East and North Herts NHS Trust have teamed up with parkrun to celebrate 70 years of the NHS with a birthday event this Saturday.

The NHS 70 and parkrun link was formed by double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, with hundreds of events taking place across the UK, including Stevenage and Letchworth and Wimpole.

Mark Edwards – who was involved in setting up Letchworth parkrun and is the communications and engagement manager for the CCG – will be joined by hundreds of Letchworth runners to celebrate the work the NHS does, while also taking in some exercise.

He said: “You don’t have to be an experienced runner to take part, all abilities and ages are welcome.

“It’s a great opportunity to get out in the fresh air, once a week and get some exercise.

“We’re hoping for a great turnout to show our appreciation for all the great work the NHS has been doing over the past 70 years. So come along, join in and celebrate with us.”

All three events encourage runners to dress up for the occasion. Stevenage and Wimpole Estate welcomes runners to take part NHS-themed attire, and Letchworth participants have the option of NHS or superhero fancy dress.

The free 5K Letchworth run will take place at Grange Recreation Ground, the Stevenage run will be at Fairlands Valley Park and those attending the Wimpole Estate event will have the chance to run around the grounds of Wimpole Hall. Each parkrun starts at 9am.

For details on how to get involved, go to parkrun.org.uk/letchworth, parkrun.org.uk/stevenage and parkrun.org.uk/wimpoleestate.