It was chilly, it was dark, it was January but was it blue? Hell, NO.

Last night’s escapades in the Best Borough in the World proved one thing: January blues can be banished with banter, vegetable beds and Basil the dog.

A good-sized group of runners gathered at our gorgeous meeting location, the Town Hall Hotel, to chat and warm-up together.

Town Hall Hotel??

Yep, we can’t imagine a better meeting spot than the Town Hall Hotel. The warmth of the lobby is rivalled only by the warmth of the welcome we receive every week from hotel staff.

So once bags were stored securely and loos used, we proceeded to spend a few minutes posing for pics on those lovely hotel steps, before making our way through a hip-and-thigh mobility warm up, as requested by Task Force member Emma.

Led by Task Force pro Chris, we then ran the short distance to the Hollybush Estate down bustling Cambridge Heath Road, where we met Margaret and Basil The Dog for a fill briefing for this evening’s tasks.

The Task

Runners were divided into multiple teams, a large team at the back of the park cutting back and chopping all sorts of climbing greenery and lethal thorny bits, while other smaller teams worked on vegetable beds at the front of the gardens, helping keep them in decent shape for several of the residents who currently need a hand to maintain them.

It was focused work, and it was sociable, but boy, was it cold. But did the team complain? Absolutely not. On they cut, tackling as many weeds and as much overgrowth as they could in that short hour. (They even managed to squeeze in a little dog-walking as Emma proceeded to take Basil a short walk ‘round the block to stretch his legs, offering him a little late night canine cardio).

And then it was 8 and time for that all-important group pic, before we headed out into the night, some on foot, some on cycle, and some running back to the hotel to gather belongings and change.

It was lovely. It was the perfect antidote to mid-winter fatigue and it left us excited for the next episode.

Next week

...we return to Mile End Park, for bulb-planting with the brilliant John.

Until then.