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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/14/parkrun-cancelled-following-outcry-over-charges
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Parkrun cancelled due to fears of huge turnout amid charges row | Parkrun cancelled due to fears of huge turnout amid charges row |
| (5 months later) | |
| Organisers of a free park run that councillors voted to charge to use its open space have been forced to cancel the next event over fears too many people would turn up to offer support. | Organisers of a free park run that councillors voted to charge to use its open space have been forced to cancel the next event over fears too many people would turn up to offer support. |
| Sports stars, politicians, health campaigners and amateur runners heaped criticism on Stoke Gifford parish council after it became the first authority in the world to levy a charge against the hugely popular “parkrun” movement. | Sports stars, politicians, health campaigners and amateur runners heaped criticism on Stoke Gifford parish council after it became the first authority in the world to levy a charge against the hugely popular “parkrun” movement. |
| By Thursday morning almost 50,000 people had signed a petition calling for the council to reverse the decision, due to come into effect within weeks. Runners from across the country had planned to travel to the park near Bristol on Saturday to show support for the volunteer-led event. | By Thursday morning almost 50,000 people had signed a petition calling for the council to reverse the decision, due to come into effect within weeks. Runners from across the country had planned to travel to the park near Bristol on Saturday to show support for the volunteer-led event. |
| However, organisers ruled that safety could be compromised if hundreds of people descended on the park and have cancelled the 5km run. | However, organisers ruled that safety could be compromised if hundreds of people descended on the park and have cancelled the 5km run. |
| In a statement on the run’s website, the organisers said: “It has been an exceedingly odd 24 hours and we would like to thank you all for the messages of support and kind words that you have continued to send through to us. It has been and continues to be, overwhelming and the Little Stoke parkrun team really appreciate them all. | In a statement on the run’s website, the organisers said: “It has been an exceedingly odd 24 hours and we would like to thank you all for the messages of support and kind words that you have continued to send through to us. It has been and continues to be, overwhelming and the Little Stoke parkrun team really appreciate them all. |
| “Given the huge strength of feeling heard from you directly and seen from a wider audience on social media we have had to consider the implications of this on Saturday’s run (16 April). | “Given the huge strength of feeling heard from you directly and seen from a wider audience on social media we have had to consider the implications of this on Saturday’s run (16 April). |
| “The safety and wellbeing of parkrunners and other park users is paramount and we are very concerned that this might be jeopardised by the volume of people wishing to run at Little Stoke on Saturday. This could easily exceed the safe limit of the park itself.” | “The safety and wellbeing of parkrunners and other park users is paramount and we are very concerned that this might be jeopardised by the volume of people wishing to run at Little Stoke on Saturday. This could easily exceed the safe limit of the park itself.” |
| The organisers also asked supporters to temper their criticism of the parish council, which decided that parkrun ought to be charged to bring it in line with other organisations like the local football club, which pays for use of its facilities. | The organisers also asked supporters to temper their criticism of the parish council, which decided that parkrun ought to be charged to bring it in line with other organisations like the local football club, which pays for use of its facilities. |
| “We would however ask you to keep things positive and constructive. Negativity levelled at the parish council will not help matters,” it said. | “We would however ask you to keep things positive and constructive. Negativity levelled at the parish council will not help matters,” it said. |
| Parkrun has suggested it will cancel the event permanently rather than pay because it is worried that councils across the country will follow Stoke Gifford’s lead if it does accept the charges. | Parkrun has suggested it will cancel the event permanently rather than pay because it is worried that councils across the country will follow Stoke Gifford’s lead if it does accept the charges. |
| Parkrun has become a phenomenon, with the Little Stoke run just one of 850 such events that take place globally. In the UK alone there have been more than 60,000 parkruns. | Parkrun has become a phenomenon, with the Little Stoke run just one of 850 such events that take place globally. In the UK alone there have been more than 60,000 parkruns. |
| The UK branch of the organisation is investigating whether there is a legal basis for it to challenge Stoke Gifford’s decision. | The UK branch of the organisation is investigating whether there is a legal basis for it to challenge Stoke Gifford’s decision. |
| It said: “Every parkrun is coordinated by local volunteers, and participants do not pay a subscription or affiliation fee. In return we do not ask for exclusive access to any of the venues we use, rather we work with landowners, including local authorities, to share areas of open space with other members of the public. Over the past 12 years this strategy has been hugely successful in empowering local people to coordinate their own events, for free, for the benefit of their community.” | It said: “Every parkrun is coordinated by local volunteers, and participants do not pay a subscription or affiliation fee. In return we do not ask for exclusive access to any of the venues we use, rather we work with landowners, including local authorities, to share areas of open space with other members of the public. Over the past 12 years this strategy has been hugely successful in empowering local people to coordinate their own events, for free, for the benefit of their community.” |
| From modest beginnings, more than 300 people regularly take part in the Little Stoke event. | From modest beginnings, more than 300 people regularly take part in the Little Stoke event. |
| But the parish council is standing firm. Chairman Ernest Brown, conceded it was not possible to evaluate the cost of the runners’ impact on the park, but said: “Three hundred feet pounding the paths every Saturday morning does cause extra wear.” | But the parish council is standing firm. Chairman Ernest Brown, conceded it was not possible to evaluate the cost of the runners’ impact on the park, but said: “Three hundred feet pounding the paths every Saturday morning does cause extra wear.” |