27 runners came to set a massive leaf bagging record at Clarence Gardens!

First of all we had to give an enormous cheer to Rich who joined us despite completing the Hardmoors 80 at the weekend (thats 80 miles of hills and mud...) so please make sure you go and give him your best cheers - amazing stuff!

We also welcomed along two newbies to the gang, big cheers please for Abigail and Graeme.

We headed off to Clarence Gardens on what had been a very wet afternoon. Despite there being brand new brooms available, no broom was good enough to scrape wet leaves off wet grass.

Last year we filled 55 bags of (dry) leaves on this annual challenge and tonight we had fewer runners, so I tried to gently encourage everyone to work quickly.

LESS CHAT, MORE RAKING!!!!

The team were filling black bags with wet leaves as fast as they could. Newbie Graeme was raking at a pace that can only be defined as supersonic and team Griff had the biggest piles you've ever seen.

We've got piles. Big, slimy piles.

Once bags were filled, they were being passed over the high, spiky fence to be loaded into the van. Most bags made it across unscathed, one or two were mildly pierced but astoundingly none were impaled.

Task owner Iain drove the van up the road to Greenfields Garden whilst Mitch led a small but mighty squad up there on foot to unload the first batch. Greenfields is a fab community garden which provides learning for local schools as well as edible gardens which provide produce for local food banks and charities. These bags of leaves will be composted and put to good use!

Ten minutes to go!

The clock was ticking and everyone was still raking and bagging at a rapid pace. Towards the end we even ran out of black bags and filled up two tonne bags ready for a new composting bay which is being constructed tomorrow.

We finished on an EPIC 74 bags of leaves, plus the two tonne sacks. Amazing work all round.

Nick led the second unloading group up the road whilst most of us headed back to base. Leanne and Katie had taken on the important task of guarding all the tools until the van returned, and spent their time trying to locate the mysterious 11th floodlight, which apparently was in the van the entire time.

We managed to squeeze in a little Cha-Cha Slide before the second group returned. Much to everyone's dismay it was a planking/mountain climber version but I'm fairly sure everybody sort of enjoyed it?

At the pub, serial task owner Peter of Sustrans turned up to award us a fabulous certificate of achievement for doing so much to help with their organisation over the last few years, wonderful!

Great effort on a new bagging record folks. See you next week for present wrapping or rock carrying!