30 runners hit the tarmac

A respectable sized team of 30 runners met on our hotel steps to warm up for tonight's 1-mile run down to the Royal London Hospital, for our first visit of the year to join forces with the utterly brilliant Barts Volunteers.

After navigating the endless sets of traffic lights en route to the hospital, we soon arrived in the A&E reception where we were met by task owner Nancy and her wonderful team, Richard and Bernadette.

Tea, coffee, chatter - and litter

With such a big crowd of us, it soon became clear additional tasks were required, so I led a breakaway team out to the pretty little John Harrison Gardens, this huge hospital's only green space, for a wonderfully productive litter-pick with a team of 8.

Meanwhile, three larger teams were dispatched all over the hospital led by Nancy, Bernadette and Richard to: distribute Evening Standards to patients on the wards; chat and read to elderly patients being cared for on specialised wards, and, an exciting new addition to this task: making tea and coffee in the A&E department.

What a wonderful night. By the time runners were congregating back in Reception at 8.10pm, their faces said it all: smiling, full of appreciation, knowing they had also been very much appreciated too.

An impromptu speed session

And so we said our goodbye's and went our separate ways. At which point, we formed two teams to run back to the hotel, playing the Greyhound and Hare Game. I led the hares with a 2.5-minute head start, while this week we were lucky enough to have Katherine leading the greyhounds who managed to catch half the hares, but not task force members Sarah, Becky and Liz, who had somehow managed to end up on the other side of the road, but to their advantage.

What a fun, impromptu speed session - well done everyone for playing along, and rising to the challenge.

Showing some GG love with this week's shout-outs

Welcome to new runners, Gordon, Sarah, Linda, Rachel and Pete, who was visiting from Stockport! Thank you all, for helping to make this a totally brilliant night - and we hope to see you again very soon.

...And thank you to Becky J for back-marking, Katherine for leading a great little speed session, and to Sarah who this evening brought us some exquisite chocolate contributions to the week's snack haul (N.B. team: please don't leave me alone with said snacks after the run next week).

...While next week

...we're back to our favourite adventure playground, to build furniture from reclaimed wood, and decorate the indoor space! And chisel our cores for the weeks of training ahead. Fun, fun, FUN. Sign up here