Ann HOARE • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Elliott BURTON • Lisa WEBSTER • Steve HILL • Mark PERRYMAN • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Nick BILLING • Alison CATTERMOLE • Samantha PENNELLI • Graeme GEMMELL • Lianne SHING • Judith SHEPHARD • Cissy TAYLOR • Andrew TAYLOR • Caroline GEMMELL Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 15,997 participants have completed 139,109 parkruns covering a total distance of 695,545 km A total of 677 individuals have volunteered 15,235 times CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE TDN FOR FREE! Remember Ben with a gift to Thoroughbred aftercare Subscribe for FREE to the Daily PDF or the News Alerts Home » Archive » Europe » Manna the Classic Hero Who Launched a Century of Excellence at Banstead Manor Stud Manna's commemorative plaque in the stallion yard at Banstead Manor Stud | Emma Berry Banstead Manor Stud is famed around the world as the HQ of Juddmonte not least for housing the mighty Frankel its incarnation as the home of the Juddmonte sires does not represent its debut as a source of racing success During 2025 it will celebrate its centenary as a leading stud because it was first thrust into the spotlight in 1925 when Henry Morriss bought the property specifically to stand that year's Derby winner Manna Previously Banstead Manor had been part of the massive Cheveley Estate which at the time stretched over approximately 7,800 acres on the south side of Newmarket running from Cheveley up to the Stetchworth Toll roundabout by the July Course This property had been one of the leading studs in the land under the ownership of Colonel Harry McCalmont the stallions had lived at what is now Cheveley Park Stud with the box in which Isinglass (who posthumously became champion broodmare sire in 1912) resided having been more recently the bedroom of Cheveley Park's stalwart Pivotal Henry Morriss was an influential businessman in the Far East where his interests included part-ownership of the North China Daily News as well as being the principal of the Shanghai bullion broking firm Lester Eventually he decided to broaden his racing horizons and in 1915 he registered his colours in Great Britain: rose Morriss chose Fred Darling as his trainer and in 1921 he gave the latter an annual assignment: at the sales each autumn he should buy the yearling he rated most highly It did not take long before the wisdom of this decision became plain At Tattersalls' St Leger Yearling Sale in Doncaster in 1923 by Phalaris from the Buckwheat mare Waffles He bought him on Morriss's behalf for 6,300 guineas and the colt turned out to be Manna Maher was a regular producer of top-class horses including the previous year's St Leger winner Caligula as well as St Louis who had achieved nothing as a two-year-old in 1923 but would improve so dramatically over the winter that he won the 2,000 Guineas the following spring Waffles was not an obvious candidate to credit Maher's stud (at Confey Castle near Leixlip) with further glory as she was by Buckwheat and she was so small (barely reaching 15 hands) that she was never broken in instead being covered as a three-year-old in 1920 by the Gallinule stallion Great Sport (Ire) not least because she was inbred 3×2 to St Simon Waffles's mating with Great Sport produced Bunworry who was a very good two-year-old in 1923 Bunworry's achievements helped the Phalaris yearling to catch the attention of Fred Darling (and others hence the high price which Darling had to pay to buy him) as did the colt's appearance: he was a beautifully-made possessing all the quality which one associated with descendants of St Simon (who appeared three times in Manna's pedigree as he was the sire of Phalaris's granddam Cheery) the second being the 1931 St Leger hero Sandwich Manna's full-brother Parwiz won the City And Suburban Handicap at Epsom and went to stud in Argentina Bunworry found her way to Federico Tesio's broodmare band and became ancestress of many notable horses including as third dam of Botticelli Waffles even gained further fame as dam of the infamous Tuppence for whom Dorothy Paget paid a sale-topping price of 6,600 guineas at the 1931 St Leger Yearling Sale (two days after Sandwich's Classic triumph) only to find that she had a horse of very limited ability on her hands a vastly inferior stablemate of her champion steeplechaser Golden Miller in Basil Briscoe's Beechwood House Stables in Exning It soon become clear that Manna had plenty of ability It also became clear that he was difficult to the extent that he reputedly holds the distinction of being the only one of the many horses trained by Fred Darling to kick the great man did not prevent him from working extremely well to the extent that he made his debut in what was Britain's most valuable two-year-old race the National Breeders' Produce Stakes at Sandown (now run as the National Stakes with very different conditions and listed status) He finished third that day and went on to win two important races in his first season: the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood and the Moulton Stakes at Newmarket Manna made further progress over the winter and began his Classic season in fine style winning the 2,000 Guineas impressively and the Derby even more easily by eight lengths he possibly had luck on his side at Epsom as fourth-placed Solario lost many lengths at the start At Ascot two weeks later Solario suggested that he may well have been an unlucky loser in the Derby beating Manna in the Ascot Derby (now King Edward VII Stakes admittedly in receipt of 10lb from the Derby winner Despite having won the 2,000 Guineas so well Manna started as long as 9/1 for the Derby the general opinion being that stamina might be a problem for a son of the sprinter Phalaris (Nowadays we regard Phalaris as one of the most influential Classic sires of all time but that Manna came from his third crop and was one of the first horses to make it clear that Phalaris was not merely a source of speed while another horse to do this was Phalaris's fourth-crop son Warden Of The Marches Whether Manna would have stayed the St Leger distance was never established as he went amiss when attempting to complete the Triple Crown limping across the line among the also-rans Manna stood at Banstead Manor from the spring of 1927 having stood elsewhere for his debut season while the stallion yard was under construction He went on to enjoy significant success at stud without being the champion which he had been on the racecourse Manna's greatest achievement as a stallion was to breed Colombo Bought inexpensively by Lord Glanely as a yearling for 510 guineas Colombo was an outstanding two-year-old in 1933 trained in Newmarket by Lord Glanely's private trainer Thomas Hogg Colombo raced seven times at two and won easily on each occasion He ended the year hailed as the best two-year-old since The Tetrarch described in the press as “one of the century's wonder horses” and “a perfect racing machine” Colombo resumed at three by winning the Craven Stakes at Newmarket “in a canter” before justifying 2/7 favouritism in the 2,000 Guineas He endured a torrid passage in the Derby en route to finishing third to Windsor Lad and then was beaten at 1/5 in the St A knee injury then forced him into retirement at Lord Glanely's stud in Exning Colombo sired two Classic winners (Lord Glanely's home-bred filly Dancing Time in the 1941 1,000 Guineas and Sir Willam Cooke's home-bred colt Happy Knight in the 1946 2,000 Guineas) but his greatest legacy was as the sire of the breed-shaping broodmare Oceana who exported by Stanley Wootton to Australia and given repeated matings with Star Kingdom at Baramul Stud Colombo was not the only horse to establish Manna as a very good sire of two-year-olds was an unbeaten juvenile in 1931 when he shared top weight in the Free Handicap with his stablemate Orwell who went on to win the following year's 2,000 Guineas Mannamead subsequently became champion sire in Hungary after his export there in 1937 bred and raced by Lord Woolavington and trained by Fred Darling winning the Coventry Stakes at Ascot and the Boscawen Stakes at Newmarket (beating Hyperion) in 1932 He achieved little at three and four and was exported to Australia where he was champion sire in 1943/'44 and 1944/'45 Miracle was another classy two-year-old sired by Manna the Selsey Stakes at Goodwood and the Gimcrack Stakes at York despite having seemed so big and backward as a yearling that Lord Rosebery had been able to buy him for only 170 guineas At three he won the Newmarket Stakes in the spring before finishing third in the Derby and later landed the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Manna's greatest achievements came via his daughter Pasca Morriss had bought as a foundation mare Soubriquet runner-up in both the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks in 1922 and a half-sister to the 1916 Derby and Oaks victrix Fifinella for 12,500 guineas at Tattersalls' December Sale in 1925 Soubriquet's mating in 1927 with Manna produced Pasca who became dam of the 1938 2,000 Guineas and Eclipse winner Pasch and granddam of the 1953 Derby and King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Pinza who was trained by Fred Darling for Henry Morriss held the distinction for many years of being the most recent 2,000 Guineas winner not to have raced as a juvenile a distinction which he ceded in 2024 to Noble Speech Pinza too had a strong connection to Banstead as he was conceived there a son of the resident stallion Chanteur (Fr) Mrs Morriss owned his dam Pasqua (GB) (Donatello {Ity}) but sold her for 2,000 guineas at the December Sale in 1949 where she was bought by Fred Darling who is thus officially credited as the breeder of Pinza This situation was the reverse of that of the 1940 Derby winner Pont l'Eveque whose dam Ponteba Morriss had bought in 1936 Morriss retained the young Pont l'Eveque and raced him as a two-year-old but sold him to Fred Darling for £500 at the end of 1939 a transaction prompted by the uncertainty resultant from the outbreak of war Chanteur was one of many good stallions who followed in Manna's footsteps at Banstead Manor Two of the early ones were Morriss the home-breds Artist's Proof and Tai-Ying was the good horse bred by Henry Morriss at Banstead and ultimately became most notable as the maternal grandsire of Petition Tai-Yang was the result of Soubriquet's visit to Solario in 1929 and retired to Banstead after a lengthy but light racing career in which he ran only twice winning each time: he landed the Jockey Club Stakes as a three-year-old in 1933 and the Chippenham Stakes in 1935 The Morriss colours are still carried today by Sons And Lovers raced by Hugo Morriss and Kirsten Rausing | Racingfotos His wife Vera had overseen the stud on his behalf but when he died she handed command over to their son Nicky the stud was taken over by his eldest son Hugo Nicky and Hugo each bred a Derby place-getter at Banstead Manor being responsible for Alcaeus (runner-up in 1960) and Pentland Firth (third in 1972) respectively the three generations of Morrisses stood some notable sires at Banstead including Supreme Court Echoes of the Morriss era at Banstead continued to resound after the stud had been sold to Juddmonte The Derby was won in 1988 by a horse conceived there the Aga Khan's Ile De Bourbon colt Kahyasi the last good horse whom Hugo bred at Banstead Manor was first past the post in the G1 International Stakes at York in its final running before it became the Juddmonte International Hugo boarded some mares at Lanwades Stud after selling Banstead Manor and the Morriss livery continues to be seen on British racecourses Most notably it was carried with distinction in 2023 and '24 by Sons And Lovers a winner at Newmarket as a two-year-old and four times stakes-placed at three It would be lovely to think that this likeable son of Study Of Man could enjoy a good season as a four-year-old in 2025 100 years after Hugo's grandfather bought Banstead Manor and put it very firmly on the bloodstock map Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts. Copy Article Link Editor / News Stories:editor@thetdn.com Advertising:advertising@thetdn.com Customer Service:customerservice@thetdn.com Click Here to sign up for a free subscription Thanks to everyone who was there on Saturday remembering Moray and the joy parkrun gave him Before I start with our normal briefing I have some extraordinarily sad news to share and above all our friend and friend to many here I have lots I could say about Moray but it’s put much better by his wife Natalie who understandably can’t be with us today but has this description of Moray and the role parkrun played in his life Moray first took up parkrun on 5th March 2016 - I had taken it up first and after coming to support me every week he very soon took the plunge and joined in this meant on cold rainy wintery days when I might have preferred a lazy lie in pulling on his running gear and telling me to get my backside out of bed Moray has astounded me with his determination to get round the woods every week that he felt able As someone suffering from chronic renal failure everyday life was often quite challenging and although Moray has enjoyed playing various sports throughout his life So it was with a great sense of achievement that Moray completed so many park runs (113 actually) and wore his milestone T-shirts with pride Moray also loved volunteering and was happy to do any role He volunteered 117 times including 30 as Run Director but his favourite reason for turning up every Saturday that he could was the immense camaraderie he received from everyone He loved catching up with his parkrun pals the sense of belonging to a very precious community looking in good health and doing his usual token team role of spotting the tokens dropped on the floor It’s hard to believe that was the last time Moray has been a beloved part of the Banstead Woods parkrun community for over 8 years This is a sad occasion but Moray loved parkrunning so please as you go round today remember that whatever issues life is throwing at you hour long oasis away from all that where you can just enjoy being here in beautiful surroundings with beautiful people Natalie has also asked that I give a plug for the NHS Organ Donation Register The law in UK has changed since Moray received a donated kidney this way in 2008 but it’s still useful for people to register their wishes That donated kidney gave Moray a respite from dialysis I’d like us to remember him now with a period silence Signature at Banstead recently hosted a successful charity bingo night raising £405 in support of Age Concern Banstead a local charity that provides essential services to older people in the area with attendees holding their dabbers at the ready as the bingo games started promptly at 7:00 pm where bingo-goers got their eyes down and enjoyed several rounds to support a local cause which many hold close to their hearts attendees shared stories of how their lives had been touched by important care services who walked away happily with a selection of prizes Signature at Banstead set out to raise as much as possible for Age Concern Banstead encouraging attendees to make donations throughout the evening Signature at Banstead were excited to support the charity and contribute to the wider quality of care services in the community Age Concern Banstead offers a wide range of crucial support services for older residents in Banstead and the surrounding areas The funds raised during the event went directly towards helping Age Concern Banstead continue its valuable work in the local community along with highlights of the latest sector news and more from The Carer delivered directly to your inbox twice a week The Carer is published by RBC Publishing Ltd Contributions are welcome for consideration no responsibility will be accepted for loss or damage Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy the publisher will assume no responsibility for any effects All material is assumed copyright free unless otherwise advised Never see this message again. It is with great sadness that we announce the news that our great friend Moray Laing died on Wednesday peacefully at hospital with Natalie by his side and as a member of the core team was Run Director 30 times In recent months he was unable to be in the woods but was a stalwart of the token-sorting team in The Mint ensuring your tokens were ready for next week and never short of a helping hand or a comedy intervention Damien and dog Jess has been a beloved part of the Banstead Woods parkrun community for over 8 years We will honour him before the event this Saturday and we hold his family and friends in our thoughts and prayers Update: Court Road is a gated road and can't be used - sorry for any confusion In common with other parkrun events, we prefer that where possible parkrunners arrive on foot or cycle (there is no cycling permitted in the woods themselves but bikes can be wheeled in and left near our information desk), or by public transport.  Details on how to get to us are found on our Course page (parkrun.org.uk/banstead/course/) For those arriving by car our car park has capacity for around 100 vehicles and for the vast majority of our events there's plenty of room for regulars and tourists alike Our normal numbers are typically around the 200 mark but if numbers go above 250 or so the car park invariably is full with late arrivals parking on the verge outside which isn't really suitable and generates complaints from local residents and other users of the woods This guide is intended to help those intending to visit us for events where numbers may be high, such as the upcoming 'Nelson' event 777 by giving other options for parking locally (please do see our previous post about that event and limits on participant numbers that we can safely accommodate) In all cases these locations are a warm-up jog away (around 1.5 miles maximum) and we've given directions on how to get to the start We're also using the "What 3 Words" app to give accurate locations Please do check for local parking and leave room for local residents where appropriate We do suggest arriving in good time and we ask that those visiting for Nelson events and the like arrive early and use one of these options first - arriving at 8:50 at the main car park to find it full won't leave enough time to find an alternative and get to the start line by 9:00 Our main car park entrance is at ///engage.props.format and our event Information Desk (which is close to both the start and finish) is at ///puns.stale.frozen Chipstead Station Parade (///insert.memory.safe) - 0.6 mile walk to the start There are a number of parking spaces opposite the row of shops accessible from Outwood Lane (B2032) Court Hill (///league.shower.pretty) - 0.6 mile walk to the start directly opposite the Chipstead Station Parade There are a number of parking options along the length of this residential road Note This is a gated road and can't be used - sorry for the confusion How Lane (///drew.league.icon) - 1 mile walk to the start There are a number of spaces to park at the bottom of How Lane on the left hand side before the road narrows and turns left steeply uphill Off Rectory Lane (///tooth.oasis.share) - 1 mile walk to the start At the junction of Outwood Lane and Rectory Lane is an open area set back from the main road (close to the Midday Sun pub) where parking is available Holly Lane West (///luxury.filled.intro) - 0.9 mile walk to the start Holly Lane West runs parallel to Holly Lane as it approaches Banstead There is space for parking at the bottom end Cannons Lane (///apples.smug.daisy) - 1.8 mile walk to the start Cannons Lane is accessible off the southbound A217 that offers a number of parking options for a small number of cars  Please DO NOT drive along the Reads Rest Lane as vehicle access is for the farms only Banstead Woods Report for Event 813 – 20th April 2024 Banstead Woods has been on my “must do” list for just over a year when I realised at the end of last May I’d missed a chance to run a bluebell parkrun and started looking around for one to run the following year I’d originally planned to visit in mid-May but I panicked when the bluebells around Farnborough suddenly sprang up a week ago A bit of research told me that bluebells are normally at their best in the last week of April and the first week of May before the tree canopy closes over in leaf the curator of the Botanic Garden in Oxford told us that after all the recent rain their flowers were coming out two weeks earlier so I thought I’d be fine to see some (and thankfully I was although it was almost full by 0835 when I arrived The start is a short (uphill) walk through the woods which are carved from standing deadwood by Ella Fielding they were a medieval deer park and are now a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) I heard a woodpecker on my way around both laps Paul Waller warned us to be careful of loose stones and exposed tree roots on this undulating trail run where thankfully the mud had almost cleared Paul explained the course was one and three-quarter loops which makes for a lovely long downhill over the last kilometre Run Director David Freeman walked everyone up to the start and called out the ten milestones today Therese Panetta was doing her 300th parkrun both Tom and Rachelle Sanderson were celebrating 250 Tail walker Joseph Watson-Smith started volunteering for parkrun whilst doing his Duke of Edinburgh award and continued on to celebrate his 50th volunteer today There were also twelve complete first timers to parkrun today; Alison Kasoar but Banstead Woods parkrun is the third of the original time trials after Bushy Park in October 2004 and Wimbledon Common is January 2007 and the beautiful bluebells make it popular with tourists Annette is the Woking Ambassador for 5k your way inviting those facing cancer or supporting a loved one to parkrun on the last Saturday of each month to walk They were touring with Barbara and George from Brooklands Dan Warner travelled from Bognor Regis for his 333rd parkrun and 149th event Tony and Jill from Chichester with their lovely dog Delilah a serial tourist who has done 217 venues without a repeat which is where my local Rushmoor is between Aldershot and Farnborough Dylan Wymer was first man home in a new PB time of 17.34 Aoife Kilpatrick of Richmond was first women home in 21.57  Ange Norris had the highest age grade at 82.59% Neil Sunderland had completed the most parkruns at an astounding 836 Neil is one of only five people who have done more than 800 parkruns in the world  Altogether today 42 people achieved personal bests but made their presence known and soon made their way up the pack On the way around I met locals Eliza and Leo with their dog Luna and afterwards I met Chris with Monty I met fellow tourist Martin Knight from Romford Martin has challenged himself to complete all parkruns inside the M25 and has seven left to complete and only six more for Londone (all of the parkruns within London) He’s aiming to do as many as possible on public transport using his Freedom card but apparently there’s a coffee cart in the car park at peak times Many thanks to the volunteers without whom today’s parkrun wouldn’t have happened: Lisa ASHLEY of whom 66 were first timers and 42 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 41 different clubs took part Tim MCINTYRE • Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • Anne RODEN • David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • Waller PAUL • Ian JOHNSON • Elliott BURTON • Derek GARROD • Steve HILL • Mark BAKER • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Mark OLIVER • Nick BILLING • John MARRIOTT • Shireen WALKER • Caroline GEMMELL • Lisa ASHLEY • Joseph WATSON-SMITH • Artem SITNIKOV Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 15,809 participants have completed 137,995 parkruns covering a total distance of 689,975 km A total of 672 individuals have volunteered 15,131 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 797 – 1st January 2024 Report by Jenny-Anne Dexter         Photos by Richard Carter Link to today’s photos: BWp 01 January 2024 | Flickr It’s bitter-sweet to see so many Christmas gifts lose their shine so quickly at Banstead Woods parkrun this morning my run chum Leyla and 135 fellow plodders took to the hills to see in 2024 I’ve popped to these woods on one previous occasion – and it must’ve been summer - as on that day I recall departing with the same colour shoes I’d arrived in I couldn’t bear to see them eaten by the mud monster this must be one of the earliest events in the South East but happily still low-key and not overrun with tourists One tourist traveling up from Brighton (we never make a peep when asked our provenance) and a well done for young Nathan who’s completing his 10th Saturday parkrun Plenty of quietly forming groups and the odd spaniel in the mix no big personalities and just a gentle ‘ready especially for those nursing a Hogmanay hangover I haven’t yet figured out how one quick incline can nullify all the wonderful downhill meanders not too many tree roots (stand up Homewood) and some nice wide sections for when it’s busy (surely it’s anticipated on 20 January for the big 800) it was up there with the muddiest I’ve done but it was no bother (no thanks to the shoes back to the nice and accessible car park and off to the habitual Starbucks for the post-run latte and much-missed toilets Kudos to all those involved in making our Saturday mornings count Parkrun means a great deal to a great many people We’ll raise a hair-of-the-dog toast to you just as soon as we’ve popped those shoes into a bowl of warm disinfected water to soak of whom 21 were first timers and 8 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 24 different clubs took part The event was made possible by 24 volunteers: Richard N CARTER • Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • Anne RODEN • David FREEMAN • Kate KNIGHT • Mark THOMPSON • Waller PAUL • Gill STALLEY • Nicholas FOSTER • James KNIGHT • Christopher KNIGHT • Steve HILL • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Mark OLIVER • Jenny-Anne DEXTER • Cissy TAYLOR • Andrew TAYLOR • Joanna WOOTTEN • Neil EDWARDS • Jo MOON • John HEPBURN • Benjamin MOON • Roger BEESON Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 15,198 participants have completed 134,157 parkruns covering a total distance of 670,785 km A total of 658 individuals have volunteered 14,777 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 802 – 3rd February 2024 For the first weekend in February the conditions were surprisingly pleasant at Banstead woods not cold with grey skies and just squidgy underfoot Ideal running conditions for the 229 runners and 38 of which gained PBs at least some were present on the RDs list Anna Slade and Lianne Shing - 150 parkruns Nick Billing and Bernard Wright  - 400 parkruns and George Frogley - 550 parkruns All are impressive achievements to the individuals but George running his 550th today with an aim to complete his 600th before his 90th birthday is truly amazing and inspiring to us all I first encountered parkrun when my daughter was encouraged to attend for some distance training I was terrified … allowing my just 11-year-old daughter to run off into the woods with a load of strangers everyone was so encouraging and supportive and she loved it We then returned most weekends and I signed up as volunteer However along came Covid and in lockdown I completed the Couch to 5k and as soon as parkrun re-started My love of parkrun is no secret to my colleagues and indeed a few are now also hooked and it was lovely that they came to BWp today to give me a cheer I also persuaded a colleague to join us as a first timer but I explained the whole ethos of parkrun and she came and loved it so it is easy to be a tourist and explore new places The volunteers are always obvious in their pink high-vis and very happy to help There’s always a first timers briefing so no guessing is required some really giving it their all and some walking and you will never be last unless you are the tail walker the support from other runners and volunteers is always warm and genuine It is not a race but for those with a competitive streak the real race is against yourself and the clock and the sense of achievement when you get a new PB I also love seeing the milestone t-shirts - the inspiration of the high numbers and the persistence of many that keep coming parkrun challenges keep it interesting and it keeps many people including ourselves getting up earlier each Saturday to get to our NENDY If you have not yet discovered the various apps I suggest you take a look as there are a variety of challenges Stopwatch bingo being the most maddening by far and many can be combined with running so you can still complete your run and Banstead Woods has the fairly unique role of a moving marshal where running and volunteering is beautifully combined So if you haven’t volunteered a few Saturdays a year please consider doing so And a very big thank you to all the volunteers today I enjoy being a parkrun tourist but I love coming back to Banstead Woods as it varies with the seasons so is never boring or the same of whom 22 were first timers and 38 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 35 different clubs took part Lisa ROONEY • Therese PANETTA • David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • Waller PAUL • Gill STALLEY • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Rachelle SANDERSON • Elliott BURTON • Nick JARRETT • Nick BILLING • Alison CATTERMOLE • Samantha PENNELLI • John MARRIOTT • Paul QUINN • Graeme GEMMELL • Judith SHEPHARD • Colin SUTHERLAND • Jo MOON • Artem SITNIKOV • Jenna NICK • Benjamin MOON • Elliot WATSON-SMITH Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 15,394 participants have completed 135,366 parkruns covering a total distance of 676,830 km A total of 661 individuals have volunteered 14,891 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 773 – 22nd July 2023 This was my first time at Banstead Woods and I was also going to be walking with one of my best friends who was volunteering as the last tailwalker It was only my 9th park run which was in stark contrast to the many people who turned up this week including two very well-loved octogenarians I met along the way I usually find myself at the back at these events because I’ve never really been much of a runner so it was good to know that this time I could officially be one of the last coming through you will never come last because there will always be a volunteer tailwalker behind you to make sure you don’t This was the first time I had witnessed behind the scenes with all the volunteers getting ready for the action to start Knowing that this goes on up and down the UK every Saturday morning is something quite remarkable bearing in mind where this all started when just 13 runners had the idea and got together at Bushy Park in 2004 I took my place behind the barriers with Michelle while everyone eagerly awaited the start of the race including the dogs who were beyond excited to get running with their owners and their other canine friends welcomed everyone including the tourists like me and all our friends from ‘Barking’ There was also a special mention for a couple who were getting married later They had decided to start their big day with a park run with all of the 210 parkrunners helping to play a part in bearing witness to their commitment to each other I’m not embarrassed to admit all of the goodwill in the air made my eyes water As everyone filed through Michelle and I took our place at the back ready to start the 5K through the woody course Two laps round and only once were we going to have to go up a slightly steep incline I was completely blown away by the beauty of Banstead Woods I was in awe of how many different types of green there were because every hue was on show The trees stood so tall and proud and complemented the green with their gingery brown trunks It was lovely underfoot to walk on as well (although I understand it can get a bit muddy and puddly in winter!) I was also pleased to get to walk with two of Banstead’s favourite Octogenarians but went off at a pace with his two walking poles on his 66th park run He was just a little behind his fellow Octogenarian and friend, George Frogley, who was completing his 529th park run. I ran to catch up with this inspiring man and we had a wonderful chat about what running meant to him. He also told me about the event he started for all the park runners in their 80s and 90s They started out with 16 people in their first year and by the third had 46 and are now hoping to get to 100 next year in July They’ve had runners from Australia and Ireland and even someone over 91 on the start line George and I had a little sprint finish at the end and he whizzed past me despite me putting my best foot forward When I confessed I would be writing the report for this week’s run he was a little worried that I’d be revealing all his secrets but you had nothing to worry about George the scenery and the course have captured my little parkrun heart... of whom 28 were first timers and 29 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 28 different clubs took part Richard N CARTER • Mike BRYANT • Lisa ROONEY • Therese PANETTA • Anne RODEN • Waller PAUL • Gill STALLEY • Kevin LEWIS • Chris GUEST • Carol Ann HOARE • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Elliott BURTON • Steve HILL • Usha STEVENS • Sharon MILLER • Michelle EVANS • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Mark OLIVER • Alison CATTERMOLE • Neil MCDONNELL • Debra EDWARDS • Jenna NICK • Rohan SUDERA Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 14,518 participants have completed 129,698 parkruns covering a total distance of 648,490 km A total of 641 individuals have volunteered 14,268 times I'm a regular parkrunner and also a beekeeper As such I always enjoy my Saturday morning parkruns especially on a fine October morning like today However I am also mindful of the threat of the Asian Hornet a non-native insect that is posing a significant threat not only to our honey bees but to all of our native pollinating insects You may have seen the poster about this at the entrance to the woods which we see a lot of in and around Banstead Woods As the weather will soon be turning and the leaves will be dropping there have been 64 nests found in 49 locations last month two nests were found and destroyed in Oxted I am asking all parkrunners to be especially vigilant in looking out for the Asian Hornet which has the following distinguishing features: If you do see an Asian Hornet, please report it on the Asian Hornet Watch App, which is downloadable for free from the Apple or Google Play store, or report it by email to alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk - thank you Banstead Woods Report for Event 805 – 24th February 2024 Report by Trevor Meadowcroft         Photos by Kelly Mason Link to this week’s photos: BWp 24 February 2024 | Flickr I was able to comment on one of the highest attendance numbers for BWp but today the numbers were more akin to what we would expect this time of year The weather was also what we would expect at this time of year Having precipitated heavily (that’s not how I intended to describe it but I have to be aware of the sensitive nature of some of the readers) over the past couple of days we awoke to frost laden windscreens and a distinct nip in the air I was wondering whether I should have worn road shoes but a quick review of part of the course evidenced that the cold had had little impact on the oozing mud which has become a feature of runs in the Woods over the past couple of months Ironically wearing road shoes would have probably left me doing my Bambi on Ice impersonation He greeted the parkrun virgins of which there were two We hope you enjoyed the experience and we will see you back at BWp in the near future There were eleven different parkruns represented although only one of those was outside London and that was Mole Valley Welcome to you all and a special mention for the contingent from Harold Hill Running Club wearing their very luminous green running tops whose local parkrun is Raphael which sounds like there is some connection with the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles but is in fact over Romford way Sounds an interesting one as they recommend wearing insect repellent in the summer Maybe there is an opportunity to re-enact scenes from The African Queen Congratulations to all those who got Milestones today Dominic Stephens their 300th and a special call out to John MacMillan returning to his “home” parkrun to celebrate his 600th parkrun He is the 170th person in the world to reach this landmark run What is interesting is that he was only 4th in the rankings based on number of parkruns achieved at Banstead this morning I think a little context is needed to appreciate the achievement I recently attended a central London parkrun with nearly a thousand participants and I was top of the number of parkruns done by attendees I have done one hundred and twenty one less than John This has taken him over eleven days in run time He has now run at Banstead three hundred and eighty three times He has run at thirty seven different parkruns To top it all 24th February was one of the few days of the year that he had not parkrunned before today There were other non- running milestones to celebrate today Elliott Burton looked to downplay his incredible achievement of volunteering on 250 separate occasions and modesty prohibits me mentioning the other person to achieve a similar feat It was right that we also acknowledged the achievement of young Elliot Watson-Smith who has been a regular volunteer at BWp over the past six months and has now achieved his Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award Before setting us off Elliott asked us to thank the volunteers as it is on days like this when we are glad to soon be warming up Secondly it gave us the opportunity to check that there was still feeling in our outer extremities as we applauded the volunteers’ efforts As mentioned the course is still very “sticky” in places and I was expecting pb’s to be confined to those who are early in their parkrun history or occasional visitors so a special callout to Lucy Wales who lowered her pb on her 87th visit to BWp Her previous mark had been set in May which is far more conducive for good times then a cold day in February of whom 24 were first timers and 13 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 21 different clubs took part Dawn DONKIN • Therese PANETTA • David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • Waller PAUL • Gill STALLEY • Phil FENTON • Elizabeth MASON • Kelly Marie MASON • Kevin LEWIS • Trevor MEADOWCROFT • Elliott BURTON • Derek GARROD • Angela STIFF • Usha STEVENS • Sharon MILLER • Lindsay PRITCHARD • David GOODMAN • Paul QUINN • Graeme GEMMELL • Neil MCDONNELL • Andrew TAYLOR • Joseph WATSON-SMITH • Elliot WATSON-SMITH Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 15,493 participants have completed 136,082 parkruns covering a total distance of 680,410 km A total of 663 individuals have volunteered 14,959 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 796 – 30th December 2023 drizzly day and the slippery slidey conditions under our feet it was a quite an event to finish the year So please raise your glasses to the following astonishing achievements: This is a total of 2600 parkruns between them Congratulations to each and every one of you especially Roger and Patricia – 650 and 700 runs respectively is really quite extraordinary I had one of my own – it was my 200th parkrun which in comparison seems really rather poultry I am particularly pleased that in the total are parkruns attended in Singapore and Boston as well as the rather lovely Daventry course I can honestly say that it is one of the best activities I am involved with – whether I am running/walking I wonder if you remember your first parkrun We did ours in driving sleet and rain on New Year’s Day 2014 so it has taken me 10 years to rack up my 200 runs/walks I am still amazed we came back as I remember arriving home soaked and perishingly cold I got a PB on the next 3 events and 5 PBs in my first 10 events I always tell first-timers that however badly they think they’ve done you know where you are going and what you are in for Congratulations to all who ran/walked milestones or for whom this was their first parkrun either ever or just in Banstead Woods And to the tourists who travelled from far (New Zealand) and near (Brighton) Please come back – we are a friendly bunch and there is much to enjoy in the woods throughout the year Parkrun has been in the news this week and personally I am hugely disappointed that the news was not celebrating the many benefits of parkrun the impact it can have on physical fitness I am not qualified to comment on what the issue that was raised is but it seems to me it involves only a very few parkrunners (and it is runners) There is talk that our funding could be in jeopardy parkrun is not for the few elite runners for whom times are important (though I do understand how intoxicating this competitiveness can be) but for the masses of people who turn up week in week out to meet up with friends in pleasant surroundings The end of the year is always a time of reflection for looking back over the past 12 months and assessing what has gone well and what could have been better The press and TV are full of retrospectives Most years bring a combination of ups and downs both for the World as a whole and for individuals and my eldest son graduated with an EMBA from an Ivy-league university in the USA But there were also sadnesses and some tough times although no one actually died in the family this year Across the World we saw the continuation of the Ukraine-Russia war and in October the outrageous massacre by Hamas of so many Israelis with the result there is now another terrible conflict in a different part of the world It seems to me that on an individual level all most people want is to be able to live a quiet life surrounded by loved ones in a safe and secure environment Katerina Johnson-Thompson won gold in the World Athletics Championships coming back after a debilitating injury that had put her out of the sport for several years excelled to reach the final of the World Cup only to be beaten by Spain but what an inspiration the England women are Marketa Vondrousova won the Wimbledon Women’s championship for the first time The European women golfers won the Solheim Cup against the USA and the men regained the Ryder Cup after their humiliating defeat 2 years ago I think the less said about England’s dreadful performance at the cricket World Cup the better but it was with some jubilation that Stewart Broad ended a sparkling career hitting a 6 with the last ball he faced and taking a wicket with the last ball he bowled He has been awarded a richly deserved CBE in the New Year’s Honours list And it was with sadness that the World of football said goodbye to Sir Bobby Charlton who died in October – not just a great footballer there are now nearly 2000 parkruns across the World with new ones appearing walking or jogging can be upwards of 300,000 There are some parkruns with as few as 10 people attending (they will get bigger as word spreads) and Bushey continues to attract around 1000 each week but can be as high as 1500 All this takes around 40,000 volunteers to manage Banstead Woods has had its own highlights in 2023 not least the sterling effort to volunteer-up to ensure a safe run when we reached our 777th event we almost had more volunteers than runners/walkers but it is always better to be cautious tomorrow will see the end of 2023 and Monday sees the start of 2024 and the first parkrun of a new year I hope that your hopes and dreams with be fulfilled in 2024 and that in 12 months’ time we are living in a healthier And that you continue to attend and find pleasure at parkrun whether that is running/walking/jogging or volunteering of whom 36 were first timers and 7 recorded new Personal Bests Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • Anne RODEN • David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • Waller PAUL • Gill STALLEY • Kevin LEWIS • Carol Ann HOARE • Elliott BURTON • Lindsay PRITCHARD • David GOODMAN • Nick BILLING • Alison CATTERMOLE • Paul QUINN • Graeme GEMMELL • Jo MOON • Joseph WATSON-SMITH • Artem SITNIKOV • John HEPBURN • Melanie ROLLS • Benjamin MOON Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page The male record is held by Kevin QUINN who recorded a time of 15:25 on 7th June 2008 (event number 54) The female record is held by Natalie HARVEY who recorded a time of 17:01 on 30th July 2011 (event number 216) The Age Grade course record is held by Clare ELMS who recorded 89.66% (18:42) on 26th April 2014 (event number 361) Since then 15,177 participants have completed 134,020 parkruns covering a total distance of 670,100 km A total of 655 individuals have volunteered 14,753 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 708 – 26th April 2022 I had a minor ‘oh no’ moment when my sat nav announced we had arrived at the event car park just as I sailed passed a rough I continued onward and hoped I’d have enough time to turn around and come back again the next available opportunity turned out to be the larger public car park at Holly Lane another wave of dread struck as I realised the 100+ spaces were already taken and there was a real possibility I wouldn’t find somewhere to leave the car and I’d have no parkrun to show for this Saturday and thankfully found a suitable edge to park alongside A warning to all future tourists – do make sure you leave enough time to park as space here is really limited I followed other parkrunners into the parkland uphill climb to the start area which took about ten minutes Along the way we passed wooden Narnia trail carvings of Aslan and the Wardrobe as well as the finish funnel before arriving at a registration desk and the first-timers briefing area There was an unofficial bag drop area by the registration desk which may be useful for other visiting tourists to be aware of I was one of 63 people visiting Banstead Woods for the first time today so there was quite a crowd listening in but gathered from the general chatter the start was up another hill to the left I also heard it explained this particular hill is now only run once rather than twice that had been required in the past During the main briefing there were several shout outs including those for a DofE volunteer and the travelling Mr Fox who was in attendance today The run began and we set off anti-clockwise up the last quarter of the course hill before reaching more even ground running under a canopy of trees virtually the whole way around sometimes rocky but barely undulating dirt trails – I imagine this would be rather muddy in winter and pleasantly sheltered at the height of summer The course is well known for its bluebells which were in full bloom on my visit and really striking in the shade of the well-established trees There were some lovely downhills which allowed everyone to properly stretch their legs and fly around a good third to half of each lap we turned left retracing our earlier walk to the start area and it was at this point – after a helpful time check from one of the timekeepers - we reached the course hill sweeping downhill and relatively flat nature of the rest of the lap made this feel super tough for this first-timer I reminded myself we only had to do this once – but even that wasn’t enough to keep my weary legs running and walking was the best I could do  Major kudos to all regulars and those who’s legs and minds are made of sturdier stuff I started running again just after the start point and really enjoyed the remainder of the lap and the release of the long downhill my lungs were relieved to reach the end and I was pleased with my time given I’d had to walk There were plenty of volunteers to help at the finish area as well as some boxes of Quality Sweets and even the sun came out to round off a morning well spent Many congratulations to the first finisher who not only finished first but achieved a new PB in doing so and to the 8 people who completed their first ever parkrun today – a word of warning though this parkrun thing is a bit addictive so wave goodbye to your Saturday morning lay ins Many thanks as always goes to the 21 volunteers who made the event possible for the 255 of us taking part Hurrah for another Saturday happily parkrunned of whom 63 were first timers and 40 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 40 different clubs took part Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • Anne RODEN • David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • Ian JOHNSON • Elliott BURTON • Lorraine GARROD • Derek GARROD • Michelle EVANS • Mark OLIVER • Nick BILLING • Cathy DAVIS • Moray LAING • Karen P • Christopher GARLAND • Cissy TAYLOR • Andrew TAYLOR • Rachelle NUNES • Jamie SEE • Joseph WATSON-SMITH Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 12,518 participants have completed 116,657 parkruns covering a total distance of 583,285 km A total of 528 individuals have volunteered 12,840 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 707 – 6th April 2022 Report by Lindsay Pritchard               Photos by Richard Carter https://www.flickr.com/photos/bwp_photographs/albums/72177720298188842 ‘It’s 9 o’clock on a Saturday…...the regular crowd shuffles in’…. I’m sure he was referring to 9 o’clock in the evening and he wasn’t thinking of parkrun in beautiful Banstead Woods bursting with bluebells I would listen in awe to the Run Director’s pre-run briefing announcing the milestone runs and wondering how on earth I would ever reach such an achievement having been thwarted in getting to this goal during 2020 So I guess you could say I’m now a regular Other high achieving regulars today were Maureen Traynor doing her 200th and Graham Pullen who well and truly trumped me with 400 runs – well done both most of us are regulars although I was surprised to see that the average number of runs per person is only 9.4 So we must have had a fair few who thought running up that hill wasn’t worth the effort and found a flatter run Pre-Covid we would have had a few more regulars perhaps than we do now as our numbers have dropped a bit in recent weeks however I heard on the grapevine that something was ‘going down’ at Roundshaw today so that might have accounted for an increase in numbers 40 people set new PB’s and 34 were first timer’s - I hope you enjoyed it and will become one of our regulars parkrun couldn’t function without volunteers you are encouraged week on week by that happy band of regular volunteers cheering you on please come and give volunteering a go – I promise you won’t be disappointed of whom 34 were first timers and 40 recorded new Personal Bests The event was made possible by 19 volunteers: Richard N CARTER • Tim MCINTYRE • Therese PANETTA • Anne RODEN • David FREEMAN • Andy ZONFRILLO • Waller PAUL • Kevin LEWIS • Nicholas FOSTER • Carol Ann HOARE • Trevor MEADOWCROFT • Lorraine GARROD • Usha STEVENS • Sharon MILLER • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Alison CATTERMOLE • Moray LAING • Neil MCDONNELL • Joseph WATSON-SMITH Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 12,455 participants have completed 116,402 parkruns covering a total distance of 582,010 km A total of 525 individuals have volunteered 12,819 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 706 – 9th April 2022 Report by Mike Mason               Photos by Kelly Marie Mason https://www.flickr.com/photos/bwp_photographs/albums/72177720297993610 And the early birds amongst us arrived and yawned The woods were filled with a growing sense of cheer And the chorus of chatter soon begins to grow Lisa’s record at Banstead is somewhat hard to beat Taking second on her very first visit to the woods Natalie Harmer showed an impressive set of wheels But one in particular deserves an extra special gloat… Joshua Bowyer (SM20-24) has only 5 runs to his name And we know that newbie’s can quickly raise their game Led Joshua to his first sub 20 and PB heaven To achieve it as volunteer tail-walker deserves a big hand of whom 20 were first timers and 12 recorded new Personal Bests The event was made possible by 25 volunteers : Sue MCINTYRE • Tim MCINTYRE • Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • Anne RODEN • David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • Waller PAUL • Mike MASON • Kelly Marie MASON • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Elliott BURTON • Tony SAILL • Steve HILL • Usha STEVENS • Sharon MILLER • Mark OLIVER • Nick BILLING • Shaunna BATABYAL • Neil MCDONNELL • Andrew TAYLOR • Jamie SEE • Joseph WATSON-SMITH • Nicole JACKSON • Rose KAVANAGH Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 12,421 participants have completed 116,144 parkruns covering a total distance of 580,720 km A total of 525 individuals have volunteered 12,800 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 809 – 23rd March 2024 It was one of those days when I really appreciate that Banstead Woods is my home parkrun The sky was blue and the sun was shining and whilst it was a little chilly for the end of March it was a day when you could imagine that all was well with the world but everywhere there are signs that spring is on its way and as you looked around at the woodland floor it was clear that in a few weeks the blue bells will be in bloom there is hail thundering against my windowsill This week we were nearly 100 fewer in number as Nonsuch parkrun which has been closed for a few weeks has reopened and a valiant 211 people ran around our woodland course I was delighted to welcome 31 people who had never run at BWp before although all (who admitted it) were seasoned parkrunners Included in the number was someone from Harrogate in North Yorkshire and another from Richmond in Surrey it was our pleasure to have you all with us and we hope you return again soon Elliot was our Run Director today; he is a master of the brief briefing he had announced two phenomenal milestones – both Gordon Hennessy and Mark Oliver achieved their 450th parkrun today Someone noted today that I haven’t written a parkrun report for a while and my excuse is that I spent two glorious weeks at the end of February/beginning of March on a cruise in the Caribbean and you’d be right – it was wonderful waking up in a different island each day swimming with turtles and snorkeling around sunken ships; being fed and entertained royally and drinking as many cocktails as we could manage sitting on our cabin’s little balcony watching as the ship made progress around the Caribbean Sea One of the things I enjoyed was running around the ships running track very early in the morning before the sunworshippers arrived to bag their sunbeds with their towels 12 circuits of the track equaled 5km and I am pleased to say that on both Saturdays I was away I did a theoretical parkrun It was an experience running surrounded by the sea I did spare a thought for all at BWp experiencing the cold Nothing to do with running but I thought you might like to see this photo of the largest cruise ship in the world International Women’s Day was celebrated and a regular BWp parkrunner came up to me last week and said they had thought I would have written about it They mentioned a really staggering fact that I didn’t know about women a women’s athletics programme was introduced which included the 100m word reached the powers-that-be that a number of women had collapsed from exhaustion after the 800m Instead of investigating and finding the assertion was nonsense the IOC (International Olympic Committee – almost certainly comprising all elderly men) decided that women were too frail to run these longer distances and races longer than 200m were banned It was not until the Rome Olympics of 1960 that the 800m was re-introduced for women Lyudmila Lysenko from the Soviet Union won in 2:04.50 Imagine being considered too weak to run more than 200m That would barely take you from the last left-hand bend at BWp to the finish line There are some other interesting facts from those 1928 Amsterdam Olympics It was here that the international parking sign of a white P on a blue background was introduced; the first time that Coco-Cola sponsored the games remaining the oldest Olympic sponsor to this day; athletic events were held on a 400m track which became the standard; and the first time Greece headed the parade of nations at the start of the games Fingers crossed one of these facts come up in your next pub quiz My quote of the week comes from Mina Samuels The power to transform a bad day into a good day; frustration into speed; self-doubt into confidence; chocolate cake into muscle.” but I especially like the reference to chocolate cake! of whom 31 were first timers and 25 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 30 different clubs took part Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page 15,636 participants have completed 137,037 parkruns covering a total distance of 685,185 km A total of 667 individuals have volunteered 15,046 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 868 – 3rd May 2025 B – Beautiful Bluebells in full bloom throughout the woods A – Athletics Clubs a plenty (with high representation from Tadworth AC Serpentine RC & Tooting Run Club to name a few) N – Newcomers (8 peoples first ever parkrun and 86 peoples first time at Banstead Woods) A big welcome and hope you come back for another parkrun soon S – Sun shining bright this Saturday morning with a whopping 328 runners and walkers completing the course (127 more than the average attendance of 201 YTD!) T – Thank you to all the volunteers who made today’s event happen E – Excitement for Douglas Slade’s 250th parkrun / Thomas Hull’s 100th today – congrats on these impressive milestones A – Amazing Andrew Taylor – our Run Director this morning D – Determined runners with 32 new PBs on this course today W – Warm weather with shorts and t-shirts a plenty O – Outstanding performances from first finishers Bryn Reynolds (17.35) and Mary James (19.29) O – Optimal conditions underfoot with no big wet or muddy patches D – Done in under an hour – with Tail Walkers Tricia Arnold & Lindsay Pritchard making sure all runners and walkers completed the course safely S – Smiles all round as I met up with my friends at the finish a big thanks to the incredible team of volunteers who made the event run so smoothly for everyone participating every aspect of the event was well organised The success of parkrun is testament to the hard work and dedication of volunteers Congratulations to Douglas Slade on his 250th parkrun & Thomas Hull for reaching the 100 milestone Well done also to Jason Sullivan for completing an ‘’unofficial’’ milestone of 350 and final shout out to Neil Sunderland who had the highest number of parkruns completed this week (886 – 730 at Banstead Woods) At the front of the pack and first through the funnel was Bryn Reynolds from Beeches Track Squad He was followed by Paul Quinn (17.51) and Daniel Gillett (18.31) First female over the finish line was Mary James in 19.29 Next over the line were juniors Zoe Davis (20.24) and Gabriella Booth (21.19) dry conditions set the stage for the 32 course bests/personal bests achieved on this lovely Saturday morning This week's 328 runners and walkers bring the total number of finishes at Banstead Woods to 149,309 That makes it 746,545 kilometres covered by parkrunners here so far Thanks for the warm welcome from everyone at Banstead Woods parkrun and well done to everyone who ran Hope many of you are able to enjoy the Bank Holiday long weekend and see you for another parkrun soon Banstead Woods Report for Event 865 – 12th April 2025 It has been one of those days when suddenly my diary became particularly full Among my commitments is writing this report Unfortunately I don’t really have the time so I could just dash something off which is more then could be said about my running at the moment Let us just confirm that people got together on a pleasant morning We had a further six doing their Number 2 (Mark Lowther will you stop sniggering - yes I know Felix found it funny as well but he is five) parkrun Good manners means greeting our visitors including those from the “other place” We had visitors from several London based parkruns including a contingent from Crystal Palace who were all smiles until about two-fifteen There were a couple from Claire which sound like some idyllic parkrun in the wilds of Ireland but is in fact a park in Tunbridge Wells Preston Park and a few from the West Country The closest we got to an overseas visitor was someone from Newport Hope you enjoyed the course and saw the Bluebells who are starting to make themselves seen in the undergrowth although you should return to run in a couple of weeks to see them in all their glory And I really should make time to acknowledge those who were making landmark runs Young Imogen Sone was doing her 10th “grown up” parkrun having already completed 54 Junior parkruns Natasha B was doing her 25th and her first opportunity to buy a milestone T shirt Richard Saunders was doing his T shirt 250 Bobby Hunt was doing his 300th and Dominic Stephens his 350th Congratulations to you all on your achievements I suppose I ought to mention PB’s before I go The ground is drying out very quickly and if I was to be honest I was expecting there to be more PB’s today In the main though it was the usual collection of irregular visitors and those doing parkrun for the second or third time Mind you in defence I would say that I am not sure that our bodies have adapted to these temperatures yet However there was one that does deserve a call out You often see concern expressed about parents dragging their kids round and making them run faster than they really want to now allowed to run without being chaperoned by his Dad knocked 2 minutes 12 seconds off his previous best so I think we can work out who was slowing who down in that particular inter-generational relationship Look I really have to go now - No wait how could I be so rude!!! I haven’t thanked the most important people - our volunteers Without you we couldn’t enjoy our weekly saunter through the Trees as always your round of applause was richly deserved Next time I will try to get a proper handle on my diary Tricia ARNOLD • Therese PANETTA • Alan MATTHEWS • Mary MATTHEWS • David FREEMAN • Hazel IMESON • Mark THOMPSON • Waller PAUL • Gill STALLEY • Nicholas FOSTER • Trevor MEADOWCROFT • Usha STEVENS • Sharon MILLER • Mark BAKER • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Nick BILLING • Stuart ENGLAND • Tilly CHARLES-EDWARDS • Jade WARNER • Eleda JOHNSON • Arthur MOCKETT Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 17,367 participants have completed 148,386 parkruns covering a total distance of 741,930 km A total of 708 individuals have volunteered 16,217 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 860 – 8th March 2025 What a change in the weather for the better Although do not put away your winter running wear for the moment as the forecast going forward is more of what we are used to It was a glorious morning with a real feel that the Woods were waking from its winter hibernation There are already plenty of Bluebell bulb leaves showing and it bodes well for another stunning display come late Spring I was out with Mark Thomson  putting out the signs this morning and it was obvious that my copy of “Running with Trench foot A practical guide “ could be put back on the shelf There was a decent path all the way around and although not totally firm under foot the conditions allowed many people to record better times then they had in recent times This was evidenced by a decent number of PB’s including Soo Jeong Kim who broke thirty minutes for the first time and Thomas Knight went round a bit quicker then before on his thirty fifth visit We should also mention Henry Smith who was the first one to test the time keepers dexterity today who was only one second away from his pb although he tends to be a Winter visitor to our location (this makes it sound like a bird watching report) so he its used to less then ideal conditions Maybe visit us in late April beat your pb and admire the Bluebells As always I have managed to get ahead of myself so I should go back to when Elliott Burton our Run Director got us under Starters Orders Well actually it was just before that when there was a photo shoot for all current members of the 422 Club This was created in memory of Alan Collis who was a real stalwart of BWp in the early years The 422 comes from the number of parkruns that he did and includes 60 done in one year in the UK Further down you will find Steve Hill’s comments at the gathering after parkrun and a message from Olly Elliott greeted our newcomers of which there were nine Only 421 more parkruns to pick up your 422 club tee-shirt there was the normal hotch-potch from the Other Place and other local parkruns plus Whitstable and Jersey Farm which is popular with those park runners doing their parkrun alphabet There was someone from Raphael which conjured up images of licking delicious Italian gelatos having run around  the town piazza while the Chiesa’s bells toll The discovery its in Romford shattered the illusion very quickly Someone yelled out that they were from Luxembourg and I hope that they enjoyed the concept of parkrun and return home and set one up There were two milestones Ronnie Greenfield on their teeshirt 50th and Lorraine Martin on their 400th Congratulations to you both on your achievement As usual there was a warm round of applause for the volunteers and we were set on our way I was taking it easy this week as I had a race on Sunday but it didn’t seem to have that much impact on my time so relax and enjoy seems to be the way forward It was also pleasant to be able to hang around afterwards and chat to people without having to worry about getting cold of whom 21 were first timers and 22 recorded new Personal Bests Representatives of 29 different clubs took part David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • Jane LUXTON • Kelly Marie MASON • Kevin LEWIS • Neil REISSLAND • Trevor MEADOWCROFT • Kerena IVENS • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Elliott BURTON • Lorraine GARROD • Derek GARROD • Steve HILL • Lindsay PRITCHARD • David GOODMAN • Mark OLIVER • Nick BILLING • Henry SMITH • John MARRIOTT • Paul QUINN • Graeme GEMMELL • Judith SHEPHARD • Arthur MOCKETT Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 17,232 participants have completed 147,380 parkruns covering a total distance of 736,900 km A total of 705 individuals have volunteered 16,111 times Steve Hills comments at the Alan Collis Memorial parkrun 2025 gathering 7 since the first Memorial parkrun and 6 since the 422 club was established and the first  7 shirts were awarded (to Neil Sunderland with 250 of these having been done at Banstead Woods seemed a lot But that original 7 have now all done well over 600 parkruns Roger and Steve have done over 700 and Neil a staggering 880 Yet Alan’s record remains a remarkable one in the time he achieved it It is now impossible to do this in the UK alone although it can be done if you travel to Europe and take advantage of the different bank holiday runs that take place there By this time last year that original number of 7 “422 club” members had grown to 31 This is the largest annual increase there has been 10 under the original rules and 1 (Dave Williamson) under the revised criteria introduced last year to include up to 100 runs at Nonsuch although in reality it will probably be more like 10 as very few people run as regularly as Alan did 6 of the 11 new 422 club members today did their 1st parkrun at Banstead in the 1st 12 months after it was set up and only one of these 6 (Dave Warren) had done a parkrun beforehand (Just 1 run at Bushy) So it has taken them twice as long to get to 422 as it did Alan Heather started in the 2nd year of parkruns at BW while Bernard Kerena and Lorraine started in 2012 and even Nick who started in 2013 has taken half as long again as Alan did to get to 422 which just shows how impressive Alan’s record is Natalie's (Alan’s Daughter) and Olly's (Alan’s Son) messages: for joining us today to remember our Dad on his 8th-year anniversary run but I find great joy and peace in this amazing day and incredible club that continues to grow year after year This is such a special way to remember our Dad and I can’t thank you enough for your support we are delighted to welcome 11 new members: Olly would like to share a few words all the way from Dubai about our new shirt in memory of our Dad we are welcoming 11 new members to the Alan 422 Club with a special Lanzarote edition 422 shirt We visited Lanzarote almost every year growing up traveling to the Canary Islands around 10 times and made some incredible family memories there This year’s shirt is red with a blue logo "Jablillo" is embroidered—the name of our Dad’s favorite beach on the island and occasionally join in with a football game on the beach as a referee I hope you like the design and wear it proudly The past few months have been difficult for me and my girlfriend and supporting her through her grief has been tough It will take time for Chels’ heart to heal Knowing that every week our Dad is still part of the parkrun community through his memorial bench and that people are wearing these shirts and working towards 422 and I hope to make the next memorial run—and most certainly the 10-year anniversary I want to give a special thank you to Steve Hill he keeps track of all the new 422 members and keeps us updated over email It’s such a generous act of kindness and thoughtfulness Thank you so much for keeping our Dad’s legacy alive at the Woods Another huge thank you to David Freeman from Banstead Woods parkrun who has grown immense support for the Alan 422 Club and created awareness for this event I always admired you when you were finishing first at Banstead almost every week and to see the impact you have made as director at the Woods has been amazing thank you all for taking the time to remember our Dad Banstead Woods Report for Event 793 – 9th December 2023 I only come to Banstead Woods parkrun occasionally as I am often doing parkrun tourism or helping with one of the two parkruns in vineyards which I helped to set up which are Squerryes Winery parkrun in Westerham Kent and Mole Valley parkrun in Denbies Vineyard in Dorking I fancied another trip to Banstead Woods parkrun today to see its Narnia Trail after helping with the Croydon Operatic & Dramatic Arts (CODA) production of "The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe" at Selsdon Halls last month It's a shame the beautiful carving of Lucy & the Lamppost on the walk up from the car park was taken away a few years ago for treatment for rot but I did hear that the intention is to return it eventually it was good to see the carving of Aslan the Lion and the Wardrobe still in situ I assume the Witch is still down the slope to the right of the finish funnel Perhaps a marshal stop for "turkish delight" could be added at the top of the hill for the full Narnia experience Well done to those 166 hardy souls who braved the elements I got a Personal Worst for the course today but it was still a better choice than going to Squerryes Winery in these conditions In dry conditions Squerryes Winery parkrun is a fast course and it is lovely relaxing after the run in our outdoor coffee area in these conditions the bottom of Field 2 transforms into "Somme" so they only had 49 runners there today just a quarter of our peak attendances in the Summer I recommend coming when the course is in good condition between April and September Running through the vines near the end is a unique experience Two runners reached milestones at Banstead Woods parkrun today Congratulations to Alice Davies of Sutton Striders who completed her 50th parkrun and Rose Hellings it was my 333rd parkrun today (a "Triple Nelson" to cricketing fans) which means that I am now 2/3rds of the way to that elusive blue 500 milestone t-shirt I know Banstead Woods parkrun was the third one set up globally so it is not surprising that approximately 40 runners at Banstead Woods today had notched up even more run credits than me There were 8 runners completing their first run at Banstead Woods today I think Olivia Hauser may have come the furthest as her other two parkruns have been in South Yorkshire I noticed had made the drive over from Bushy Park Special praise must go to Jane Attubato as she was the only person completing her very first parkrun today which was a bit of a "baptism of fire" in those very wet and muddy conditions It is very rare that I have to stop and clean my glasses on a parkrun but today was definitely one of those days I literally couldn't see a thing by the time I reached the halfway point at the bottom of the hill Despite the weather 8 people actually managed to post Personal Best's for the course today They were Owen Waite of South London Harriers who came first with an impressive time of 18 minutes 27 seconds Will John-Cox who came third with a time of 20 minutes 01 seconds well done to Lisa Rooney who was the first female to finish She posted a time of 20 minutes 03 seconds and came fourth overall just over 4 minutes ahead of the second lady it is important to remember that parkrun is for everyone It doesn't matter how fast or slow you are It's the taking part to improve your fitness and the community experience that are the key things Whilst it is great to see some superb running performances it is also great to see so many older runners keeping fit at Banstead Woods I'm 53 now and I am always in awe of fit and healthy runners in their 60s and 70s who can get round the course faster than me a big thank you to all the volunteers without whom this event would not have been possible If you haven't volunteered at parkrun before do think of giving it a go Barcode Scanning in particular is a good one to do if you want to be able to put names to faces I am volunteering as usual at Lloyd Junior parkrun where I am one of the team of Run Directors If you have children that you take to junior parkrun of whom 9 were first timers and 8 recorded new Personal Bests Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • Anne RODEN • David FREEMAN • Mark THOMPSON • James FREEMAN • Gill STALLEY • Nicholas FOSTER • Wendy BALLARD • Elliott BURTON • Sharon MILLER • Lindsay PRITCHARD • David GOODMAN • Mark OLIVER • Nick BILLING • Abigail BROWN • Alison CATTERMOLE • Stuart ENGLAND • John MARRIOTT • Matt MILLER • Andrew TAYLOR • Joseph WATSON-SMITH • Elliot WATSON-SMITH Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 15,100 participants have completed 133,423 parkruns covering a total distance of 667,115 km A total of 653 individuals have volunteered 14,687 times Banstead Woods parkrun – 18th June 2022 Event 716 Link for this week’s photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bwp_photographs/albums/72177720299899084 Today in the beautiful sunshine we celebrated 15 years since Banstead Woods parkrun started in June 2007 Back then it was called the Banstead Woods Time Trial and started after the excellent work of Chris Phelan to get all the permissions together to allow runners in the woods on a regular basis 65 runners took part in the first event of which 6 were present today – Therese Panetta and Mike Bryant who were volunteering and Andrew Stalley Tricia Cue and Neil Sunderland who ran round Banstead Woods is the third oldest parkrun and we have many regulars who run walk or jog the woodland course most or every week Many of whom were joining us today and it was great to see their familiar faces Some of these runners were wearing their blue shirts and looking at the results I can see we were fortunate to have nine runners who have completed 500 or more parkruns I for one am amazed at the number of parkruns these awesome people have managed We were lucky to share our special event with several people achieving milestones today Lucy Wales – 50 and junior runner Wifred Hughes reaching 10 parkruns and managing a PB too Kevin was in good voice for the announcements before and after the event and was very pleased to present awards to the women’s and men’s parkrunners of the year and the volunteer of the year as voted by the core team The lovely Lindsay Pritchard and the amazing Steve Hill were awarded the Anne Roden parkrunners of the year award They have both been exemplary in participating and volunteering The incredible Alison Cattermole was to be awarded the Dave Davies Memorial award for volunteer of the year Alison has shown outstanding commitment and enthusiasm in her support for our event throughout the year and we are grateful for all her help Sadly Alison wasn’t able to be in the woods today and we look forward to presenting her the award in the next few weeks of whom 40 were first timers and 21 recorded new Personal Bests This event was made possible by 24 volunteers: thank you for all your help Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • Anne RODEN • Waller PAUL • Gill STALLEY • Kelly Marie MASON • Kevin LEWIS • Neil REISSLAND • Carol Ann HOARE • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Elliott BURTON • Steve HILL • Usha STEVENS • Sharon MILLER • Michelle EVANS • Kieran LEWIS • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Mark OLIVER • Nick BILLING • Alison CATTERMOLE • Chloe CONSTANTINE • Moray LAING • Andrew TAYLOR • Rachelle NUNES Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 12,771 participants have completed 118,214 parkruns covering a total distance of 591,070 km A total of 549 individuals have volunteered 13,005 times there is an abundance of independent coffee shops for the coffee connoisseur We have picked seven of our favourite cafes in Banstead to head out to visit with its dimmed lights and impressive decor and selection of speciality coffee and tea is a firm favourite for the residents of Banstead In the summer it has the added attraction of a pretty courtyard garden to sit out in a local resident says: “My favourite is Chai have lovely décor and have lots of vegan cakes” With its cosmopolitan feel and attractive interior It has a fantastic selection of breakfasts and light lunches and offers the locals an opportunity to enjoy a coffee or a glass of wine in relaxed surroundings in the heart of Banstead puts it at the top of her favourite coffee places She said: “They are so welcoming there and it is very cozy as situated nearly 600 feet above sea level some roads off the high street have fantastic views across London A family-owned café and deli offering all sorts of delicious cheeses Opposite Waitrose with plenty of outdoor seating they are also well known for their hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream and Flake and don’t miss out on their thickly sliced home-made ham Valerie Brown manager of Edibles for 36 years says: “We do a lot of afternoon teas Devon teas and strawberry tea and 70 per cent of our cakes are home-made.” Pick up one of their wonderful hampers on your way out it is a great place to pop in for a coffee or nice breakfast and enjoy the tasty coffee and delicious breakfast and brunch menus an occasional visitor to Banstead said: “The food is yummy and the service very friendly”  His favourite breakfast is smashed avocado with poached eggs and salmon Situated at the quieter end of Banstead High Street Luigi runs a busy trade with its local clientele but their Portuguese custard tarts are one to look out for with a cuppa  This is a wonderful café run by volunteers from Banstead Five Churches and a popular café in the heart of Banstead for the elderly If you don’t mind sharing a table as it is rather small and always busy the food is very fresh and reasonably priced In the summer customers can sit outside in the orchard which is lovely Tucked away behind Banstead’s children’s playground near Barclays Bank this is a very welcoming café for Mums and toddlers There is a soft play area in the dog friendly coffee shop which has a nice local community feel to it but in the winter there is a nice indoor area too They do lovely Italian delicacies and a really good cup of coffee Try their little brandy snap biscuits full of different flavoured creams Best places for brunch in Kingston Banstead Woods Report for Event 782 - 23rd September 2023 Today was officially the end of Summer and the early morning chill certainly indicating that the seasons were moving on There were leaves on the ground and up in the top corner Sweet Chestnut cases were commencing their annual campaign to trip park runners up It was wet under foot and the recent rains had exposed more tree roots and stones It was certainly a case of being aware of your foot placement as you made your way around the course To add to the fun I found the light along the top straight was glaring straight into my eyes and the Bruce Springsteen song “Blinded by the Light” sprung to mind Although my thoughts were more prosaic being focused on not kissing the earth rather then the vivid imagery of his lyrics This combination of challenges probably explains why the pb’s were concentrated on those that had only just started park running or were irregular visitors to BWp This is not to decry the efforts of the twenty three who did achieve pb’s but offer ready made excuses for the rest of us I would also offer as a further explanation that many were saving themselves for the Vitality 10k on Sunday Dave Freeman was our Run Director today and once we were called to order he started by welcoming our newcomers Clare and Lino the latter of whom had seemed to have bought his own Supporters club Hope you enjoyed the experience and that parkrun becomes the habit it is for many of us There were the those calling in from our near neighbours but also Guildford A warm welcome to you all and we hop you enjoyed the trip There were three milestones to acknowledge today Stella Howells on her 150th and Mark Oliver on BWp’s special Alan Collis landmark of 422nd He then went on to thank the Volunteers and after we had given them a warm round of appreciation we were sent on our way Until I became involved in parkrun the passing of the years was something to downplay and birthday cards were a bittersweet reminder of earlier times Now a birthday is something to look forward to as it means you can record the same time as the week before and your WAV score improves Like an excited seven year old I am already counting the days down until next year I mentioned earlier on about self control and it is generally accepted that parkrun is good for your mental health Those things that inexplicably get under our skin and lead to irrational outburst Those of us at the finish line now know what Paul Waller’s is I wish I could report what he said verbatim but censorship has taken out the swear words from the two minute tirade so I can report he said “funnel” I will add that his forceful opinions were not directed at anybody in the parkrun community and there was a sympathy for the cause of the outburst I am also pleased to say that his booking for the Anger Management course has been confirmed of whom 28 were first timers and 23 recorded new Personal Bests Therese PANETTA • David FREEMAN • Waller PAUL • Phil FENTON • Kevin LEWIS • Nicholas FOSTER • Trevor MEADOWCROFT • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Elliott BURTON • Steve HILL • Usha STEVENS • David GOODMAN • Nick BILLING • Alison CATTERMOLE • Moray LAING • Judith SHEPHARD • Rohan SUDERA • Mike HUBANK Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 14,865 participants have completed 131,583 parkruns covering a total distance of 657,915 km A total of 647 individuals have volunteered 14,476 times Banstead Woods Report for Event 779 – 2nd September 2023 Photos by Simon Pavey – BWp 02 September 2023 | Flickr Great to see 22 first timers enjoying our lovely Banstead Woods this week of which 6 were doing their first ever parkrun achieved her first ever two laps at Banstead Woods this week having trained with a few one lappers in the past – hope there were suitable treats involved Nine people succeeded their second parkrun – let’s hope the habit continues – be warned for some it becomes an addiction on a Saturday morning As Darren Wood would testify running his 861st with us at Banstead today he holds the record for the most parkruns completed worldwide Congratulations to those celebrating milestones today – Nicola Gillespie brought along her friends from The Good Shepherd to her 50th parkrun on her 55th birthday Sarah Luscombe’s (visiting from Bracknell) 150th and two regular runners and volunteers at Banstead - Neil Reissland’s 400th and Mark Thompson’s 600th Olga and Mark were running together as they helped a lady who had tripped over Nicola with her good friends from The Good Shepherd Olga and Mark running their milestones today For those with addictive parkrun personalities you can work towards achieving milestone T-shirts for volunteering too Another young person worth a mention is Ewan Sone who came second today following Kevin Lewis hot on his heels (judging by the photos and finishing times) and keeping him on his toes The good news is there is always next week to get a pb clock up another run/walk towards a milestone bring a friend or even just enjoy the woods of whom 22 were first timers and 33 recorded new Personal Bests The event was made possible by 25 volunteers: Tricia ARNOLD • Mike BRYANT • Therese PANETTA • Andrew STALLEY • Mark THOMPSON • Waller PAUL • Gill STALLEY • Kevin LEWIS • Nicholas FOSTER • Kerena IVENS • Simon PAVEY • Nick CAREW-GIBBS • Elliott BURTON • Lorraine GARROD • Steve HILL • Lindsay PRITCHARD • Mark OLIVER • Lianne SHING • Moray LAING • Cissy TAYLOR • Joseph POTTER • Jenna NICK • Rohan SUDERA • Elliot WATSON-SMITH • Constance REID Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Banstead Woods parkrun Results Page Since then 14,762 participants have completed 130,935 parkruns covering a total distance of 654,675 km A total of 646 individuals have volunteered 14,416 times Cousins & Cousins has won the go-ahead to transform a Grade II*-listed former convalescent home and its grounds in Banstead The 3,584m² scheme will convert the historic 1790s Banstead Place manor house into 12 flats The building had been home to the Queen Elizabeth Foundation’s Neuro Rehabilitation Services since 1956 The foundation is set to move to a new centre in Leatherhead The project will also see the demolition of a number of modern extensions to the main house and their replacement with 19 ‘contemporary’ homes spread across the extensive site It was unanimously approved by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council last month The development is backed by Stonegate Homes which focuses on the regeneration of previously developed land and brownfield sites Practice director Ben Cousins said the team had ‘worked closely’ with heritage consultant Montagu Evans Reigate & Banstead’s heritage officer and Historic England to ‘understand the chronological development of the Manor House and wider site and to ensure the best possible design response.’ He added: ‘Through an extensive design process we have managed to sensitively blend the new buildings with the former manor house and Walled Kitchen Garden and create the stage in the evolution of Banstead Place.’ A series of new buildings will be added to the estate which will pick up on the varied nature of the site occupying the land once used for both formal gardens and walled kitchen garden areas The project also includes works to the stable yard and landscaping works to the historic arboretum with a woodland path built by former Second World War soldiers who convalesced at the former hospital the Garden Walk Houses (see plan below) will be made up of two long low buildings which frame views out over a historic ha-ha across metropolitan greenbelt towards Woodmansterne in one direction and back to Banstead Place in the other Covered colonnade walkways will run alongside the formal lawn and promote its use as a shared outdoor space for residents A simple material palette of brick and timber was chosen to provide restrained and elegant exteriors in an area of natural beauty The residences at the Walled Kitchen Garden replicate the plans of the historic planted gardens reintroducing the axial and perimeter paths This time the buildings will be clad in charred timber fins over flint bases referencing a local weatherboarding vernacular 08 cc banstead place garden walk site plan Client Stonegate HomesArchitect Cousins & Cousins ArchitectsLocal authority Reigate & BansteadLandscape architect Colvin & MoggridgePlanning consultant Montagu EvansGross internal floor area 3,584m² Tags BDP’s College of Arts & Society at Coventry University has been named… Lewisham Council has given Turner Works planning permission for a mixed-use regeneration… Wandsworth Council has given Gehry Partners planning permission for two more residential… Southwark Council has approved tp bennett’s plans for a 25-storey student tower… I’m really sad to inform you that Alan passed away on 14 March 2017 Alan had been fighting pancreatic cancer for over 18 months and suffered a stroke over the weekend of 4/5 March He fought hard to beat it and spent his final few days at the Royal Marsden in Sutton However it overcame him this time and we’ve lost one of the most treasured members of our community It is tragic for us all to know that Alan is no longer going to be with us every Saturday morning at his favourite place sharing the parkrun event with his many friends It was parkrun that brought Alan and I together in 2007 I’m not alone in saying this as Alan became one of the most respected characters at the event Alan cared about parkrun and Banstead Woods in particular He visited other parkruns but without question always came back to me and said that there was no place to compete with the precious feeling of community and warmth that we all feel every Saturday in the woods It was wonderful that Alan introduced Olly and Natalie to parkrunning and how that created a special bond as they came to the event together and enjoyed the preparation Alan often worked through the night on a Friday in his London cab ensuring that all the revellers got home safely after clubbing in the small hours of the morning Having only a couple of hours sleep Alan would get up in time to be at parkrun for 8.20am ready for our 9am start Such was Alan’s love of our community and parkrun that this became such a regular feature of Alan’s life I’ve never seen such a strength of emotion more than with Alan at parkrun The effort that he would put into his run was second to none I’ve never known anyone try as hard as Alan and never seen anyone sweat as much as he would Alan didn’t like the cold and would be well layered up for the winter runs and as we all know you get very hot after your run and Alan was never cold at the finish line Indeed it was a rare day that Alan could raise a breath of speech at the finish Wimbledon fortnight was a busy time for Alan and one year Jude and I got tickets Alan saw us making our way to the tennis and said afterwards ‘I’d have taken the meter off for you if I’d known you needed a lift’ such was his generosity Alan was always well informed on life and kept himself completely up to date with all sporting activities His life meant that he brushed shoulders with many sportsmen including some of the country’s top athletes I’d enjoy talking to Alan about the different training programmes that athletes followed and their nutrition strategy for hard core challenges such as the marathon Alan had been a good club runner himself and had many memories of local races that he’d competed in and we often shared notes on them I could write for ever regaling the stories of our time together on a Saturday morning In fact writing was one of the skills that Alan applied himself to by becoming one of our event run report writers penning some 28 reports for us across the years in the hearts of all of his friends at parkrun and the extended family that this has created We all enjoyed the post parkrun coffee together in The Mint after our run and Alan would always be in the thick of the latest debate about recent sporting achievements or controversies Whilst at the same time forming one of the famous group who sort the finish position discs for us every week in the pub with their coffee and cake We’d like you all to come along on Saturday to help us to remember Alan in Banstead woods which was his favourite place As it happens we’ve got a mob match between Collingwood and Tadworth taking place this week and they will be wearing their club colours in honour of Alan So if you are a club runner please wear your own club/parkrun colours too to provide a sea of vests It will present an amazing spectacle for Alan’s family to witness and know that you’ve done that because you are thinking of him Pass the message onto your friends as we want as many people as possible to be aware of this special event in honour of Alan