28 Goodgymers ran 3-5k to help Age UK Camden and The Listening Space!

Welcome along to newbie - Hiren whose first time it was last night!

In the news this week:

1. Come along to the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at the American International Church on Tuesday 30th April for all our hard work making beds for the homeless.
2. Team Track is back - Kat Kelly will be leading sessions at Regents Park Track at 6.30pm on Thursdays over Spring and Summer - go along!
3. Some of us are going to do Regents Park 10k on 2nd June - you should should join!

The Listening Space:

17 of us headed up to Kentish Town to help the wonderful Listening Space. This is a wonderful organisation that helps patients of the Caversham GPS Surgery integrate into the community through gardening, craft and other groups. A big part of this is using the back garden.

Our task continuing from two tasks was to wheelbarrow soil, mulch and mushroom compost from outside the centre through a small narrow corridor into the back garden which is then put in the right place.

Mmmmm cake

We split into teams having people shovelling, spreading and moving the good stuff to the needed areas. Over 30 minutes we finished off the mushroom compost and made a significant inroad in the other stuff.

Just after 8pm we were finished - nice! We ate cake, took a group photo and run home, which included a quick lap of the Crick!

Age UK Camden Report by Katie:

After a swift jog through bustling Kings Cross, we came to the secret garden that is looked after by Age UK, which seemed a lovely peaceful haven once we’d woven our way there amid the chaos of commuters!

There was just one task to be completed this evening: move two rather large piles of earth from the flower beds across the garden to form one new super pile! This was part of the preparation for new flowers beds, so a vital if not very varied challenge.

Working the graveyard shift

After some ‘ground-breaking’ (literally) research was conducted, we concluded that the best way to break up and move the hardened soil was a combo of spades, trowels, mallets and team work and so we got to it. We rotated tools and manoeuvred effectively with some added wheelbarrow sound effects to increase health and safety around reversing in tight spaces, and soon got most of it shifted. All the while having some lovely conversations, most of which, it has to be said revolved around food. It’s hungry work, moving the earth!

In an ‘earth-shattering’ finale, the whole team picked up the last of the soil in its own tarpaulin, revealing some interesting plant life that was pulled out of its plastic prison. Hurrah!

Job done, we had some good wholesome fun running around Granary Square to round off a lovely down to earth evening.

Next week we are off to help Antrim Allotments - sign up here!

PB out