John Hatton celebrated his 250th appearance as a keen volunteer at Conwy parkrun.

*John Hatton (*above) celebrated his 250th credit as a volunteer at Conwy.

John Hatton celebrated his 250th appearance as a keen volunteer and athlete at Conwy parkrun...

Report by Don Hale. Most photos by Steve Jeffery.

https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com

 

John Hatton, a well-known veteran athlete, sports official, charity fundraiser, and promoter of many local charity races and events, celebrated his 250th volunteering credit at Conwy parkrun last Saturday.

The runner, cyclist, and influential member of North Wales Road Runners has been a prominent and popular member of the hard-working team of marshals, volunteers, and organisers, at this scenic parkrun venue since it first began many years ago.

*Conwy parkrun director Gwyn Williams (*above left) and John Hatton are shown in festive gear last Christmas as they shiver before welcoming back all the entrants.

John brought his experience and expertise to this particular event after helping to organise the Nick Beer 10k race, and the Deganwy Dash - now known as Rohan's Run - plus his involvement with many other charitable activities for the RNLI, St David's Hospice, and Hope House, amongst many others.

He is known as one of the first friendly faces that both meets and greets visiting runners to the start at the RSPB site at Conwy, and he also plays music from his own PA system, and often doubles as an MC to help keeping entrants informed about what’s happening on the day.

John has run the course three times with a fine PB of 29 minutes and 30 seconds in December 2017, as an MV70-74 NWRRC club vet, in addition to contributing to 250 varied tasks over his long length of service. 

Some of his more regular recent roles have included volunteering 173 times as a barcode scanner, 74 times at the pre-event set-up, and as a close-down official, plus numerous additional jobs such as marshalling, and token sorting. 

If any runners spot John next time out, give him a shout, as he is a great guy, and he has always done such a tremendous job, often without thanks, and his dedicated service has probably passed without due recognition, but he is always appreciated.

*John Hatton (*above left) is often a familiar face at many local races and he is pictured with fellow NWRRC member and master veteran runner Don Hale (the blog editor).

NHS anniversary party at Conwy parkrun.

 

*This Saturday (8/7/23), Conwy parkrun will be commemorating the 75th anniversary of the NHS, and the event will also include a take-over of many marshalling and volunteering duties by Porth Eirias Runners, who are sure to provide a warm welcome to all visitors and have additionally promised to supply some birthday cake at the finish.