Ellie, 23, who is known as #AusomeEllie, has autism and volunteers at junior parkrun with support from her mum – Mel.
Mel explained: “Ellie has autism, which impacts every aspect of her life, and while she is fiercely independent and wants to be valued for what she can do, she still requires support from us to complete most tasks.
“Volunteering at junior parkrun has given Ellie a safe and structured space to build her confidence and independence, the regularity and routine of parkrun – start at 9am, briefing, warm-up, run/walk, tokens – all of that helps her to navigate her time and develop new skills.
“Each part of the morning can be broken down, and we’ve even made a visual calendar at home, so Ellie knows exactly what’s coming up next.”
Ellie and Mel are two parkrun’s 11 million strong community worldwide who wake up on a Saturday and Sunday morning to run, walk, jog and volunteer.
Music and positivity are all part of the #AusomeEllie volunteering experience, Mel explained: “Ellie absolutely loves music, and it’s always been one of the most effective communication tools for her, we use music to help express how she’s feeling, to build confidence, and to share joy.
“She brings that same musical energy with her to parkrun – we’re known as the ‘party corner’ because we always bring music, and Ellie sings, dances, and cheers on every single child and grown-up with so much enthusiasm.”
Ellie’s journey started through the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, Mum, Mel, explained: “When we started volunteering as part of Ellie’s Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, one of her first roles was warm-up leader at Worden Park junior parkrun during a set-up takeover event - she loved it, and the feedback was incredible.
“We were all set for our own junior parkrun to begin in Southport, but there were a few delays, so we decided to use that time to visit other local junior events – Lytham, Mystery Park, Skelmersdale, Stanley Park, Leigh – and we were welcomed with open arms everywhere we went.
“We loved that experience so much that now we’re now trying to visit a new, nearby junior parkrun whenever we can.
“It’s been an amazing way to build community and confidence, and Ellie has now volunteered at 26 junior parkruns in a whole range of roles – tail walker, parkwalker, handing out tokens, barcode scanning, warm-up leader, and even starring in a junior parkrun video for our Facebook page.”
To find out more about parkrun and how you can be a volunteer like Ellie, head to parkrun.com