After the wettest winter ever, the players and the changing rooms at 61 FC had clearly got a bit muddy so we were called in to give it a spring clean now the weather has brightened and the pitch is dryer.

We did a good paced 4km run out to the clubhouse, got set up with soapy water, scrubbers and mops and set to work bringing a fresher look and smell to the club!

Job done we had our traditional half-time orange squash and biscuits and finished the evening with the return 4km run into town.

A fearless fab four headed out into a fog‑soaked spring evening, powering up Farley Hill in search of our newest community‑garden partnership. At St John’s Church we were greeted by Carlene, who guided us to the hidden green haven tucked neatly behind the building.

Our mission: assemble a brand‑new poly‑tunnel… minus any instructions. Cue a symphony of puzzled looks, pole‑juggling, and collective detective work. Slowly but surely, logic (and a fair bit of trial and error) won out. Arches took shape, a base emerged, and before long we were confidently bolting everything together as a sturdy structure rose around us.

We didn’t quite get it finished, but we left it tantalisingly close—ready for the garden’s regular volunteers to complete in daylight. With time ticking, we dashed back down the hill into town, pausing only for celebratory cupcakes to mark David’s incredible 500‑deed milestone. Huge thanks to Gill for the perfect post‑run treat!

This week's group run took us to Manor Park for a litterpick. The river Lea runs through this park and was the focus of our efforts as there was a lot of litter collected in the bushes between the road and the river, and quite a bit washed up on the river bank from recent high waters.

With a small team of 4 we collected an impressive 12 large bags of rubbish as well as a buggy and a hubcap from a thorough rummage in the bushes.

Leaving the area looking satisfyingly cleaner and ready for spring nesting 🦆 🪹 🕊️ without all the litter, we finished our session with a well-paced run back to our start point.

Another fabulous evening at FoodCycle and they qere sonomeased to have lur team of 6 GoodGymers providing some vital support. Gill and Lucie were coking - Lucie on the starter made a delicious celery and stilton soup while Gill made use of the lemons 🍋 to make a lemon and sultana sponge pudding. Ezrik joined them in the kitchen for his first FoodCycle task and did an amazing job of the washing up. Teklay had his first turn at hosting alongside Sam and Abdulrahman and they did a great job of setting up the hall, serving the guests and tidying up after. Another evening of great team work. Well done all.