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Dec 2018
4:31pm, 29 Dec 2018
259 posts
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Dowse
As you said those salaries do not include on costs.
500 new parkruns last financial year? Plus equipment costs will mostly be capitalised and depreciated.
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Dec 2018
5:55pm, 29 Dec 2018
5,612 posts
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Jovi Runner
£46k for an admin role - where do I apply? That does seem rather high for an admin role. As a charity I guess they'll now have to be more open & accountable ref revenue streams & expenditure?
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Dec 2018
6:57pm, 29 Dec 2018
1,899 posts
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sLickster
Interesting to see those Parkrun Global Limited documents/financials - I think those submitted to Jan 2018 on 6th November 2018 (see https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/09411750/filing-history) are the first from them (or parkrun limited (UK)) that are more than the absolute basic 6/7 page outline financials. So things like an interest free director loan for £32.5k are shown in the more extended document.
Ultimately given the size of the 'movement' many people will be very happy to chip in a bit to help the organization, as the overall public image is of parkrun doing immense good, locally, nationally and internationally. This is rightly so, but even in this thread there is evidence of people (mainly those who have been involved for years) who have many doubts about the actions and management (if they are the right words) of the operation. From the taking on of certain sponsors, to things like a lack of transparency.
Most people aren't probably aware that for years jobs on the national team apppeared to be handed out via 'the old boys network'. Thankfully that practice does seem to have changed in recent years and posts are widely advertised. Though the most controversial may have been the big boss himself - Nick, who worked for over 20 years at Sweatshop (main parkrun sponsor) left them (not public the reason why) then 6 months later he was announced as the first CEO of parkrun. A few months later and the Sweatshop sponsorship of parkrun was publically announced as ending after 11 years. Former employees make comments in public forums such as (https://forums.runnersworld.co.uk/discussion/275351/who-owns-sweatshop/p3) :
"The previous Managing Director was also not all gold and gravy. Nick Pearson was often a law unto himself, allowing Sports Direct to take increasing levels of control (without any equity pressure of Sweatshop) thereby undermining his own control yet failing to realise his own actions."
That whole thing about Happy Egg sponsorship seemed to portray the idea that they'd given it serious consideration, but ultimately they would only offend a small proportion of their national participants (even though that would be thousands or into tens of thousands) and so they would go ahead with it. Very much the attitude of a 'large corporate' who are big enough to do want they want, not the small ethical charity many think and see parkrun as.
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Dec 2018
7:00pm, 29 Dec 2018
1,900 posts
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sLickster
Jovi - that £46k figure as given on a previous page is basically the total salary bill divided by number of staff (and so not really admin staff). So it is a true average - many of the 'admin' roles were advertised at £20-£25k, so that means some other staff will be on more than the average, to bring the overall average to the original figure.
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Dec 2018
5:45pm, 30 Dec 2018
181 posts
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Non-runner
It also looks a bit odd that the first Director was in post for just three days?
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Dec 2018
8:31pm, 30 Dec 2018
265 posts
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njosmith
Free weekly timed podcast this week has an interview with Nick Pearson explaining, to a certain extent, why more money is needed - though not in the context of parkrun forever. Nick also describes how he got the job.
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Dec 2018
9:46pm, 30 Dec 2018
140 posts
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mascott514
Very sorry to read a young runner died at our neighbouring parkrun, Tonbridge, on Saturday.
RIP mate, and thoughts to all that were there....
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Dec 2018
10:44pm, 30 Dec 2018
25,081 posts
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DingDongMerrilyDaisy
Yes, I saw that on FB. Very sad indeed, and I feel for the team there.
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Dec 2018
10:55pm, 30 Dec 2018
25,744 posts
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LindsD
That is sad.
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Dec 2018
11:02pm, 30 Dec 2018
1,901 posts
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sLickster
Thanks for citing that coincidence njosmith. To save others going to listen this is what Nick said:
"Sweatshop became the founding partner of parkrun the organisation and that started a 10 year relationship that I had with Paul (Sinton Hewitt) and more lately with Tom (Williams) as well. And so when I left Sweatshop at the end of 2014 Paul called me the next day and asked me to come round for a coffee. And we had a chat about his challenges in running parkrun...and asked me to effectively take on the role that he had been doing...so that was the pitch. We talked about what it meant for 3-4 months then eventually I agreed to join and I started in May 2015"
Whilst on the site I noted from the May 23rd Free Weekly Timed Podcast the response from Chrissie Wellington when Vassos asked how she got a job with parkrun:
"I was at sponsor event in London, the opening of a sports shop...and I bumped in to Paul (Sinton Hewitt) and Tom (Williams) and we went out for dinner afterwards...i was talking to Paul about my intentions and plans and Paul said well look we've got junior parkruns but what we want to do is to establish a more structured strategic series...would you like to come on board to delevlop that series?"
From the May 16th Free Weekly Timed Podcast the response from Russ Jefferys when Vassos asked how he got the job with parkrun:
"I think it was a case of right time right place...whilst in Australia having set up Canberra parkrun I got to know the Head of Country Tim and did some voluntary work to assist him...that evolved in to a full time position as Global Head of Communications when I moved back to England."
There are several other examples in addition to these of the historic 'I was asked to join' the National team. In a public forum I make no judgement positive or negative about this, but is a case of transparency of the practice that has taken place in this kind of thing.
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parkrun Café
Dec 2024