Conwy parkrun under threat due to new proposals - SAVE CONWY PARKRUN GROUP FORMED.

*Pictured above - some of the new SAVE CONWY PARKUN group after their meeting last Saturday morning at the RSPB site at Conwy.

Conwy parkrun under threat due to new proposals 

Report by Don Hale

https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com

 

The future of Conwy parkrun is currently under threat after Welsh Parkrun officials have decided to impose new changes to this picturesque 5k course, which include plans for a different start area on Conwy Cob, with alternative car parking arrangements.

This parkrun has been out of action for about twelve weeks due to construction work on part of the course for a multi-million-pound cycle track, but just as runners were preparing to re-start their activities, they have now been hit a series of interventions, restrictions, and demands on the event organisers by parkrun officials who have continued the suspension of this popular event.

Just a few years ago however, this event was voted the second most popular parkrun in the world, with tens of thousands of people voting each week during an exciting knock out process, where they eventually reached the grand final of the Global World Cup challenge, where they narrowly lost out ironically to another popular North Wales venue at Newborough Forest.

This sudden decision to make numerous changes has angered the hard-working team of volunteers at Conwy, who both object to, and reject these proposals leaving the future of this particular parkrun in limbo.

 

The Conwy parkrun organisers have now asked to use my response to the Welsh Parkrun officials proposals, to examine, counter, and address many of the points raised by their statement and they have formed a SAVE CONWY PARKRUN group to highlight their concerns and to try and arrange an urgent meeting to seek a potential compromise. 

*I have therefore decided to make public the statement published by Rob Mackey - Regional Event Support Ambassador, North Wales, and Brian Corcoran - Event Support Ambassador, and to include my response.

Statement from the Welsh Parkrun officials regarding the planned return of Conwy parkrun..

 

The last few months have been difficult for everyone connected with Conwy parkrun. 

It has been fantastic to see regulars visiting the other local parkruns, but nothing is quite the same as your home parkrun. 

This has been an especially difficult time for the Core Team consisting of Run Directors and Event Directors that dedicate a huge amount of time to act as custodians of the event. They have been asked to adapt and respond to a difficult set of circumstances, completely outside of their control, involving the safety of parking arrangements, suitability of the course to manage the current and predicted numbers, and complex landowner permissions, whilst still maintaining the essence of Conwy parkrun. 

The Core Team have had to balance trying to keep everyone informed, with the fact that the factors discussed above have been constantly changing. The Core Team were keen to put out more than the two statements that have already been published, but due to their changing nature, they wouldn’t have been appropriate.

The course that has been agreed on, we believe addresses all of the issues and will enable Conwy parkrun to go from strength to strength. It will be confirmed when we have all the landowner and partner permissions in place and the new risk assessment approved by parkrun HQ. In the meantime, we would request patience whilst that complex process continues. As soon as we are nearing a time when we have more information regarding a restart date, the Conwy parkrun community will be informed.

The route will be published on the website, along with updated parking guidance etc, when the necessary permissions are in place. The important features are that it will start on the Cob side of the footbridge, close to the A55 emergency access gate and finish at the RSPB using the new path. It doesn’t use any sections of course not previously included in the route. 

 

There will be nominated parking available. The important takeaway from this though, is that the RSPB car park will not be used. The popularity of Conwy parkrun has increased exponentially over recent years. There is no reason to think this growth will not continue and with it the issues with that car park overflowing will continue to increase and could rapidly reach the point where Conwy parkrun will not be sustainable. The work that the core team are undertaking now, will help to future-proof the event. We know that you will continue to enjoy supporting the cafe and that parking elsewhere is a small price to pay for the continued presence of Conwy parkrun.

Thank you all for your continued patience in this matter. We would personally like to extend a huge thank you to the Core Team of Bethan, Mark, Anna, Sharon and Richard. I trust that you will all say a big thank you to them, when we finally return. We will continue to support them, but the responsibility lies with the EDs and RDs. 

If you wish to discuss any of the issues, please get in touch with either of us, and we can have a chat while we enjoy one of the excellent local parkruns.

Rob Mackey - Regional Event Support Ambassador, North Wales. 

Brian Corcoran - Event Support Ambassador

 

*This is my response backed by the SAVE CONWY PARKRUN GROUP:

Hi Brian. Thanks for your statement. I am pleased that you have thankfully now reconsidered your route to include the new track, and avoided the risk of runners criss-crossing parts of the Cob, and for including a mention of the RSPB site and their café etc. The Council would NOT have allowed this as advised.

I think however, that your proposal for the change of route with a new start area proposed, and in particular your new car parking plans, might create even more problems than before and insisting that the RSPB car park site will not be used. I will deal with some of these issues in turn with my own observations. The Save Conwy Parkrun group are currently considering your statement, and I trust that you will agree to meet with them asap to discuss matters.

 

Response by Don Hale on behalf of the SAVE CONWY PARKRUN group:

 

COB START PROBLEMS: You claim that “the course that has been agreed on, we believe addresses all of the issues.”

I don’t agree with this and believe it creates a host of new problems: This is an exposed and windswept area with no toilets, and is situated at the very busy the crossroads for a host of varied route users, including prams, dog walkers, pedestrians, cyclists etc, to and from Conwy to Deganwy, and also from over the footbridge to and from Llandudno junction.

Carla Green has highlighted the fact that your new plan will result in extreme congestion with 300 plus runners blocking all these access points whilst waiting to start, and causing further unintentional but additional problems for about 1 hour and 15 minutes during the event, as it’s the only walking route between Llandudno junction Tesco/Lidl/Asda and Conwy every Saturday, whereas with the original route it’s only around 10 minutes delay. Not sure if Conwy County Council will approve this either on a regular basis every week?

 

My other concern is the lack of any toilet facilities at the start. Many runners travel a fair distance and need the loo before the parkrun. There is nothing at Lidl, which is the nearest car park, there is one at Tesco, and another on the quay at Conwy, but that is a fair walk.

There is also the problem for the two starters/timekeepers, who will have to move rather quickly to the finish area to ensure accurate timing, and this start will also need additional marshals, and someone to explain the course etc to newbies.

I am not sure if any other parkruns have a different start and finish area, but the parkrun UK site says that events should have a start and finish area in the same spot and not over half a mile away.

We have had the RSPB start for over 10 years at Conwy without any problems, and it is deemed perfectly safe by the action group as ideal for all runners, with excellent on-site toilet facilities, parking and a café. 

John Hatton has been in charge of a dedicated team of volunteers who set up the start and finish area every week, with a microphone and music, to let runners know what’s happening. He also gives everyone a warm welcome and explains proceedings, and he even offers a quiz with prizes to create a fun and social atmosphere. There will be no access on the Cob for any equipment and may be very difficult to communicate information to a large number of runners against the background of traffic noise, with essential health and safety advice etc.

 

CAR PARKING PROBLEMS:  I believe this is the worst part of your new parkrun plan and creates a mass of potential health and safety issues, which are ten times more dangerous than the alleged original problem.

Your colleague Chris Davies said: “It’s now obvious that as the event’s popularity has significantly increased, the risks associated with its limited parking at the RSPB have changed. Our parkrun Risk Manager has now deemed this to be untenable. This leaves us with an imperative to change its former arrangement.” He is wrong on several points though. The Conwy parkrun has NOT increased its numbers over recent years. It did at first, but gradually other local parkruns have shared the load and consequently, the average numbers have dropped, to a consistent number of entrants. 

And his claim that there are increased risks associated with parking, is also incorrect. There have been no incidents over the past 10 years, and the car park is always well marshalled by volunteers. When it is full, a sign is posted to explain this to visitors, who are asked to park a Tesco, which is the advertised overspill car park, with all the instructions highlighted on the Conwy Parkrun website etc.

And who is this risk manager at Conwy. You claim you don’t have one! Who is this person and what was their evidence in making these false allegations regarding safety issues?  Show me your evidence please?

The key element of any alleged danger that caused this overall problem still remains, with supposedly re-directing traffic across a major trunk road. With your new proposal, and despite all good intentions, many cars with runners will still attend the RSPB site and expect to park there. They may be in urgent need of the loo, they might have visited this event before, and they may also be travelling with family, friends and/or supporters, who may be elderly or disabled, and will not be able to walk to the new start or finish if they have to park elsewhere!

And don’t forget that apart from confusion of runners having to search their way to a new start, you will also have 300 plus runners walking aback across the trunk road junction to head back to Tesco!

PROBLEMS FOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT:

The RSPB site is also attended by walkers, dog walkers, cyclists and RSPB members, and if parkrunners are prohibited from using the car park, it will be a very difficult for parking volunteers to have to monitor all arrivals, and to turn cars away, with strangers not understanding how to get to the new start?

I believe this plan is potentially more dangerous. This will create aggro, and it could attract a queue of angry and frustrated drivers attempting to park there, as that’s the finish, but not the start and blocking the highway before being sent to Tesco. This could easily create chaos and confusion with many parkrunners, who travel from far and wide, not knowing where the start is, and how to get there?

Not everyone will check the website and will expect the start and finish to be the same. Do you propose to have marshalls at Tesco giving details of how to get to the new start? This idea is not very feasible too in bad weather for both the start and finish.

 

Can you really imagine the problems someone will face stopping cars trying to enter the RSPB site and checking to see who they are, and why they are visiting, and then turning them to Tesco without knowing about a new start. 

Your new plan only enhances a potential danger element with queueing cars and confused occupants blocking a public highway. I don’t think NW police, or the Council highways people will be pleased with all this. There wasn’t really a problem before, but I think there is now!

 

And as I mentioned to you, the RSPB, the Welsh Government and Conwy County Borough Council, have each carried out independent heath and safety check on the entrance to this site and deemed everything satisfactory and without danger due to the creation of the new national cycle track that crosses the trunk roads and enters the RSPB site. This latter organisation even needs to complete this task every 12 months and especially now with all the construction work going on.

Please reconsider your plans. There is nothing wrong with the existing course and the use of the RSPB site for car parking etc. The future of Conwy parkrun depends on you reviewing these plans as a matter of urgency and remember that whatever you decide, it’s the volunteers and marshalls that really matter.

 Many thanks, Don Hale OBE. 

*This is a link to my previous response and Conwy parkrun's statement:

Don Hale Blog: Public response to Conwy Parkrun's statement about... https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/public-response-to-conwy-parkruns.html?spref=tw