Whether it was April showers, the solar eclipse or the dark clouds of Storm Katherine , it was a very dark and wet 'Second Monday of the month Group Run' session in April to Buccleuch Gardens in Richmond. A lively 2km there before the skies broke and a more direct route back when we were soggy!

Steph's celebratory 250 good deeds cape (achieved in under a year!), doubled as a poncho as he headed out into the rain and battled through the dense shrubbery at the back of the Gardens to collect litter. In the gloomy light, black clad and caped, our CCL superhero looked like he might have stepped from a Batman film or a Gothic novel. Except for the big smile, the running socks and the sod-the-rain attitude, which were pure GoodGym. Congratulations on an amazing achievement.

More brave souls (including Vix,on her first mission, showing she’s got the same chutzpah and can-do attitude) braved the rain to help with litter picking, bagging huge quantities of green waste, relocating daffodils and building a second (and brilliantly constructed) twig and branch barricade.

Others worked in the Arcade to strengthen the legs of our willow-withy plant supports, making them ready to support our summer annuals.

Because of the weird gloom, the rain and the time running 🏃🏽‍♂️ away, we didn’t manage to do any planting or seed-sewing before heading back to the Tap Tavern for our monthly social and a chance to dry off!

If you like gardening or want to help out, look out for some extra GG Richmond Buccleuch Gardens Community Missions over next couple of weeks or sign up for our next second Monday Group Run on 13 May.