Over 30 smiley and energetic runners, including 4 new faces (Hannah, Elly, Yiyin, and Kate), amassed at Vivo this evening for a incredibly productive flyer session and a harbourside run.

After the massive run of half a mile to meet our host for the evening Hannah and her ever helpful assistant Marky we were introduced to this evening's task. We were required to help Redcliffe Care deliver their most recent newsletter to the local community promoting all the great stuff they have coming up this year. This was no small feat as the community included 10 blocks of flats and two estates of flats and houses. This needed organisation and the most efficient distribution network Bristol has ever seen. We split into groups with pairs taking on blocks and groups taking one estates. Marky ran around the blocks and let the guys into each one as they went round. Soon everyone was posting and we were delivering to more houses than Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, covering more steps than a 90's tribute act.

We were all expected to meet back at base at 7:20 but most of the guys finished way before that so we did a little lap of the most beautiful church in Bristol lunging and jogging all the way. After an initial group photo with the the speedy posters a group went off with Godfather Dave to start a 3 mile lap of the harbour. Soon after the remaining teams returned having gone a bit rogue and started handing out newsletters to passers by, we'll call these the initiative collective, great work guys. Our wonderful host Hannah thanked us for our help and gave us water and biscuits (we always get looked after well in Redcliffe!). The remaining group ran the opposite way around the harbour and met the leading group halfway round and then back at Queen Square. In a run that was more perfectly timed than the gold medal winning flamingo synchronised swimming team performing their world beating performance at the waterhole world championships.

We stretched, punned (thanks Dave for you classic suggestion), and sang happy birthday to Debs; go on give her a cheer she deserves if not for bringing cakes then definitely for her 20 mile run at Larmer Tree this weekend. Big respect to everyone else who ran there too, it looked awesome and you represented the Bristol Red Thunder impeccably.

I am still gobsmacked by the speed you guys worked tonight, it was brilliant and Hannah was seriously impressed. Thanks so much, your are awesome.

See you next time.

Gary

Oh what a night. Mid January back in '17. 24 runners came out looking keen. And cleaned up Spring Hill, what a night!

Tonight's task was to meet with Incredible Edible Bristol and help them to tidy up one of there 'unofficial' plots. This plot had been looked after previously by a caring local, who sadly passed away. But it appears that in her honour a bunch of guerrilla gardeners have been doing a great job to keep her memory alive. Saying that the area still gets used as a dumping ground and the large trees around had covered the ground in a megaton of leaves. This all had to go before a memorial could be held to remember the lovely lady who made it what it is today.

It was a relatively short run from Vivo to the Bearpit where we met Hannah from Incredible Edible. She gave us a warm welcome and introduced us to our tools for the evening. Forks, spades, trowels and a wheelbarrow especially for Paul(like anyone else had a chance to use it!) We loaded up and walked up the hill to the area to be cleared (some of us running a bit too far up as we just could let a hill go half completed). As ever, everyone was keener than 2 year old Labrador covered in mustard waiting to go for a walk in the lake district to get started. There was raking, digging, litter picking and all sorts of topiary going on. The megaton of leaves became a mega pile, which we bagged up as much as possible with Emma utilising the limited amount of bags we had to great effect. A forward party even ran back down the hill with bags of leaves, dropped them in the mulch pile in the Bearpit and brought the reusable bags back up to take more leaves down. Goota love the iniciative to get the job done.
After we had cleared and cleaned as much as we could we dropped the tools back at the Bearpit, waved goodbye to Hannah and ran back to Queen Square for some tricep dips, press-ups and a warm down.

Big congratulations to Alex on her 50th deed today! You may have only joined us recently from Bath but we already feel like you've been part of the gang for ages.

This Saturday's run is to St Mary Redcliff Primary in Victoria Park to help the clean up more leaves! And next Tuesday we are going to Portland Square to prepare the beds for some spring planting.

Thanks to everyone who came tonight, and to Alice for the pun. You guys are the greatest.

See you soon,

Gary

One of our coldest runs, this one! We reluctantly dragged ourselves out of the heated halls of Vivo gym and assembled in the little car park next door to the gym for a warm up. We had not 1 but 4 newbies - welcome to you all!

Our run was short and a little fast - no one wanted to hang about. We got to Emmaus in good time where we met up with Elle, the warehouse manager and our task master for the evening. Our job was to fix up some of the donated furniture so that the charity could sell it in one of their charity shops.

The gang set to the task with their usual enthusiasm, and after about 20 minutes had fixed most of the furniture, so Elle went hunting for more. From desks to wardrobes, shelves to...er... more desks, we fitted new handles, removed stickers, sanded and varnished, and all round made things a lot better. It was a great task given it was #GivingTuesday - a bit of an anti capitalism movement that encourages giving money or time.

We went in to overtime to ensure that we'd fixed up 13 pieces of furniture, and then once more braved the cold. The run back was again a little more zippy than usual, especially the now traditional sprint up Union Street hill.

We whizzed through the stretches and announcements, and then rushed back in to Vivo to warm up again!