Digging in the rain, just digging in the rain

Once you're wet, you're wet!

It has rained on and off alllllllllll day- classic Bank Holiday weather. As you can see by the photo of Evan, it didn't stop the Bank Holiday picnic going ahead and 6 GoodGymers braved the elements to play frisbee in Jesmond Dene where Evan also brought along a half-rolled Swiss roll that looked like a baby. I must have checked my phone a hundred times today waiting for the forecast to improve, or for the task to be cancelled but the rain stayed, and so did the task so it was Plan A and all systems GO!

We were so lucky to be joined by GoodGym tourist Jo who's a regular face at GoodGym Portsmouth a born and bred Geordie who now lives in the south, Jo was visiting her family for Bank Holiday and used the opportunity to do both a Community Mission yesterday and the group run tonight. Proper dedication or what?! As it was a longer run this evening we had a very brief intro before heading out into the great Bank Holiday Monsoon of the Toon.

Routemaster Pro Paul was back at the group tonight - yay!- and we had a brand new route to keep us occupied as we battled the rain out on our almost 5K route to Gateshead. The task tonight was at Felling Park which is just behind the Age UK Dementia Hub where we have helped out a few times this year. We'd been asked a while ago to help out the Friends of Felling Park, a group of volunteers who regularly help out with maintaining gardening tasks in the huge park. Carol Anne had arranged this for us, and Pete the task owner said he'd love to have us along regularly so we were ready to impress! Well done Carol Anne for hooking this one up. As with so many of our great tasks, this was at a park I didn't even know existed before tonight.

Our task this evening was simple but important: dig and turn the flower beds over, take the weeds out and prepare them ready for a visit by 60 school children who are going to the park on a trip next week to plant flowers (hopefully when it's drier!) Pete was super-prepared, with tools ready and waiting for us in one of the best organised tool sheds we've ever seen. We did our best to ignore the rain and crack on with the job, getting muddy too, to add to the glamour! Pete was so impressed with what we got done in just 25 minutes and said we'd be welcome back at any of the future volunteer days as well as at another task.

Result!

We kept a brilliant pace back to Hotel Indigo and I was so impressed to learn it was Gwyneth's longest run to date so far. Pop along to her [profile] and give her a cheer- she smashed it! Unsurprisingly as we were half-drowned there was no after-run social as we dashed off in favour of hot baths and central heating instead. I am so impressed with the energy and dedication from everyone tonight- check out the trophy in the Group Photo which was obviously for Worst Task Conditions Ever, and yet we all kept smiling.

There's a Community Mission tomorrow evening led by Andrew. While this task meets at Hotel Indigo, please note it isn't a Group Run and therefore we won't have access to the usual facilities. Please arrive ready to run if you are taking part.

I'm still waiting for some details to be confirmed ahead of our first Group Run with Sustrans next week so I will update you in this week's email.

Have a great week- hopefully the rain, rain will go away!

Anji x