Friday 5th July 2019
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Report written by Benjamin Annear
37 runners ran 15 km to help the Down to Earth social enterprise in Gower.
08:40 and we gathered by the flag, a mix of goodgym runners and some who were new to goodgym - a special welcome to you! After a vigorous warm-up of pirate- and lovetrails-themed games, we set off to the Down to Earth project - a social enterprise that helps people to bring about positive change in their lives through meaningful outdoor activity.
On the way there, we stopped at Arthur's Stone for a dramatic reenactment of the Lion King and to take some photos of the stunning scenery. We soon had to stop again due to horses on the path. Many of them had foals, which were really sweet, but made us nervous about going too near them. Eventually the horses moved on allowing us past and we arrived at Down to Earth.
Once there we were welcomed with squash and biscuits and given a little introduction to the work Down to Earth does. They aim to make a positive difference in people's lives through sustainable construction, outdoor adventures and merging innovation in healthcare delivery with innovation in education. Inside the building were plaques made by groups of young people about their experiences at Down to Earth - it was moving to read about the incredible positive changes these young people had achieved through their engagement with the project. We split into four groups and were tasked with gardening, sawing, sorting timber and moving parts of houses. It was hard work in the hot sun, but many hands made light of it and we achieved an incredible amount working together. After a group photo outside the main building, we were off back to the festival.
We took a different route back, pausing on top of a hill for another great view of beautiful Gower. Ben stood on the trig point valiantly fighting off territorial wasps whilst taking photos of the group. The run back was fun, lots of down hill and some lovely shady woodland. We arrived back at the festival in time for a hearty lunch and having made new friends and done some good.
Tue 9th Jul 2019 at 7:39am
Great run and awesome project. Thank you Ben 😊
Tue 9th Jul 2019 at 6:33pm
I second that! I want to return to Down to Earth as soon as I get the opportunity. Thank you Ben for the introduction :)
Thu 11th Jul 2019 at 10:18am
Great job everyone, it looked like a really rewarding task!
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