Just heard that our local Parkrun in Enniskillen which has been going for over 3 years and has been held in the grounds of one of our local National Trust properties for over 2 years, will no longer be held there. We, the runners, haven't been told the reasons for the eviction yet, maybe know more this morning.
We will be moving to a local forum where in all probability in winter time the parkrun will consist of 12 laps of the running track
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Theziggy
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We were briefed about the issue at Parkrun yesterday morning and I talked to some of the Parkrun local committee and gleaned what I could. I then wrote to an acquaintance who works in the media as follows:-
"Enniskillen Parkrun will no longer be held at the National Trust's Castle Coole property from the end of August. Enniskillen Parkrun is 3 years old and has spend over the past 2 years based at Castle Coole.
Why will it no longer be held there?
Ostensibly it is because complaints were received about cars driving too fast through the estate, parkrunners being unmannerly etc. etc. Yet my sources say that the complaints mainly emanate from just one person!
The real reason is that which is the root of all evil. Parkrunners have been informed every Saturday morning of the benefits of joining the National Trust and how £2.70 (approx) every Saturday would go straight to Castle Coole when we scanned out National Trust barcode. Some members have been coerced into joining but apparently not enough - though this has not been tacitly said! So the National Trust at Castle Coole can't be directly accused of sticking their arm in.
So despite extensive meetings between the local Parkrun committee with the Castle Coole board over the past year, going as far as Parkrun UK management having meetings with National Trust UK - we will not be able to use the grounds for Parkruns after August 2016. However, the National Trust still remains Parkruns biggest landowner hosting 25 other Parkruns on its estates.
Instead we will be going back to temporarily using Enniskillen Forum where we do two or three laps of a large green area with a couple of football pitches on it, (which floods in autumn/winter/spring whereby Parkrun consists of 12 laps of the running track!) a world away from the glorious vistas of Castle Coole.
This was announced this morning at Castle Coole's Parkrun (in fact it was announced earlier than planned owing to the Irish New - I think that was the paper, having gotten hold of the story, it hasn't gone to press with it yet)
So, I am dropping you this message just to let you know our Parkrun news."
Though my acquaintance hasn't answered me yet - but that is the situation.
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