All that Litters is not Gold

Following a torrential downpour (or two) 12 determined runners covered 8km of running and a whole swathe of weeding, to make Goldsmith's Community Centre look even lovelier on what turned out to be a beautiful evening.

We were very lucky. The rain poured down at about 3pm for quite some time but, by the time we got to our task, this dampness had lifted and had actually made it easier to get our teeth (not literally, we're not that dedicated!) into those weeds. First of all though, we said a big Lewisham hello to Gemma, the trainer for the soon-to-launch GoodGym Hounslow. Gemma was visiting to see how we do things in the South East and to get a feel for the weekly group run. Remember, alongside group runs, you can also be paired with an isolated older person, which Roni is all set to begin later in the week - we look forward to hearing about this soon!

Out on the grass, we counted our heads and checked our names before trying a new game, called 'shoulders, knees and toes' (I decided to leave out heads, far too much potential for bashing and crashing). Running around, covering the space, when 'shoulders!' was called out, runners found the nearest person (or persons) and touched shoulders...and so on. Being short, I found it tricky reaching the higher knees of Gemma; anyone know where I get hold of some platform running shoes? We did a bit more warming up and headed out along Molesworth Street towards Hither Green, with Gemma back-marking in good company.

It's been a long time since we went this way, with the last time being dark, cold and brisk. What a treat being able to saunter in the warmth, taking in the sights of Hither Green, Catford and Downham. One benefit of the darker run was not really being aware of how very long some of these roads are, but we persisted, chatting away and, before we knew it, we were there, skipping down the path to meet Elwood and Brian. The garden really looked lovely and those people who had been here before were surprised to find such a wonderful outdoor space, having spent our last visit focusing hard on door frames and skirting boards!

Elwood quickly set to, pointing groups of people towards different jobs, some tackling the moss and grass between the paving slabs and others pulling up weeds around the boundary fence, clearing long grasses under benches and picking up litter (whilst avoiding all the slugs and snails that had made an appearance). As everyone got stuck in, I was able to check out the work that has gone on inside the building since we were last here. What a difference! Doors look fresh and clean, skirting boards are now neat and bright and there are even brand new fire doors. It's great to hear about everything that's happening and due to happen in the building and to see such good progress being made in this incredible community hub.

As our run was longer than usual, time was tight and passed far too quickly. We counted down, as another slab was weeded, Lucy showed her skill with a very nifty patio brush, our litter pickers grabbed the last bits of stray rubbish and shovels were piled with leaves and weeds before the tools were returned to the store. It would be great to have longer to work, but we had to leave, so will return in a few weeks and finish off that path and get on top of any other projects that might need our attention.

Brian pointed out that our return was down hill, which was met with a sea of happy faces, it certainly feels easier running back! We talked a bit about races as we ran (well done to Dave on his first parkrun at the weekend!), with our October 10k at Petts Wood being mentioned - we have a few people signed up now, so it should be fun. We reached our start point with just enough time to complete a few rounds of front and side planks, which led nicely into some ground-based stretching for those well-worked glutes and lower backs. We wished Gemma well with GoodGym Hounslow and had a quick nod of agreement to the suggestion of a social next Friday at Model Market...nice and early 'so we don't have to pay to get in', fancy it?