Eight amazing runners correctly predicted there would be no rain and joined me in Brent to help NW2 Residents Association with some mega weeding and ran over 3km!

We said a big GGB welcome to Lisa, Sula and Vinay who joined goodgym for the first time. So great to have you with us! And welcomed back an Brent veteran, Sadhana joining for her first run in over two years after injury! Welcome back!

After a quick intro we split into a running group with me and a walking group with Liz! The walkers set off and we took a slightly different route which immediately put is in the path of a caterpillar that was clearly lost! Lisa carefully helped it out of harms way and we were off again!

Reaching our destination we saw Marie and her team on a traffic island on the busy Cricklewood Broadway! Surely nine of us weren't all going to be working there? And we weren't!

Marie led us off on to the pavement and then showed us the areas that needed chopping back, weeding and litter picking. We were sooned joined by the walking group and so everyone dived in! Some of the weeds were hugely overgrown and there was so much litter in there too! We remarked on what a difference it makes between different local authorities as the main road is the dividing line and one was so much more looked after than the other.

After a good 25 minutes of hard work it was time to stop with the NW2 volunteers, the Cricklewood Baptist church volunteers and our group we had made a huge difference! We weren't able to finish everything off but I am sure we will be back!

We posed for a group photo and then split again, this time Liz took the runners and I went with the walking group and before we knew it we were stretched, back at base and ready for home.

Thanks everyone and see you next week - I am just finalising details but we should be off to Clitterhouse Farmhouse for some more weeding work!

See you then,
Pritesh

On a deceptively warm July evening, Claire was greeted by new runner Rachel and Barnett tourist (and soon to be GG olympic rival) Rob watching the tennis, soon to be joined by another first-time GoodGymer, Indranil, Thenuka, Pete, Marcos, Liz, and last but not least, Samina. Claire gave everyone a briefing, explaining that Pritesh was having a rest after going to the legendary Glastonbury festival at the weekend so she was taking the reins temporary. After a quick warm up, we headed down to Queens Park Garden, a good 4km run each way. We got there after a couple of minor detours (thanks Pete for getting us back on track again!) and a brief squats session (thanks Rob for motivating us!), while Liz and Rachel walked to the task and joined us a few minutes later. We were greeted by two Queens Park Garden volunteers who had all the tools prepped, we quickly split into groups as there was lots to do. Pete and Rob rose to the occasion and got stuck into some dead-heading, Samina and Thenuka blitzed the litter picking, Marcos, Indranil and Rachel took care of watering the thirsty new bedding plants, and Liz and Claire did some weeding. The time shot past, and it was soon time for a final group photo and to head back up the hill to the Queensbury, with Claire and Rachel forming the walking group on the way back for a pint of lime and soda...

And what better way for the newest arrivals to GoodGym Brent to get settled in than to come to the first ever Brent-hosted social this Thursday evening at Bokor on Kilburn High Road...? Just throwing it out there, hope you can make it!

Thanks for your amazing gardening and running tonight, love and light until next time :)