The nature of Leagrave park was getting set for spring, with the irises peeping up in the marshy areas, blossom on the trees and ducks checking out nesting spots. So, it was the last chance to get out there with the litterpickers and stash the trash in our bags before it all gets hidden under a new leafy green blanket.

24 bags, plus a trolley and two bike tyres, were the total haul of the team today, leaving the river, the hedgerows, the paths and fields of the park bright and clear of unsightly rubbish and ready for a spring with hopefully similarly bright and clear weather for a change!

It might have also been a certain Area Activators 500th good deed! Plenty of cake was harmed in the making of this good deed 😄

This week's group run took us to Manor Park for a litterpick. The river Lea runs through this park and was the focus of our efforts as there was a lot of litter collected in the bushes between the road and the river, and quite a bit washed up on the river bank from recent high waters.

With a small team of 4 we collected an impressive 12 large bags of rubbish as well as a buggy and a hubcap from a thorough rummage in the bushes.

Leaving the area looking satisfyingly cleaner and ready for spring nesting 🦆 🪹 🕊️ without all the litter, we finished our session with a well-paced run back to our start point.

The last Saturday in January saw 5 Goodgymers team up with Kevin from ABCD-IN-LUTON and Friends of Leagrave Park to tackle yhe first community litterpick of the new year. We accumulated 20 bags of rubbish and got a glimpse of a beautiful King fisher on the banks of the river Lea. Well done to all that took part.

We teamed up with some of the residents of Drunraven Avenue, Kevin from ABCD Luton and Sam from the Parks team to install a new hedge in a small park along the fence line of some houses to improve their privacy and security.

A swift spurt of spades sliced slots in the soil for the saplings. 🌱 Canes were added, protective spirals too and finally a splash of wood chip to help the hawthorns get established.

Last job of the day, a nice cup of tea in the sunshine ☕ ☀️

(apologies to Buddy Holly)

The weatherman didn't say clear today,
He didn't know that we wanted to say,
"Please don't be raining,
Raining in the park."

The sun's not out,
The sky's not blue,
So many clouds right over you,
It was raining,
Raining in the park.

Oh littery, littery.
And it was the first time for Lee.
🌧️
We get our hoops and off we go,
We’re picking litter as you know ,
It’s still raining, raining in the park.
🌧️
We keep on going, in the rain,
Soaked to the skin but don’t complain.
It was raining, raining in the park .

This week's group run saw us: 👋🏼 Welcome Fanual and Biruk to first sessions 🏃🏿‍♂️ Run to Wardown Park 🪵 Collect some wood chip 🏃🏼 Run further down the road 🌳 Mulch trees we planted previously 🏃🏻‍♂️Run back to the park 🪜 Do a stair climb workout 🏃🏼‍♀️Run back into town

A great workout for a misty Wednesday evening!