Forking well, we got to the root of the problem

The impending dusk and the threat of more rain drove us to meet inside the Bridge House; it's official, summer is over.

A fabulous five headed through the back streets of Penge to Cator Park, where Bradley was waiting to surprise us. We headed into to the dark park, looking for Millie and her team who weren't immediately visible. A quick lap soon brought them into view, resplendent in their orange high-vis vests. We set to work raking the leaves and forking over a sad looking flower bed, whilst David and Reece tackled a stubborn unwanted plant which was shrub-like in his size and root depth. Much frustration and fork wiggling later, a triumphant Reece held it aloft.

It was fully dark by this point, so we were very thankful for the lights and head torches that Adele had kindly provided. Bradley looked menacing whilst leaning on his hoe in his all black running kit, looking rather like the Grim Reaper. Adding to the eerie atmosphere, a barking dog appeared nearby, only their red eyes and red lit collar visible.

Task complete, we headed back through the park, stamping our feet as we tried to dislodge the mud from our trainers. We took a quick diversion into the park near our end point to do a round of tricep dips, press-ups and squat jumps, before heading back to stretch.

For those that fancy a weekend community mission, GoodGym Croydon are taking over Bethlem Royal parkrun, one of the newer runs in our area. Even more local, it is Pengefest on Saturday and the organisers would be really grateful for some help setting up the gazebos. Sign up here.

Next week is a new task, we are heading up to Upper Norwood Methodist Church for what may be our last outdoor task of the year. Sign up here