The “Dabbers Dash” project in Nantwich has been nominated for the same award it won last year.
Dabbers Dash was founded by Paul McIntyre in 2022 as a “virtual” Parkrun opportunity.
It aimed to show Cheshire East Council that the Barony Park in Nantwich needed a perimeter path to encourage people to take up running, walking and wheeling in a safe place.
Last year, it won the England Athletics “Community Project of the Year (North West Region)” award.
And it has now been nominated for the same award.
Dabbers Dash Community Project is a monthly, free 5km run, walk or wheel led around Barony Park.
It is attended by between 25-55 people each month from running, cycling and triathlon clubs as well as residents.
It has also helped raise awareness of support groups, charities and organisations.
Paul said: “It signposts participants and citizens to points of local help and support thus reducing the burden on local services in a time when budgets are constrained, and times are tough for people.
“This project is outstanding because the run has developed a life of its own as a community asset and a gateway into running or at least some exercise for lots of people.
“It is also improving people’s lives in lots of ways.
“I’ve had cancer patients join and personally thank me, stroke patients come and do 400m that they may not have done otherwise, helped people get help with the loss of babies – including men who often get overlooked in such circumstances, they hug me and thank me for putting this on as well.
“The run has got the local ethnic communities involved in a small local farming town which does not have that much diversity in the local population compared to some of the surrounding bigger cities.
“The run gets local media attention now, people film it with drones, people sing at it and it runs because the people in the town want it to.
“It costs me nothing to do and runs off a free Facebook Group of over 650 people so has zero overheads.”
To vote for the Dabbers Dash, visit this link until Sunday August 11: https://www.englandathletics.org/news/voting-for-our-volunteer-awards-have-your-say/
For further information on the Dabbers Dash visit their Facebook group.
The next Dabber’s Dash is Saturday 17th August, at 9am, opposite the Cornthwaite Group (John Deere) dealership.
It will raise awareness for charity Stroke Survivors Speech & Language Support Group, led by Liz Bedson who will open a Nantwich branch in September to help people rebuild their lives after suffering a stroke.
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