It was a wonderful experience assisting Vauxhall Gardens Community Centre with the collection, unloading and sorting of 2 deliveries in preparation for its weekly Friday food distribution session.

The deliveries were packed with variety: numerous crates of vegetables including broccoli, onions, carrots, potatoes and cabbages; fruit such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, lemons and clementines; loaves of white, wholemeal and brown bread; and snacks ranging from crisps, including maple bacon and vegan options, to Nakd and Huel protein bars.

Getting everything unloaded and sorted helped the centre prepare for another well-stocked session supporting local vulnerable residents.

Today's run was a lovely collaboration with ThinkBox. I made my way down to their office, I brought the gloves and they brought the trash bags. Why did we need these? Because we were going on a litter picking trip. We ran 2km to the Thames with the expectation of finding a lot of trash. To our surprise, the area was kept relatively clean, but we know Londoners, we knew we would find something and we were right.

We found plastic bags, glass bottles, cigarettes and cardboard by the river, the green space near the Oxo Tower, and the outdoor open space that food spots like Cafe Nero use for outdoor dinning. The team were very diligent and the energy was high from start to finish. Once the job was done, we made our way back to their office and got in some stretches before calling it a day.

What a Tuesday evening to be alive — and running! We had a gloriously large group join us tonight, with perfect weather rolling out the red carpet for our feet. Lacing up alongside regulars Fi, Jo, Michael, Ben, Tilly and Katie, we were thrilled to welcome back Rich and — making his Lambeth group run debut — the legendary George! 🍾💪🏼 First run done, George. There’s no going back now.

With an extra spring in our step (and an extra 3.6km each way to justify the post-run snacks 😅), we set off on a slightly longer route than usual — and the group ate it up like it was nothing.

Our destination? The Weir Link, who were absolutely delighted to have us back. And honestly, the feeling was mutual — because when we arrived, the tools and equipment were already waiting for us in the bin shed, like a beautifully organised welcome gift. No faff, no fuss — just straight to the good stuff. 🙌

Front and back, we got stuck in clearing out weeds and leaves to give the centre grounds a proper spruce-up. The weeds didn’t stand a chance against this lot. What they thought was job security turned out to be a very short-term contract. 😂🌱

Big love to everyone who came out and gave their evening — and their knees — to make Lambeth a little greener. The Weir Link were over the moon to have us, and it shows just how much this community cares. ❤️

See you on the next one! 🏃

Hang on, didn't Brenda and Harvey meet up at junior parkrun earlier in the day? Yes, indeed, they did! And now they were back to Brixton for the continuing story of keeping the litter at bay. They joined the team of volunteers from Young People's Movement, collected high vis and litter pickers, and they were good to go.

Luckily, a friend from Lambeth Council's street rubbish waste team who they'd met on their last visit, was way ahead of our intrepid two! He was on the case - collecting litter, bringing our team up to speed, and making sure all parties pulled in the same direction. A gent.

Brenda and Harvey worked the way around their pitch, leaving the whole area looking (almost) spotless! Job done, Brenda headed off to tackle another good deed. And Harvey went home :)

It was great to see happy faces receiving enough food, as there was plenty to hand out to the customers.

Received two deliveries that required quickly managing food packing for customers on Friday.