Taking Manual Leaf

We welcomed 8 new GoodGym runners into the breach this week. Woo! Here's what we got up to.

Leaf it out

We ran 1.82km north through Camden to Castlehaven Community Centre. It's a great project and we regularly head there to help with big garden tasks they struggle to fit in on their own. They have responsibility for the maintenance of the parks surrounding the centre, with volunteers charged with keeping the place spick and span. They also run a fantastic Environmental Project, giving local people an opportunity to learn about gardening and offering them an opportunity to get their hands dirty in the soil.

Accumulating Leaves

Fred, the Project Coordinator is currently unwell and as a result fallen leaves are starting to accumulate around the park. Though they look nice they prevent light and nutrients reaching the soil so need to be regularly raked and bagged up. Handily they can then be composted and turned into mulch for next years garden!

We split into 3 teams. 2 of the teams where on 'leaf duty', raking and bagging up as many leaves as humanly possible in 30mins. The other team where assigned to 'nettles' and essentially marauded around the park with spades and forks annihilating any nettles in their path.

Time to Leave

In 25mins we had collected enough leaves to fill a Kim Kardashian walk-in wardrobe and headed for a run. We jogged together to the canal where we ran as a group back to Granary Square.

To make life more interesting/complicated we tried to push people on the way back. All runners had to try and surge along the canal until they reached a bridge before slowing and jogging back to meet the backmarker....me! It was a little hectic initially as the bridges came thick and fast, but as the bridges opened out we were able to find our own space and move freely.

We got back to Granary Square where some people decided they wanted more- legging it round the square while the rest of us of meandered back to Somers Town.

All in all it was a great night. Nice one for getting stuck in!