MCR Parks and Slow Run Club MCR put on a great initiative at Platt Fields Park to encourage running and a safe space for those running in the darker winter months.

Ben was marshalling at point 4, a key junction for those completing their 3.3 km loops. There were 10 waves in all, with lots of lights, smiles, and thankful runners 🏃🏼‍♀️

Keeping people safe and encouraging exercise is a great way to help, and facilitating during the event was a great experience, even with the Manchester rain 🌧

Welcome to Ashik for your first GoodGym outing! Great to meet you and look forward to seeing you again.

The last Saturday of the month is a regular slot for Ardwick Climate Action, so we joined Gordon, Dan, Zoe, and others for today's activities.

Today, our main task was to continue construction of a dead hedge at one of the green spaces maintained by Ardwick Climate Action. After a 10 minute stroll to the site near Mancunian Way, we split off with Tanoshi and Fanette clearing any litter, with 4 bags collected including some clothing and laughing gas canisters 🚮

Ashik and Ben went wood collecting, with lots of longer tree branches and chopped wood 🪵 As the wood piled high, others were using the stake basher to put long wooden stakes in the ground to help hold the dead hedge in place.

Bit by bit, we began filling in the wall of wood and sticks, with a nearby big broken branch providing lots of strong pieces to go into the hedge. Fanette took a battery chainsaw to some blackthorn (or hawthorn) to provide some extra filler too.

By midday, we'd reached as far as we could, and Ardwick Climate Action seemed very happy with the progress and quality of the build. After clearing up, we parted ways and look forward to returning for another task in future.

Ben spent the morning doing the course check at Fletcher Moss parkrun event number 282. Last week's fallen tree 🌳 had been cleared by the council and there were minimal puddles so perfect for a parkrun morning.

Juno and I then helped set up, lugging the trailer from the container to help RD Peter out. We then headed off, with a task in Ardwick coming up.

449 runners and walkers completed the 5 km course, with numbers getting more normal after an early January peak. 25 volunteers helped out 🦺