Parkrun: The lonely child behind a global movement

Paul Sinton-Hewitt is the founder of Parkrun. Bullied and abandoned as a schoolboy, Paul spent years navigating isolation and institutional care in South Africa before discovering a sense of control and freedom through running. He moved to the UK and when injury cut him off from the running community he relied on, he came up with a simple idea: a weekly gathering in his local London park, with coffee afterwards. That small meetup would grow into Parkrun, a community now involving millions of people around the world. Paul's memoir is called One Small Step. Please note, his story includes details of child abuse and bullying, and a reference to suicide. If you're suffering from distress or despair, you could speak to a healthcare professional, or you can find details of organisations that offer help in many countries at befrienders.org

Grammy-winning singer Buika makes music that draws on flamenco, jazz, soul and Afro-Latin influences, reflecting the many worlds she grew up between. Raised on the Spanish island of Mallorca and in the shadow of her father's political exile from Equatorial Guinea, she often felt out of place. As a child, she was thrown out of her choir because a teacher didn't like the sound of her voice. After discovering flamenco among the Roma families in her neighbourhood, an unexpected chance to sing in a blues band gave Buika a new sense of possibility. It led to a career that took her from local clubs to stages around the world, including a stint as a Tina Turner impersonator in Las Vegas.

(Photo: In a black-and-white photograph, Paul Sinton-Hewitt kneels beside a large sign reading FINISH, smiling towards the camera. He is dressed in a black tracksuit with white stripes and wears a sports watch. Behind him, a group of people gather beneath a huge tree in a grassy park, with an open field and parked cars stretching into the distance. Credit: Courtesy of Paul Sinton-Hewitt)

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Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Maryam Maruf, Hetal Bapodra, Zoe Gelber