Tuesday 30th October 2018
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Report written by Katie Welford
T'was the night before Halloween so Lambeth had a special Trick or Treat run in store. First up was a party popper celebration for Dawn, who hit her 50th run and a Shit Prize of the Month for Emma for completing no less than 10 good deeds in October so far!
We had two tasks this evening, the first was a 6km round trip to help the Friends of Ruskin Park. They have a patch of land that is used to sow winter wheat, that gets sent over to Brixton Windmill for milling and turning into flour. What amazing things we find on our GG travels! Apparently last year two Shire Horses were used to plough the ground but austerity has hit and they have had to make do with a bunch of GoodGymers turning the soil with our fair hands. Setting about the task with energy and verve, we had turned the majority of the grassy area in 30 minutes, ahead of their sowing session at the weekend. Along the way, runners dipped into the Trick or Treat bag and took part in the various challenges and sweet eating they entailed.
The second group did the 8km round trip to the Portico Gallery in West Norwood. Here's what Tom H had to say about it: 11 runners made their way up to the Portico gallery, where they were met by John and Methuselah - who had appropriately for the season come as an actual black cat. John told us he’d been struggling to come up with stuff for us to do, before eventually noticing his windows could probably use a spruce.
We went old school for this one; using buckets of vinegar and rags to get the job done. Special praise to Rebecca Weir for fashioning an extension window wiper from a broom in order to reach the otherwise unreachable windows across the koi pond.
The inescapably strong vinegary aromas seemed to put everyone in the mood for Fish & Chips or in some cases… Pickled Eggs (?). With all the windows cleaned and nobody having fallen in the pond, we decided that the task was a success and our work for the night was done.
Surviving Katie’s tricks by way of some scary squats and murderous mountain climbers, we also ate our way through some chocolatey treats before making our way back to base.
On arrival back at base we were all delighted to take part in the final challenge - eating a massive cake brought in by David as part of GBBO's Vegan Week. It was a true delight, impossible to eat due to the massive size and very gooey icing and generally meant that noone needed any dinner that evening. The wind was taken from our sails somewhat when David said he had got his pastry chef to make it as he was busy that day. So really we must relay our thanks to this anonymous baker who really did cook up a storm.
The Portico Gallery is a sprawling space that offers everything from yoga to art and pottery classes as well as running monthly music nights and the famous Feast market. The space supports many community groups, including those on low incomes, asylum seekers and other vulnerable people.
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