THIS is the time of year when many people are thinking about exercise and losing a few unwanted pounds.

What better way to do it than join hundreds of people in some of the Bradford district parks for a five-kilometre run.

Parkrun, held from 9am every Saturday, have grown and grown across the country since they started more than 15 years ago.

This has been reflected in the Bradford district with a number of events starting up including Cliffe Castle in September last year.

Here is a list of Parkruns in and around Bradford: Lister Park, Horton Park, Myrtle Park, Bramley, Oakwell Hall, Cliffe Castle, Halifax, Brighouse, Armley, Woodhouse Moor and Crossflatts.

There is also a Junior Parkrun held in Roberts Park, Saltaire, every Sunday at 9am, for children aged 4 to 14.

For instance, the Lister Park event attracts hundreds of participants each week for three laps of the park and what they call the ‘Teeny Tiny Hill’ which, as someone who regularly takes part, seems to get steeper with every completed lap. Some courses in the district even held events on Christmas Day.

Go to parkrun.org.uk/Bradford to sign up or for more information.

Here are some tips and advice for anyone looking to sign up for Parkrun for the first time:

It’s Not a Race

There may be people from a host of local athletics clubs taking part, and they may even lap you, but leave them to it and just enjoy taking part. You don’t have to feel like Sir Mo Farah to take part. Often the first few runners home stay back to cheer on people as they cross the finish line. You can even walk it if you want. For your reference, the current Lister Parks event’s records are: Female Racheal Bamford – 17 minutes 56 seconds. Male record holder: James Habergham – 15.47.

It sets you up for the weekend

Probably best not to treat it as a hangover cure after a Friday night's drinking, but taking part in Parkrun can wipe away the cobwebs of the working week and set you up for the weekend ahead. It might kill your leg muscles the first few times you do it and you may feel a bit stiff the next morning, but it will be worth it in the erm…long run.

Get Social

It’s a great way to meet new people who just want the same thing; exercise and to stretch their legs. It attracts people of all ages and always has a positive atmosphere. Everyone who takes part is friendly and there is no competitive age, only maybe if you’re timing yourself as you improve.

It's Free

Being thrifty is a big part of a lot of people’s January money plans and Parkrun certainly helps this. It’s totally free each week and all you need to do is sign up before your first event at parkrun.com.

Cheers Galore

The volunteers are often the stars of each Parkrun. They give up their free time each Saturday morning to put out cones plotting the course and cheer on the runners at various points during the course, holding banners spurring you on as you go round. Organisers of the Lister Park event say they want all Parruns to add the value of building a culture of volunteering and giving back but with parkruns being dependent on willing volunteer participation.

Never forget your Barcode

Always bring your race barcode to each event. Volunteers will give you a chip card when you cross the finishing line, scan both of them and then you will receive an email with your individual finishing time later on Saturday. Organisers go by a strict ‘no barcode, no time’ policy.