Three weeks after the announcement that Enniskillen parkrun was leaving Castle Coole, a letter seen by The Impartial Reporter has confirmed that the National Trust was disappointed with the lack of memberships being taken out by participants and had asked all runners to pay.

Eight Enniskillen parkrunners became members of the National Trust in the two years the free run was held at Castle Coole.

The letter from General Manager of Fermanagh’s National Trust properties, Jim Chestnutt shows that parkrun was asked to pay because “the current situation is unfair to other visitors who are actively contributing to the care of Castle Coole."

The letter added: “The majority of Parkrun participants have not demonstrated their support for the work that the Trust as a charity is investing to preserve the property to the standard which it currently enjoys.”

In a statement this week, a spokesman for the National Trust told The Impartial Reporter: “We fully understand and support the ethos that parkrun is free to all. As part of our close contact with parkrun over recent months, we explored a wide range of options to see if we could make the run at Castle Coole viable over the long term. During our discussions the National Trust and Parkrun, at a local and national level, acknowledged that the growing impact of the run could not be sustained, and as a result we jointly decided to seek an alternative venue for the weekly event.”

The letter stated: “I would like to thank parkrun directors at Castle Coole for proactively promoting membership before each run takes place and your support has been very much appreciated.

“Eight memberships have been sold at the property since March and about 20% of participants are currently Trust members, but it is disappointing that up to 80% of participants are not members, and therefore the majority of participants are not contributing directly to the care of Castle Coole, whilst other visitors and especially members of the local community are expected to adhere to our normal admission policy.”

The National Trust spokesman told this newspaper: “The cost of looking after Castle Coole is significant and the property has a budget deficit of £103,000.”

Ballinamallard woman Heather Harper, acting as spokeswoman for local runners, has launched an online petition asking for the free run to be reinstated at Castle Coole.

She pointed out that the National Trust website states: “Join a parkrun: Families that run together have fun together. At least that’s the idea behind parkrun, a free weekly run for adults and juniors.”

She said: “To me this indicates that the National Trust embraces the idea of parkrun; a way to stay healthy and to enjoy the great outdoors.” She believes that the National Trust should have been “more proactive” in seeking memberships from local parkrunners. 

“Enniskillen parkrun at Castle Coole showcases the property for the National Trust," Mrs. Harper stated. "The National Trust should have been more proactive in seeking memberships."

On Wednesday, the petition had 765 signatures.