A POPULAR community exercise event that takes place in parks and open spaces across the country every week may be in Mid Devon’s sights.

Parkrun, five-kilometre routes that participants can walk, run or jog to get their weekly exercise hit, happens every Saturday across 837 locations, but none are in Mid Devon.

Parkrun’s map shows a big empty space across the local area, with the nearest Parkruns being at Okehampton, Killerton House, Cranbrook, Exeter and Exmouth to the south, Longrun Meadow in Taunton to the east and Minehead or Barnstaple to the north.

Okehampton, which is in West Devon, held its first Parkrun on October 26. The launch of the new weekly event attracted more than 100 runners and 21 volunteers.

Councillors at a recent Mid Devon District Council meeting heard that contacting the Parkrun organisation is on one of its officers’ to-do lists.

Cllr Cathy Connor (Liberal Democrat, Lower Culm), asked about any suitable council-owned land where Parkruns could take place.

“Funnily enough, Parkrun is on my hit-list,” said Andy Mackie, the council’s leisure operations manager.

“I do a Parkrun in East Devon, but I’m still strengthening my local knowledge to know where something like that could operate in this district.”

Mr Mackie joined Mid Devon in May this year having worked for LED Leisure Management in East Devon prior to that.

His comments came at a session of Mid Devon’s service delivery and continuous improvement policy development group.

He said some the council is trying to organise free wellbeing walks for next year, which prompted the question about Parkruns from Cllr Connor.

Mr Mackie said the council is seeking volunteers to join a training session in February around helping to co-ordinate and lead the wellbeing walks.

Bradley Gerrard

Additional reporting by Will Goddard