We had one big challenge last night, as a community space which has been locked since before the pandemic has finally got the green light to be opened up again. Luckily we had a group of GGers willing to brave the impending rain, and we also got to welcome two new faces to the group. Give a big cheer to Jasmin and Isabel, who came along to their first session. Great to meet you!

After a warm up, we took the short run down to Doddington to check out the state of the space we were were to be working on that evening. We had helped local residents work hard to clear the garden in 2019 and open the area again for community use. Unfortunately it wasn't able to happen and has since become overgrown with vegetation. The outdoor furniture and play space have become dilapidated and dangerous.

A voluntary organisation, s.labs, is leading a project to bring this space back into community use this summer - and asked us to be involved! s.labs' mission is to deliver more social and sustainable spaces for everyday communities to thrive. They believe in spatial justice, but have a lot of work ahead of them to make the space usable again. Lydia, who volunteers for S.labs and is also a local resident, asked us to come down and tackle the first steps.

So without wasting any time we got started on the first job - litter picking. It didn't take long to collect several dozen bags full to the brim with trash, so we then moved on to sweeping away debris, pulling up weeds and cutting back brambles.

It was pretty amazing to see the big change that can happen in just an hour with so many pairs of eager hands and a playlist to keep us motivated! It's going to be really exciting to see the changes that are going to happen over the next few months - watch this space...

On the way back to base we stopped for four different fitness stations, each working on a different area. First it was planks for core, followed by wall sits for quads and glutes, then the finishers - toe taps for balance and cardio and the final hill sprint for strength and endurance! We were even treated to a beautiful rainbow at the end of the run as our reward.

Incredible effort from everybody! There are a few things to shout about coming up and I'd love to see you there. This Saturday morning we have a nice little mission helping to tame a small community garden. We also have our regular session helping deliver food for vulnerable people on Sunday. Next weekend we will be doing Clapham parkrun together - running or volunteering - followed by a coffee and optional task at the GG garden. Whether its helping local organisations, running or socializing, there is something for everybody coming up!