Supporting womens education and children's health and play in Palestine
The week before we start the run and for a few weeks after, Sheffield is hosting a couple of major events either about Palestine or refugees.
Palfest is an ambitious festival celebrating Palestine and Palestinian resistance, with Palestinian food, dance and music.
Meanwhile Migration Matters, running from the 17th to the 25th June, is a festival of dance and music and theatre celebrating sanctuary in Sheffield.
Check them out!
The small park BIG RUN has been raising funds both for women’s education as well as also for children in Gaza to have professional help in order to recover from the trauma of war.
Thanks to all our supporters in small park BIG RUN and beyond, we have built the healing centre and it is now up and running.
Now we are looking to start a complementary mobile service to reach children around Khan Younis, and beyond, who cannot get to the healing centre.
You can find out more about developments here.
Throughout Covid we continued to hold small park BIG RUN, but in the format of a virtual/DIY event where people did activities wherever they felt safe – be that their home, garden, or outside. After a two year gap we are delighted that the small park BIG RUN (#spBR22) will take place, for real, in Meersbrook Park, Sheffield, noon-noon, 18-19 June 2022. There will also be music, singing, poetry, tea, coffee, cake, lantern making, exhibitions and more.
SIGN UP IS NOW OPEN! With three distinct ways to participate.
THE EVENT #spBR22 is a 24-hour group community challenge from Saturday 18 June to Sunday 19 June – noon to noon. You choose the time and length you want to run, walk or jog around laps of Meersbrook Park. From 30 mins to 24 hours! At noon on Sunday there will be a free one lap Fun Run link up with friends in Palestine and, all being well, refreshments in the Walled Garden.
FUNDRAISING We raise funds for the Khuza’a play and heal centre for traumatised children in Gaza and the Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship fund which supports Palestinian women to study at university. Last year we raised over £12,000!
Read more about the two charitable initiatives and how you can help fundraise here.
THE THEME IS REFUGEES Each year we pick a different theme to raise awareness of a particular problem for Palestinian people. Read more about the theme here.
ALL ARE WELCOME The event will be as inclusive and welcoming as possible. We would like to help overcome the many barriers experienced by people from marginalised groups, ethnicities, religions, genders and disabilities. If you require support to help you participate, please contact us. small.park.big.run@gmail.com
STAY IN TOUCH! We publish a regular newsletter in the months leading up to the event in June – if you would like to get updates about the event, the projects we support, information about Palestine and more please sign up here!
CONTACT US! / SPEAK TO US! / JOIN US! We have multiple social media channels! We’d love to hear from you. And remember if you share stuff please use our hashtag: #spBR22
Our channels: Facebook – Webpage – Instagram – Twitter – Email – Strava
RUNS IN PALESTINE – In 2019 seven runs took place in Palestine at the same time as ours. They were held in the spirit of friendship and solidarity. Plans are still being made for 2022 but we can happily confirm there will be a run in Nablus. Below are picture of the Nablus 2019 Run for Freedom/small park BIG RUN.
Below is a small selection of photos from our last Meersbrook Park event in 2019.
We hope to see you 18-19 June, noon – noon SIGN UP HERE!
Our fiend and supporter Judy walked for 50 hours over 24 days to cover one kilometre for every year of her life.
She had 150+ encounters with individuals, couples, families, friends and dogs and toiled up the hill to complete my 73rd kilometre lap where she was duly presented with a certificate by the Mayor.
You can read her final instalment here
Many people do their small park BIG RUN DIY activities in groups, with some amazingly creative and impressive efforts recorded. Since the beginning five years ago Good Gym Sheffield has put together 24 hour teams who have performed some extraordinary and inspiring efforts. Here Good Gym Sheffield member Andrew tells us what they did for #spBR21.
“Good Gym Sheffield joined Small Park Big Run on what has become an annual fixture for us. We had 18 runners – and between us we covered the whole 24 hours – often with more than one runner out at any given time.
“There were some truly amazing efforts – Dana ran for the whole 24 hours, running over 100 miles on a treadmill and raising over £1,500 for the SPBR charities; Rachel ran a mile each hour for the whole 24 hours; Celine ran the Limestone Way [46 miles]; and Katy ran the Round Sheffield Run – twice [30 miles]!
“The mere mortals in the team hit the trails in the parks, woods and streets around Sheffield and the Peak – with one or two unable to resist the lure of the Meersbrook Hill.
“At midday on Sunday a number of us joined the event in Meersbrook Park – and the weather was kind enough to let us sit out for a picnic and enjoy the singing and music. We’ll definitely be back next year – supporting the event once more – and “looking forward” to 24 hours on the hill.
“Until then our thoughts are with those in Palestine.”
From all at #spBR21 thank you Good Gym! Find out more about Good Gym Sheffield here
This year at small park BIG RUN we chose the theme of health because that has been such a prominent public discussion in Britain and across the world.
We have put together some posters describing some of the gross inequalities faced by Palestinians in their daily lives, things we often take for granted. Health is yet another realm of life where Israeli apartheid holds sway.
The first poster is here and then follow the links
Judy is walking a lap of our local park for each year of her life as her #spbr21 activity and meets people on the way, talking to them about Palestine. This is part 2 of her local adventures.
The work of the children’s centres we support has not stopped during the recent bombardment of Gaza. In fact they are more needed than ever. You can read more in the latest newsletter about the children’s projects to find out how the money you raise will be spent.
So we call it a run cos that’s what we do.
But we know running is not everyones cup of tea and this is a whole community thing: we want to be as inclusive as we can!
