Last night's session might have been low on mileage, but it was super high on impact!

We had planned to do a plog and litter pick in the local area. I had done a pre session run to check out the places most affected by rubbish which involved a route of a few kilometers. But even the best laid plans are subject to change, as we soon found out after stopping for our first pick.

After a five minute run we found that the situation was worse than we thought, and the area was crammed full of discarded bottles, wrappers, cig packs and vape cartridges. Not only is this an environmental hazard but it is not pleasant for local people and wildlife. So after some local insider knowledge from Annabel and Dave (who were also the winners of last night's quiz question of the week, correctly identifying how many London boroughs there are), there was a quick pitstop at the library to pick up recycling bags, before we got to work with our litter pickers.

We did our best to clear the area, carefully sorting out what was recyclable and what was not and dividing it up into bags. However, after a spot inspection by Sophie, who helpfully works in sustainability, it turns out some of us (me) needed to be more picky with pickers! We also discussed how frustrating it is that every borough has different recycling parameters, and whether or not litter pickers themselves could be recycled.

After moving onto another polluted spot and collecting several bags absolutely brimming with rubbish, we realised that time was ticking on and we didn't have time for our fitness session. A win for the environment, a fail for my time management skills.

We still had the run back to base, but it soon emerged that the final challenge was tearing Sophie away from the remaining litter. 'Just one more can...ok, maybe more than one..' Great work everybody! Next week, double fitness, I promise.

We're off to give our GG garden a good going over, plus a bit of extra weeding at Omnibus next week. Hope to see you there!