It was the Raleigh launch tonight with them now partnering with GG. Unfortunately our choccies haven't arrived just yet, so hopefully next week!

It was lovely to have Olivia of GoodGym Greenwich with us tonight who was 'fresh' from her London Marathon exploits! It goes without saying, she was one of our walkers tonight!

Laura and Olivia set off on their walk to the canal, with the runners not far behind. One of the first things we found was a key on the towpath floor, we decided to leave it where it was as hopefully somebody may come back looking for it.

In total on a pleasant, yet cool evening we collected three bags of rubbish, which our photographer Eve papped for us.

Once done we strolled with the walkers for a while before we ran back to 1000 Trades, whilst taking in a loop by Colmore Row, so Ben could retrieve his bag just in time before his office closed.

On returning it was a quick stretch whilst we waited a couple of minutes for our walkers, so I would say that was near on perfect timing!

The Birmingham Walkathon is back! Once a regular fixture on the Brum events calendar, this 26-mile circular walk around the iconic number 11 bus route returned on Sunday after a ten-year hiatus.

Walkers could choose one of two starting points – either Rookery Park in Erdington in the north of the city or Kings Heath Park in the south – both with a GoodGym warm-up to get them going. Jonny in Erdington and Rob and Balal in KH made sure all participants got those leg muscles ready.

As the walkers set off, Amy headed to Winson Green to take her place as a road marshal, while Laura and I mirrored her over the other side of the circle in KH. We could have all done with a warm-up too on this very chilly morning – Laura and I kept warm by dancing to a portable radio (and hot drinks and snacks kindly sent over by Balal!) while Amy eventually benefitted from a change in the weather, having to use her umbrella as a parasol.

The road marshals' job was to cheer on the walkers, make sure they crossed the road safely and let them know that the next checkpoint wasn't far away. Among the hardy hikers was GoodGym volunteer Jo, who completed the 26-mile circuit in just under eight hours!

Thanks also to GoodGym-ers Eve, who helped to promote the Walkathon with a leaflet drop in KH and Stirchley a couple of weeks ago, and Miriam and Annie who shared updates on Instagram. Congratulations too to all the other volunteers who made the event's comeback a success and to the participants who raised money for HelpHarryHelpOthers, the Harry Moseley Cancer Charity.

There were some leaflets left over after Saturday’s task for the Birmingham Walkathon around Rookery Park in Erdington, so last night we headed to the event’s other starting point in Kings Heath to deliver them.

It was another damp day so I put on the Royal Mail-red raincoat again to walk down to meet Laura, who cycled up the hill from Stirchley, and Eve, who ran from Five Ways. Laura had been isolating with Covid for the past week so it was good to have a catch-up while stretching our legs (hence the pun).

The Birmingham Walkathon (April 2nd) will begin at Kings Heath Park and continue down Vicarage Road and Cartland Road. Roughly following Brum’s iconic circular number 11 bus route, around 1,000 people are expected to take part – so it’s important to let local residents know in advance via leaflets through their letterboxes.

Our route also gave us the chance to pop into Dads Lane Community Centre, where we’ve helped out with their renovations over the past couple of years. The place is looking fab, with plenty of local people already receiving a Warm Welcome and a cuppa in the space.

Once at the bottom of the hill, we took advantage of a nearby pub to wait for the rain to ease. There are a few more leaflets left over, so Laura and I will be heading out again this week to make sure as many people in the neighbourhood know about this brilliant community event.

The Walkathon is being organised by HelpHarryHelpOthers and will raise funds for this amazing charity and many others across the West Midlands. Our very own Jonny and Rob will be helping to get the walkers warmed up on April 2nd, with more volunteers needed too – watch this space!

A group of us decided to review a Slow Way from Birmingham out to Longbridge, a lovely 10 mile walk along mostly familiar routes at what Komoot classed as an "athletic" pace.

Tom and Eve set off from the city centre and headed through China Town and across to Cannon Hill park, from there we picked up the Rea Valley route following the river until we reached Stirchley to pick up Laura (and some snacks!). We then got onto the canal and headed all the way to Longbridge with Morwenna joining us for the last section and some well earned refreshments at the far end. The 15 minute train back was a lot less scenic!

Happy to give the Slow Way route and the company five stars. Full review of the route here: https://beta.slowways.org/Route/Lonbir/8973/#reviews