It turned out to be a surprisingly lovely evening for Hazel and Ben as they took on the festive mission of flyering for Together Trust’s Christmas appeal. Armed with three different sets of flyers and questionable enthusiasm 😄, they made their way from house to house like two very cold, very determined Christmas elves.🥶👻

The adventure began with a gentle jog—more of a shuffle, really—from Life Leisure Cheadle toward the nearest residential area. The pavements were icy, the air was nippy, and the running pace could best be described as “heroically slow,” but the reward was worth it. The neighbourhood was lit up so brightly it felt like passing through mini Blackpool Illuminations—every house competing for the “Most Likely to Blind Your Neighbours” award.🎇🪅🎊

And now… the saga continues!

Join them for Round Two of Together Trust flyering quest on December 2nd, where they’ll bravely conquer the remaining half of the flyers. Bring your festive spirit—and maybe some thermal socks.

Well done for getting out on a soggy Wednesday evening to run or jog their way around the 5 km city centre route, all to try and add to the charity total. The MCR 24 hr run events starts at midday on Wednesday to midday on Thursday with relay 5 km segments in between.

We signed up as a GoodGym group for the 19:20 wave, getting a good shout out and making sure not to slip on the trodden grass during the briefing and group photo.

Hazel and Laura went with the 40 minute group, and kudos to Hazel running their first 5 km continously! Fanette, Hannah, and Ben joined the 35 minute group.

With the rain, there were lots of puddles, slippery leaves, and hazards from passing vehicles, with a few of us getting a shower during the run. With so many running for a great cause, there were many smiles and a great atmosphere amongst all those taking part.

A few of us ran an additional lap at 8.20pm as the rain seemed to calm going into the evening

At time of writing, they had raised £50,345.54 so comfortably passing their target and last year's total.

More info and to donate

Big effort today for Hazel, Fanette, and Ben! 💪

Hils from Albermarle allotments needed 2 tonnes of top soil/compost shifting from the drop off location near the car park/main entrance to the community allotment site. This was no small task, not just given the amount and distance to cover, but also needing to lift it into the raised beds.

With various bags, several wheelbarrows, spades, and shovels plus David and Liz (?) as other volunteers from the site, we chipped away at the large bags of top soil.

As we approached half way, we had a break for tea, coffee ☕️, cake 🍰 and biscuits 🍪. The sugar boost and refreshment was much appreciated on a mild November day, and helped to spur us on with the task at hand.

Little by little, the piles got lower before we finally found the bottom of the bags and managed to wheel the remaining soil down to the community allotment site.

Top effort all round, and certainly a good arms, legs, and upper body workout with the shovelling and lifting. We're back on 6th December to help clear some of the pathways on the allotment site.