A new organised weekly jog around Cassiobury Park is now up and running.

Watford Mayor Dorothy Thornhill set the 157 runners on their way at the inaugural Cassiobury parkrun last week.

The 5km timed run, which is free to enter and open to people of all ages and abilities, will take place at 9am every Saturday.

Mayor Thornhill said: “Cassiobury parkrun is great fun, an amazing way to keep fit - which makes you feel wonderful, and it's suitable for people of all fitness abilities.

“The volunteers who manage parkrun are so supportive, and where better to take part in the event than in the beautiful and historic surroundings of Cassiobury Park.”

The jog is not a race and is timed by volunteers. Participants receive their time by text and email after the run, and they can track their improvement over time on the parkrun website.

Andy Nice, Cassiobury parkrun event director, said: “We are delighted to get up and running after many months of planning.

“The feedback from the runners and volunteers was fantastic and it was great to see so many people of all ages, including families, running together around this beautiful park.

“We even had one person who regularly runs Gdansk parkrun in Poland, who was visiting London on the weekend so came along to run with us."

There are approximately 500 parkruns held around the world each week.

Registration is free at www.parkrun.org.uk/cassiobury or email cassioburyoffice@parkrun.com for information.