A fresh and frosty Saturday morning welcomed two GoodGymers to Holbrooks Park for a spot of pre-Parkrun litter picking. The sun had just started to peek over the horizon and, thankfully, the continuous rain of the previous few days had abated. Alas, the dry spell had not been long enough to allow the ground to dry out and, in places, a decent set of waders would not have gone amiss.

It was apparent that the residents of Holbrooks had been out in force to celebrate New Year's Eve as the park was littered in the remnants of fireworks, sparklers, vodka bottles and beer cans. We could easily spend days clearing all the litter in Holbrooks Park, but in the hour and a bit available to us we managed two large bags. We also reached the furthest we'd managed to date, making it all the way to Boggy Corner! It would be great to get a larger team of volunteers along in future to give this valuable green space the attention it needs.

With as much litter cleared as possible, Laura had to depart for other commitments while Allan stayed to run (wade) Holbrooks Parkrun. Once the tail walker had crossed the finish line, Allan set off on an additional lap of the park to ensure all signs, posts, tape and cones had been gathered in (especially that pesky "Caution Runners" sign which is always hiding at the furthest point of the park) and packed away, ready for next week.

Holbrooks Parkrun is a really enjoyable fledgling Parkrun with a friendly, close-knit core team. It's proving to be a firm favourite for locals and Parkrun tourists alike. They're always on the lookout for volunteers each week so please check out https://www.parkrun.org.uk/holbrooks/futureroster/ if you are able to help out in future.

Despite the rather unsavory weather and widespread cancellations across the country, four hardy GoodGymers braved the conditions to clear as much litter as possible prior to the start of Holbrooks Parkrun. This proved to be quite a challenge in the driving rain!

I addition to litter picking, we also helped the course checking team to identify areas that might be hazardous. The majority of Holbrooks Parkrun is on the grass, so there was no chance of avoiding a mud bath. However, with the really swampy areas coned off and a few minor diversions in place, the event was given the green light to go ahead.

Chris and Claire joined the tail walkers, while Allan stuck around until the end for close down.

The highlight of the day was the milestone celebrations for two members of the core team. Steve was celebrating his 500th Parkrun, while Tim was celebrating his 100th volunteering role. It was lovely of them to treat our little band of cold, wet, muddy GoodGymers with delicious cakes and fresh coffee.

Once everything was packed away (or so we thought...) we returned to the car to change into dry clothes and head to the cafe for brunch. However, we were flagged down by a kind gentleman who informed us that we'd missed a sign at the furthest possible end of the park. A quick trot and a few extra kilometers later, everything was back where it should have been.

Bright and early on Saturday morning, three GoodGymers made their way to Holbrooks Park to clear litter before Parkrun and help with the volunteer roles.

Laura, Vic and Allan set to work with the pickers, trying to differentiate between fallen leaves and litter. There was the usual mix of cans, bottles, disposable vapes, crisp packets, sweet wrappers, etc. By far the biggest haul to be had was inside the skate park and once we had cleared around the edges, one of us had to venture down into the bowl to clear out the debris. Getting down there wasn't an issue but getting back up, on the other hand... Let's just say it wasn't my most graceful moment!

With as much litter as possible cleared, it was time for the volunteer briefing. Laura took up her post as marshal, while Allan and Vic lined up for the start.

With the run completed and after a bit of assistance with barcode scanning, it was time to close down the event for another week and retire to Food @ Whitehalls for a post-Parkun breakfast.

It takes a special kind of person to wake up early on a dark, damp and cold Saturday morning in November, but never the less, four GoodGymers arrived bright(ish) and early at Holbrooks Park to clear as much litter as possible before Parkrun. The rain was persistent and the ground wet and muddy. It didn't take long for our trainers to become saturated, although we had come prepared with multiple warm, waterproof layers.

Allan and James got to work with the pickers, while Chris and Claire collected the finds in bin bags. It's always fun to see what unusual litter you can find and amongst the finds were numerous fireworks, some quite quite sizeable! It would also appear that the drink of choice in the local area is Chekhov vodka, as we certainly found copious empty bottles of it. Not forgetting my personal bugbear... disposable vapes! (Grrrrrr...)

With as much litter picked as possible in the time available, we then made our way to the volunteer briefing where Chris and Claire donned blue 'Park Walker' bibs, James donned a pink bib over his existing hi-viz jacket (making him ultra-viz!), ready to barcode scan and Allan lined up on the start, ready to leg it round the course and pick up scanning and close down duties after finishing.

With Holbrooks Parkrun closed down for another week, James made his way to his next community mission while Allan, Chris and Claire had a much needed hot drink and breakfast at Food @ Whitehalls.

Holbrooks Parkrun have expressed their gratitude to GoodGym for their support with the events and always welcome volunteers. We'll be back there again in early December, but you can always help them out at any of their events. Check out www.parkrun.org.uk/holbrooks/futureroster/ to find upcoming volunteering opportunities.

A bright and early morning saw one GoodGymmer arrive at Holbrooks Parkrun to help clear the course of litter and to supplement the volunteer numbers of this fledgling Parkrun.

My plan was to walk one lap of the course, clearing litter as I went. However, with the recent warm weather, it was apparent that some residents of Holbrooks had been working hard to keep their local off-licence in business! I'd barely made it beyond the starting area before I had to turn back and get a new rubbish sack, as the weight of beer and vodka bottles had become too heavy to carry. Thankfully, the core team had started litter picking at the top of the course and we met in the middle. The course was now ready for the arrival of the Parkrunners.

With Kenilworth Half Marathon scheduled for the following morning, it made sense to volunteer as Tail Walker. I've never been at the back of a Parkrun before, but it was nice to take a leisurely walk in the sunshine, chatting with the other walkers and cheering on the faster runners as they flashed past us.

It's my aim to make volunteering at Holbrooks Parkrun a monthly event and I would certainly welcome more members of GoodGym to help out. The core team have set up a nice, friendly Parkrun which has a positive impact on the local area. Engagement with the local community has been strong and the numbers are steadily growing. None of this would be possible without an army of Hi-Viz heroes though, so please consider helping out at future events. You can find available volunteer roles at: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/holbrooks/futureroster/

On Saturday morning, one GoodGymer turned up bright and early to run and help support Holbrooks Parkrun.

Holbrooks Parkrun emerged as Coventry's best kept secret after last week's inaugural event. Now the word was out, the crowds had increased dramatically from 30 runners for the inaugural event to 99 for this week's event.

My first impression, when I arrived at Holbrooks Park, was that it is a lovely green space but alas some users do not cherish this hidden gem as much as they should. A warm Friday evening had brought out the crowds, some of whom were seemingly incapable of using the bins provided. Becky from the Holbrooks core team did an amazing job at clearing the litter, ready for the start. However, she was really keen to make an arrangement for regular litter picks by Coventry GoodGym. These will be listed as future sessions, so watch this space!

Tim, the Run Director, commenced the run brief just before 9am, after which we all headed to the start. I was joined by fellow GoodGymers, Victoria Hill and Lilian Daniels, but, as I had barcode scanning to do, I had to put the hammer down and get across the line in time to be useful! Still panting, I donned hi-viz and tokens bucket and helped scan in the rest of the runners. Once the work was complete, it was off to 'Food@Whitehalls' for a cuppa and breakfast.

The Holbrooks core team have set up a very well organised event here. Despite the surge in attendees, everything was slick and well managed. The course was mostly flat, albeit with a few interesting undulations and a mix of tarmac paths and grass. It could be a little more challenging in wet weather, so if you are considering running it in future you might want to consider shoe choice around the weather conditions. One thing is certain, there is no shortage of volunteer roles available, so please consider signing up for future events (https://www.parkrun.org.uk/holbrooks/futureroster/) and watch this space for upcoming regular sessions.