As I promised at cool down, I shall start this report by saying I just could not believe how hard my group is prepared to work - both on task and on the fitness session.

I have looked forward to this one ever since I missed out on that dark freezing night when you mulched the Larches.

Tonight was more of the same, but this time in the light so we could see what we were doing and could appreciate the lovely surroundings.

We set off at six with me at the lead and Jim back marking - advance party (Mel) had set off for a walk about 20 minutes before.

We welcomed Serena to her second run - she is the first of our members who comes straight from from work and needs to use the changing facilities at the DMU and it was great to prove that the process works ie DMU will provide a locker key to GG runners to change and leave stuff securely - good to know.

We also welcomed back Sam who has been off doing other stuff for a few weeks but she always promised to be back and here she was. Sam is well known in the Leicester running community and has been a great ambassador for GG - very pleased to have you back with us Sam.

Arriving at Saffron Acres after a 4k jog at a nice easy pace there was the small matter of cracking the code lock on the security gate - I struggled for a few minutes then decided to hand over to "fingers" Mitchinson who sorted it in seconds. Come to think of it, did they ever catch that 5th member of the Hatton Gardens team????

We found our tools and with Michaela leading the way with a barrow full of spades we checked out the mulch pile - half the group "Team Mulch" stayed by the larches and made nice little bark donuts round each sapling to keep the roots moist and the weeds down. The rest "Team Logs" went further up the track to shift some very heavy logs out of the long grass so that it could be mown.

Stu concluded that they were offcuts from the Arc judging on how long they had lain there, they were not so much heavy but more a case burying themselves into the undergrowth. On first sight it looked an impossible job but GG Leicester were not to be beaten. Some of the grunts and screams of effort would have easily graced the shot putt circle on the Gold Coast, particularly from the direction of Jim and Sam who appeared to be trying to out grunt each other. Rachel and Serena worked efficiently together to loosen then roll away some mighty timbers and as we manhandled one particularly large piece, an eagle eyed member spotted a little frog who had been seeking cover in the shade. Careful not to squash him Jim saw him off to safety. Before we knew it all logs had been moved and no frogs harmed in the process.

Team Mulch had also done a great job - must have been 50 or more trees mulched, no one can say we dont make a difference.

For the fitness session it was a Fartlek with a difference. Runners were asked to pick a number between 20 and 90 - when I called their name they shouted their number and that was the number of seconds they had to run hard before turning back to regroup - people who had chosen low numbers were suddenly very popular but Frank and Jen - 55 and 75..... not so much!!!

Once again lots of hard effort and great bit of banter and rivalry between Jim and Frank.

I am blessed with a lovely group of people at GG Leicester - this was our best turn out to date this year and long may it continue.

Well Done All

Biggest turn out of the year so far and oh what joy to start and finish in the light - dry and not freezing cold, has spring really arrived?

We welcomed new member Serena to the group, she and I had a good chat on the 3k ish jog to our picking site. It was a model GoodGym run tonight, everyone in pairs chatting away.

Up along the Great Central Way, through the posh flats and out onto the canal, Stu initiated a snake down the disabled ramp and roundly berated the leader for short cutting down the steps.

We made our way down stream to the bridge at Bede Park where Mel met up with us. We divided into two teams and chose a side. Team Lindsay picked right as it turned out to be much scruffier their way. Stu seemed to be a litter magnet and definitely won the award for the biggest bag of rubbish.

At times it was difficult to see the teams as they were burrowed deep into the undergrowth striving to get that last juicy bit of litter. I managed to rescue a full size traffic cone from the embankment which would have made a great megaphone for calling everyone back together had it not been too heavy to lift.

Once again, in just 30 short minutes we had filled several bags with litter.

After a quick warm up of 3 circuits of the ramp from the river to the road we headed for Bede Park to check out the outdoor Gym.

We spent about 15 minutes in pairs using the various exercise machines, a lot of the time the chuckle muscle was the one receiving the most exercise. There was a look of puzzlement on the face of the few youths who were also using the park. When Jim sparked up with his rendition of "The wheels on the bus" I knew that we had lost the plot for tonight!! - Seriously though, in between the laughter everyone had a real good go at the machines, I think Stu would have been quite happy for another circuit as he and Frank seemed to be having a whale of a time.

We finished up with a warm down jog of Bede Park then Mel suggested an impromptu litter pick on the way back to base. We got an idea for a new game for future weeks, working in teams to rescue discarded cans with litter pickers from the wrong side of the fence - should be a laugh, I will have to sort out some prizes !!!