Runners take part in the first Thetford Park Run on Abbey Meadows in the town despite a dusting of snow.

The first Park Run in a Norfolk town has been swift out of the blocks in attracting runners after 90 turned up to the first event on Saturday.

The first Thetford Park Run took place at Abbey Meadows when runners completed a 5km course that included Priory Park, Abbey Meadows and Canon Close and their times were then logged to go on Park Run’s national website.

Pariticipants came from as far field as Kings Lynn, Norwich, Cambridge, Ipswich and Great Yarmouth, many of whom had also taken part in runs in their local areas, while a quarter of the field was from Thetford.

Melanie Floyd, an event director for the Thetford run, said the aim of the event was to encourage people to lead more active lifestyles and participants could run or walk the 5km distance.

She said the event, which is going to be held every week on Saturdays at 9am, is free to enter and participants are given a barcode which they bring to the run, then at the end they are given another barcode with their time which is linked up to the first barcode and all times are registered on the run’s website.

Mrs Floyd, who is a member of Thetford Athletics Club, said: “It is just really a good thing because it brings about a community spirit. People are involved and they meet other people. I am just overwhelmed. I was not expecting 90 people to be here today.”

Similar events are held in towns across the country and the organisers of the event are hoping to keep it running every week so long as there are enough volunteers to run it.

The run is being organised in partnership with Moving Thetford Forward, Active Norfolk and Thetford Town Council