Hundreds of runners and volunteers turned out at Hogmoor Inclosure to pay their final respects to Trish Birch – a long-term parkrun volunteer and friend to many.

Trish began volunteering at Hogmoor Inclosure junior parkrun in September 2019 and started helping at the Saturday morning 5km parkrun within weeks. Trish volunteered nearly 190 times and made her final appearance in March in her favourite role – handing out the finish tokens for the young participants of junior parkrun. She died peacefully on May 30 surrounded by her family.

Hogmoor Inclosure junior parkrun event director George Longland said: “Trish dedicated so much of her life to helping others – at parkrun and St Matthew’s School – and she was loved by runners, children, families and volunteers alike, so it was only fitting we should celebrate her life with a memorial parkrun weekend.

“Her favourite colour was purple and she would rarely be seen in any other colour, so we asked everyone to come along dressed in purple. It was like a beautiful sea of purple – clothing, face paints, ribbons, pom-poms and balloons. Run director Rob Hay dyed his hair purple. It was incredible to see the love for our dear friend.”

More than 500 people participated in the celebrations.

Among them was Trish’s daughter Sarah Sharp, who volunteered in her mum’s role handing out the finish tokens.

Sarah said: “I was overwhelmed by the amazing turnout for mum’s memorial weekend. She was a very special lady and it was so lovely to see everyone in purple to honour her memory. The love and support was so heart-warming. It was a very beautiful but emotional weekend.”

Alongside her role as a volunteer, Trish was well known for her love of dressing up and making costumes, as well as sewing and mending whenever needed by the parkrun teams.

Run director Laura Holden said: “She was a committed volunteer and would rarely miss a week.

“She loved seeing her grandson and all the other children enjoying the course and was such a great team member.

“Trish was always willing to help and do what she could for the team, including making things such as our equipment bags and the little jumpers that our parkrun bears wear.

“She loved the ethos and fun of junior parkrun as well as the dressing up. She is a good friend who is sorely missed.”

To add to the celebrations, 100 purple balloons were inflated and hung on the trees of Hogmoor Inclosure.

Young people were invited to take one home, although things didn’t go as planned.

Volunteer Aggie Longland said: “It was such a hot weekend that many of the balloons were bursting in the sunshine, so we probably only ended up with about 50. As mum and Laura were giving their memorial talk, balloons were popping around them. It made us all laugh as we knew Trish would find it very funny.”

While the 5km parkrun team opted for a minute of silence and contemplation to honour Trish, the juniors took a different approach.

George said: “It was lovely that we were able to celebrate our friend in so many ways and Laura led a brilliant warm-up for the juniors based on all Trish’s different costumes.

“While the 5km crew held a beautiful minute of silence, it felt appropriate for the junior event to make some noise, so we instead held a minute of cheering, whooping and clapping. The sound was spectacular and so moving.”

Regular parkrunner and volunteer Naomi Ward said: “It was a glorious way to remember Trish. I was in tears during that minute of celebration. I had a great conversation with my son Felix on the way home about a good life being one where you contribute to your community, keep showing up and keep smiling. Thank you Trish and the wonderful team for creating a very special experience for our kids.”

Volunteer Sarah Stanbridge said: “I was lucky enough to be a marshal and able to view the course decorated in a mass of purple balloons for Trish’s memorial, which looked so impressive. It was such a fitting tribute to a lovely lady.

“My lasting memory of Trish will not just be of the way she embraced any special dressing-up event we held, but of the way she embraced parkrun volunteering in general.

“Every week she would be up the front, joining in with the run director’s warm-up. She was the epitome of parkrun and is missed immensely.”

Run director Phillippa Davies said: “Trish was the true definition of a volunteer and embodied everything that encapsulated community spirit. Her loyal willingness to be present every week was inspirational, and she brought a true sense of togetherness and belonging. An absolute cornerstone of the junior and senior parkrun events, she welcomed everyone, be it new volunteers or runners, forging easy connections and celebrating everyone’s successes.

“Trish will remain fondly ever present in the hearts of all who knew her and her legacy will live on through our events as we celebrate her and all she represented in the Trish Birch Volunteer of the Year Award.”

George Longland