Smoothie Apparatus

A super enthusiastic and pumped up posse of 35+ runners descended on the Honor Oak Adventure Playground to blitz it, with some colourful painting, some tough mowing, some mighty weeding and a whole load of TLC.

This was a mission like no other. Runners gathered from all areas of London, homing on our little corner of the South East, hunting high and low for the hidden gem that is the Honor Oak Adventure Playground. GoodGym Lewisham have shown some love to the site in previous weeks, shifting wood and tackling brambles, but this week, with the help of Savse, we had the opportunity to really get stuck in and give the area a little (a lot?) more attention and get right on top of everything that needed doing.

We gathered at the front of the playground, with preferences for paint or mow being expressed and little teams being selected to take on each area. It's not usual on a mission to have a trainer present, so warm-ups and name-checks are not always a focus, but this one was different...so we all went a for a bit of a play, well we needed to explore the site and get to know what we were dealing with! Swings were swung, apparatus were scaled, balance bars were, erm, balanced on and rope walkways were walked and everyone felt a little bit warmer.

It's amazing how fast adults will jump at the chance of a play

A whistle was blown to signify the end of playtime (awwwww!) and we attempted to make a circle to do a head-count (watch that lawnmower!). We warmed up a little, looking at good bending and lifting practice and geared ourselves up to set-to with our mission. We heard a bit about coach running and new-comers were invited to chat to the many regulars present, many of whom visit an isolated older person each week. Once we'd got to know each other a bit better with another game, it was time to take our positions, arm ourselves with tools and get stuck in.

Team Snake

The entrance to the playground is up a slope, decorated with a faded snake. Team Snake took on the challenge of brightening him up and making the entrance more welcoming.

Team Mower

These tough cookies decided they were brave enough to attempt a go at the overgrown grass with the fleet of eight lawn mowers. Goggles were put on, health and safety was covered and there was a quiet moment when we realised we didn't actually know how the start them. Erm. A few spins of the motors and they were off, scaling the banks and firing up glutes, wandering into the unknown terrain of The Far End.

Team Rake and Gather

An important sub-section of Team Mower, these runners cut, hacked, sawed, raked, scooped and gathered any area where the mowers couldn't reach. Fierce brambles and nettles were whacked into submission and a brand new compost heap was created, to avoid the need to dump green waste in the bins. Result!

Team Steps

The steps that lead out and up into the adventure area were once bright and colourful, but the paint was peeling and all looked slightly dull. This was the perfect job for Team Steps, who put glorious pastel to mark out each step, assisted by a group of young women who regularly use this space to socialise - thanks for joining in girls!

Team Upright

'There, those upright bits, the ones that have no colour, there, look!' Eventually Team Upright got the idea and positioned themselves somewhat precariously at times, reaching out and over, hanging on ledges and delicately placing hands through tiny gaps, to reach round to the unpainted upright struts of the higher ramps. Amazingly, they added colour to nooks and crannies that seemed previously unreachable.

Team Royal

With little time left, a team formed from those who had completed one task area and were hungry for more. Off they went, into The Far End and got busy with the paint on three very regal-looking seats. We really hadn't envisaged completing one, let alone all three of the thrones, so epic work, Team Royal!

As tasks were completed, runners moved around the space, feeling awesome enough to start something new, with just minutes to spare. Time was counting down and a sense of urgency ensued. Paint pots and tools were gathered and workers were encouraged to stop...but brushes kept on brushing...mowers kept on mowing...come on, time to stop!

Five minutes!

You should have seen the smiles on those faces, as we all regrouped and had a well-earned drink and fruit (thank you Linda for the fruit!). We stretched now, shoulders and necks in particular feeling the strain and, just as we went into a hushed silence, Patrick's tunes worked their magic (well, strictly speaking it was Heather Small, but you know). What have you done today to make you feel proud? We looked around, took a step back and there it was. Amazing work. We took a group photo and in the background 'Heroes' played on. Yup.