A welcome return to see our host Taiwo at the Greenway Orchard, who had forewarned us that we'd be doing a lot of digging out of roots this evening to try and stop the brambles and everything else that we've spent the summer successfully removing from the flower meadow, growing back anytime soon, and had borrowed some more forks specifically for the job in hand.

It was also a warm welcome to Rebecca, who joined Hilary, Adam and Nick on the 3km run from Freaks and Geeks and admitted her last GoodGym session had been quite a few years ago, and to Kyra, who met us at the Orchard and for whom this was her first GoodGym mission...and conveniently local. Welcome both, and hopefully you'll be able to join us on more tasks around the neighbourhood over the coming weeks and months.

Armed with gloves and forks and a few other instruments of plant torture, we quickly got to work on root removal, realising that with sunset at 7.15, it would also start to get dark pretty soon - we're clearly back into headtorch season once again.

A huge amount of effort was applied by the team to remove as many of the roots and plants as we could, some proving more resistant to removal than others, and requiring a combination of forks, hands and sheer grunt to get them out of the ground. Adam proving that even the hardiest of forks was no match for some of the embedded root networks...

With darkness now upon us, and with aching backs and tired hands, we called a collective stop at 8pm, leaving behind a patchwork of disturbed earth and a healthy pile of uprooted brambles and plants to be added to the compost heap.

We plan to be back again at the Orchard at the start of November, with lanterns and spotlights, and hopefully not too much regrowth in the intervening weeks...

What a fantastic morning we had at London Fields, with an impressive 47 runners joining us for their weekly 2km adventure. It was wonderful to welcome 10 first timers and to see so many new faces returning, alongside familiar faces making a welcome comeback after the long summer break.

Before setting off, everyone threw themselves into an energetic warm-up expertly led by Sooz, getting minds and bodies ready for action. Then it was off through London Fields, with autumn already making its presence felt as runners charged through the first of the falling leaves.

There were some brilliant performances across the field, including an incredible 8 personal bests. A huge well done to everyone who took part, including our 2 unknown runners, who joined in all the fun and enthusiasm.

One of the most heartening parts of the morning came after the finish, when lots of children took the time to come over and say thank you to the volunteers. We really do like that. Junior parkrun is about much more than running; it is about community, kindness and encouragement, and those small gestures mean a great deal to everyone who helps make the event happen.

As ever, junior parkrun simply could not happen without volunteers like GG ers Hilary,Md, and Rue. The support of the local community, including GoodGym members, is a crucial part of the whole set-up. So if you ever find yourself wondering what to do on a Sunday morning, why not come and join us? And if, like Eva, you have plans for a leisurely breakfast with a friend who does not get up too early, you can always come and join us first!

See you next Sunday.