A NEWPORT volunteer who organises free, weekly 5km timed runs for thousands of people in Wales has been recognised as an outstanding volunteer by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Keen runner Chris Davies, 57, launched Newport parkrun which are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in after participating in a parkrun event in Eastleigh, Hampshire in 2010.

Mr Davies volunteers about ten hours a week to support 14 parkruns; including Newport parkrun, where the ranks have swelled to 439 runners per week under his leadership.

He is the 228th recipient of a Point of Light award, which recognises outstanding individual volunteers, people who are making a change in their community and inspiring others.

Since it was founded in 2004, the UK-wide parkrun over 40,000 events have taken place with 624,000 runners across 308 locations. In 2010, the 2km 'junior parkrun' was launched for young people aged 4 to 14 and now has reached 1165 events with over 17,000 runners in 38 different locations.

In his role as parkrun Ambassador for Wales, a position he has held for 2 years, Mr Davies has secured match funding from Sport Wales to set up a raft of ten new runs in parks around the country. He set up Wales’s first 'junior parkrun' in Newport, where 100 young people run every Sunday in the grounds of National Trust property Tredegar House.

Prime Minister, David Cameron, said: “Not only is Chris encouraging people throughout Wales to live fitter, healthier lives, he has also brought the spirit of volunteering to communities across the country. Chris is a worthy winner of today’s Points of Light award.” Mr Davies said: “For me, volunteering for parkrun is not about giving my time. It’s about getting a huge sense of personal satisfaction and worth by helping brilliant, motivated people to stage weekly events and build communities.”