Wednesday 17th January 2024
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Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
With the mercury dropping below zero, we had to put some mitigations in place last night to make sure nobody succumbed to frostbite throughout the course of evening.
The first step was meeting in the comfycosy town hall, which was a good place to get toasty before facing the cold. We had some lovely faces back with us after a little time away, which made it even harder to face the chill as there was so much catching up to be done!
After a short but intense warm up we headed off at a brisk pace for our task at Cultivate. After about a mile we arrived to find Romina at their new site, a flourishing set of plots used by the local community.
It wasn't just the sub zero temperatures that were putting our fingers and toes at risk last night. As Romina led us down through the allotments to the spot where the slabs lived, we realised just what a big challenge lay before us. Not only did the slabs look very settled where they lay, with weeds holding the pieces firmly in place, but they were pretty substantial too. With a discussion about how to avoid any tumbles whilst transporting them, we began using the tools to manoeuvre them out and into a wheelbarrow.
What at first looked impossible was soon happening at a rate of knots. No sooner had somebody used a crowbar to lift the edges of a slab, a group had moved in to lift it onto the barrow and it was being transported through the site. It was amazing to see just how much could be achieved with everybody working together. We had decided to end the task a little earlier than usual to avoid over exposure to the cold, so just had time to pack up and have a group photo.
Next week we'll be back at Cultivate - but this time with no more slabs to move! Until then, keep wrapped up on your runs and don't forget that stretches are important post session because it's easy to injure cold muscles. Happy GoodGyming!
ps Thanks to Lucy for the punspiration!
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