Vanessa and I watered two beautiful rain gardens which were feeling rather parched. As well as looking lovely, they provide vital habitat for insects and help things help prevent drains from being overwhelmed. when the rain eventually returns.

Despite sticking to just the front of the park, we managed to fill a whole bag in half an hour - in large part, thanks to the enthusiastic supervision of Indie, the beautiful labrador!

We were very surprised to see a bush draped in a huge white web, which was probably the work of gorgeous ermine moth caterpillars.

I'm not sure I'll be able to write a Run Report to do this evening justice - I am so full of food and exhausted from laughing so hard!

The Golden Trainer We have a BRAND NEW CHAMPION for 2026 - congratulations to Katie CR for your amazing internal stopwatch! Katie completed the 1km time-trial just five seconds quicker than her predicted time. Andy came in second with a commendable fourteen second difference - which would have been enough to take the title last year! Everyone underestimated themselves, completing the course faster than predicted. After multiple practice attempts and talking a strong game, Sammy somehow picked up the wooden spoon tonight, although this did take the form of a fantastic Endeavour Cape. Preparation and hardwork should be rewarded, not just the result!

Litter Pick We picked up a huge amount of litter in just half an hour, the runner's high definitely have us a boost! Top finds included a whole onion and garlic, an eyelash curler and a bottle of bougie passionfruit vodka, and an empty condom packet beside a half-finished course of antibiotics. Kingston Rec seems to be the place to party these days.

Paanchi Party After burning off all that energy, we headed back to our spiritual home, Fratton Community Centre, to enjoy an evening of curry and great company. Lots of laughs were had, with lots of insights into pyramid schemes, beauty influencers, the reality of teaching and much more!

Thank you for an awesome evening guys, I loved celebrating eight years of GoodGym Portsmouth with you all!