It may have been wet and dark but that never stops the warmth of a Goodgym Monday night. With the prerogative of report writer I am writing this from my perspective as someone who has been unable to get to a Monday night for a month. This was my first week back and if I'm honest I had been a little sad as the day was going on and the rain was not stopping - little did I realise that I would be so heart warmed and happy by the end of the session.

December can be busy with everyone having lots of demands on their time, however five Goodgymmers arrived at Lark Lane to do a litter pick. What is the collective noun for litter pickers? The Lark Lane Neighbourhood Association (Wombles) are an active group that work hard to keep the Lark Lane area litter free despite the large amount of people at this popular street full of cafes and bars. We met with Helen who provided our litter pickers and who asked that we tackle the main street that runs at the bottom of Lark Lane - this is a busy road which proved to have a lot of litter on it.

As we litter picked we found various items depicting the time of the year - some packets of halloween sweets unopened possibly dropped out of someones trick and treat pot and parts of an artificial Christmas tree which mustn't have made the grade for this years decoration later weer treated to the smell of real Christmas trees as we passed the florist. Further along the street and unrelated Jo had found a rose which she dutifully posed with and Jake found a light saber and needed little encouragement to pose for some action shots.

The great thing about litter picking is the interactions you have with people , we had many thanks from people as we made our way down the road - its always heartwarming to hear and it makes you realise that people appreciate their environment being clean. The great thing about litter picking in our wonderful city is that you never are far from some great banter. We had a lovely greeting from one man booming out to us that we were doing this for the 'looove of litter' he encouraged us to repeat the term several times with such emphasis it was almost like he would burst into song. The great thing about litter picking with Goodgym is you get a chance to chat as you go..... so of course there was chatting too. Im sure it wasnt just me.... or was it?

Before we knew it we had collected five big bags of litter and although we were wet and it was dark the darkness was lit up by the warmth and joy of Five Goodgymers (and a light saber)

After a short run from Hope Street, 3 runners were met by 8 more goodgymmers.

This week, we were back at Mulgrave Street Action Group Community Garden where, once again, Khan had a mammoth task for us.

Armed with bagfuls of daffodil bulbs and a few trowels, we set to work on the small patch of grass in front of the garden. Digging and planting until the whole patch was filled.

With the help of new recruit Lee and visiting Londoner Emily we manged to plant four big bags of bulbs - cant wait to see it in the spring for a true William Wordsworth moment!

Well done everyone - it's great to see the impact of the garden expanding!

This week we were at the Quaker Meeting House to tidy up their Peace garden.

When we arrived we were taken to the car park where the 'tools' were stored. Armed only with a couple of trowels and some foraged spoons we headed out into the garden!

The garden consists of a number of raised beds on the street outside the Quaker Meeting House, with the aim of being a restful and sustaining place in the city centre. Unfortunately the beds had become a little neglected and needed tidying up and some plants adding. We set to work brushing up, throwing away cigarette butts and planting to make the space a nicer place to be.

With 11 pairs of hands, we were done in no time with that garden spruced up and ready for people to enjoy! Well done all. Special shout out goes to Eleanorfor completing her 15th task! And to Heetu for NOT breaking the brush!

4 runners met on Hope Street and meandered down to Park Lane. Lovely to be joined by Farnaz once again! Once there, we were met by 4 more goodgymmers and Elaine from Urban Green Up.

We have done a few sessions here, and I am always amazed at how different it looks each time and how much the plants have grown! This time around, Elaine greeted us with the fantastic news that the project has been nominated for not one, but two Landscapes Institute awards for 'Excellence in Biodiversity' and 'Climate Change Environment and Social Outcomes'. It's an amazing project and we have everything crossed for a win!

The task tonight was weeding, with creeping thistles being the main culprit.

As the light faded we worked quickly and Elaine was amazed with how much we achieved, although it was difficult to see the results by the end! Well done everyone! Cant wait to be back soon for some planting.