On 30th June 2024, Panshanger Park welcomed around 350 runners and their families in its second year hosting the Welwyn 10k. It was a rainy start, but the sun came out by lunchtime, and it was definitely much more pleasant than in last year’s heatwave! Hot drinks and ice creams were both available, as well as a cake stall manned by the local scout troop. The adult runners set off around 9.30am, with a junior 2k starting shortly afterwards.
The main route began by Riverside Cottage near the centre of the Park, circled round Osprey Lake in the east, and then headed west through the trees on the Chisel Shelf. At the end of the Shelf the runners headed north, towards the Great Oak and the remains of the Orangery. From there, the route passed through the woods along the B1000 before returning along the top of the river valley. This gave the runners a great view of the waiting crowd of supporters, as well as the beautiful view across the Mimram.
While the adults were running, the Park’s volunteers set up a stall with lots of activities to keep their families entertained. Our main craft activity was making dragonflies out of wooden clothes pegs, with the children creating some beautiful patterns for the peg body and cardboard wings. All the pegs included a magnet, so the dragonflies could be affixed to the fridge at home and used for holding notes, photos or artwork. On the next table visitors were invited to check out all the fascinating little critters we “dipped” (collected in a bucket) from the nearby lake, and which could be viewed swimming around the tank. Not to worry, all our little friends were safely returned to the water at the end of the morning. The Tarmac mascots Tara and Mac also proved a big hit with the kids and found themselves posing for many a selfie with our younger visitors.
As the final contestants returned from the race it was time to award the trophies. In addition, all those participating received a beautiful wooden dragonfly medal, in recognition of the Park’s recent designation as a dragonfly hotspot.
Congratulations to all of the 2024 runners on your achievements, and we hope to see you all again next year.
