DOCTORS across Barrow and Millom are prescribing the Parkrun as a form of treatment.

As a form of social prescribing, three surgeries have so far signed up as part of the national campaign endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to encourage patients to take part in the weekly event.

So far Duke Street Surgery and Bridgegate Medical Centre in Barrow, as well as Waterloo House Surgery in Millom, have now become ‘parkrun practises’, encouraging patients to take part in Barrow and Millom’s Parkruns.

One of the key intentions behind the scheme is to improve the health and wellbeing of patients and reduce the need for lifelong medication.

Maxine Baron, development lead for Barrow from the Integrated Community Care Group (ICC), said: “The RCGP have endorsed Parkrun for GP practises and we’ve been trying to encourage the practises locally to sign up.

“We are trying to use it as social prescribing because you don’t have to run you can walk, you can come with your dog, you can come in a wheelchair, you can volunteer and you get to meet people.

“It’s good for people with diabetes, who are overweight, who suffer from mental illnesses, anything like that it’s really good to encourage people to go outside and embrace exercise.”

Jacqui Armstrong, Barrow’s leading parkrunner with 334 runs under her belt, said: “Running is a great way to de-stress. As you’re running you push yourself through your comfort zone and that feeling makes you feel refreshed at the end of the run. You feel accomplished and ready to get on with life again.

“It’s a fantastic running event with a great community spirit and although I am not the fastest it’s all about taking part.”

The Barrow Parkrun run takes place every Saturday at 9am in Barrow Park and the junior run takes place every Sunday at 9am. The Millom parkrun also takes place every Saturday at 9am from the Millom Network Centre.

They are hoping to encourage more GPs in the area to become ‘parkrun practises’.