HUNDREDS of people took part in a run to celebrate the birthday of the NHS on the weekend.

Newport parkrun celebrated the anniversary at Tredegar House on Saturday.

A total of 359 people took part, which was applauded by the chief executive of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Judith Paget.

She said: “It is great to see that so many people across Gwent are keen to celebrate the 70th birthday of the NHS with us.

“We’re grateful to parkrun for marking NHS70 and also for their ongoing efforts to encourage more people to exercise.

“Regular exercise has a positive effect on both physical and psychological health and these benefits are seen very quickly.

“Exercising is also a great way to make friends and enjoy a strong sense of community, as Parkrun demonstrates.

“The growing levels of obesity in adults and children is a major health issue for the NHS and our health board continues to encourage people to stay healthy for their own wellbeing and to help protect the future of our NHS services.”

Those to take part in the parkrun included numerous regular runners, as well as 39 first-timers. They were joined by people from Bristol and Manchester.

Liz Mounfield, co-event director of Newport Parkrun said: “I’ve spoken to a number of parkrunners who were there because of NHS70 and plan on returning.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate 70 years of the NHS, especially as other parkrun NHS70 events were happening across the UK at the same time.

“It was a warm day to run, but we were pleased to see 359 people joining in.”