We had a brilliant evening serving dinner at Jimmy's this week. We were delighted to welcome new GoodGymers Sydnii and Rachel, and with Rachel as a trained chef, and Sydnii familiar with Jimmy's, we were in excellent hands.

On the menu was a very delicious looking pie, cheesy mash, and greens with a good helping of gravy. Sticky toffee pudding and custard to finish. What a line up!

All the food was prepped and warming, but the lumpy gravy called, needing a bit of extra love. Utilising all Rachel's cooking experience we set her on her first task of sieving the gravy. 👩‍🍳

Beth and I were in charge of checking the food prior to opening the hatch, putting our recent food hygiene training to the test to ensure the food was hot enough. At 82 degrees in the centre of the pies, we agreed that was toasty enough. 🥧

It was an efficient line up, each taking a different element of the meal and all taking time to speak with residents. We made sure to get all orders correct and plated some meals up for later. It didn't feel too busy, but we did have a little flurry of requests just before the end of service, keeping us on our toes.

Rachel wasted no time washing up, I was on dishwasher duty, and Sydnii was a pro at storing and labelling the leftover food. Sydnii also took the initiative to clean the eating area a little before we finished service, so we were all cleared up in 15 minutes, a record!

There was a real buzz in the kitchen, and it was great to have time to get to know our new GoodGymers, hearing about very cute doggies and travelling adventures.

Looking forward to next time already!

Another great morning of rewilding was spent with Abbey People maintaining Barnwell Verge: Seeds of Hope Project. Today it was just me from Goodgym joining a happy band of volunteers.

Our task was primarily to sow wildflower seeds on the soil mounds (or bunds) along the verge. This involved raking and loosening the top soil to prepare it for the seeds. We scattered a lot of seeds, which will provide some lovely colour once they come into flower. We also cleared the leaves from the cycle path and used them to mulch the planted area of the verge.

It was a very satisfying task on a nice sunny morning.

A tiny but perfectly formed team of 2 goodgymers joined 2 regular Fox Den gardeners to help prepare the allotment for the winter months. Sandra and I were given a variety of tasks.

We layered cardboard, put down wood chippings and did quite a lot of watering. We only had an hour but I think we achieved everything we set out to do.

We were rewarded with beautiful sunshine and some delicious tomatoes.

The head torches were out for this week's session for SIN Cru.

A tidy team of four, Beth, Scott and I ran from central Cambridge and met Christopher at the task, choosing to take the bike fresh off his half marathon sprint.

We enjoyed a melodic welcome from the dogs and were briefed by Lucy on the evening's jobs

Scott wasted no time digging up an intrusive weed with very deep roots, while I filled a pot with compost to transfer a selection of nettles. We were tasked with clearing an area, saving some for use in cooking. Despite the recent rain, the ground was tough and required a bit of strength to get them out. Not a challenge for Scott who had a massive plant up and out in no time. With it freshly planted, the rest of the area was cleared and we turned our attention to support Beth and Chris with planter building.

At a session over the summer, we'd cut the wood down to size and this week we were attaching the panels to make planters. Chris jumped at the chance to use the electric drill and while a simple enough task on the surface, a little while in, it became clear that the screws weren't long enough to get through the planks of wood. Cue intense discussions between carpentry expert, Scott, and DIYer, Chris, to work through the different options. Sadly, none were viable and we felt a little defeated until Lucy pointed out that the other planks were thinner. Feeling like planks, but with new found purpose, we continued. Beth and Scott were holding the planks steady while Chris and I added the screws (my manual method proving no less effective, but rather less efficient). A team effort, overseen by site manager Beth, we soon had two planters (one with a slightly wonky side) ready to be dug in.

There's always plenty of time for a chat at this task and we enjoyed a good debrief of all our recent races, heard about some rather lovely holidays, and briefly discussed head torch etiquette (eyes down!).

To top off the session, we had a little celebration for Chris who has reached 10 Good Deeds. Congratulations! The tub of Glacé cherries is noted for your 50... 🍒

GG Cambridge were out in force today at the Bidwells Town and Gown 10K, with a mix of runners and volunteers!

Setting early alarms, Sandra and I headed to the volunteer tent for our 7.30am start. Supplied with a range of snacks and hot drinks, we were assigned roles in the baggage tent. After a thorough briefing, we split into teams of 3 and worked on our game plan ahead of the runners' arrival 🫡

What started as a gradual trickle of bags soon became a steady flow but built to a torrent in the minutes before the start. It was hectic and busy but SO much fun! Before we knew it, the run had begun and we had some time to breathe 🫨

Meanwhile, Kate, Catherine and Scott laced up their running shoes to take on the 10K challenge. As did Alexandra who, as Fun Runner, cheered on and supported the other participants AS WELL AS running 🙌

During our break, Sandra and I nipped across to the course to cheer on the runners. The stars aligned and Scott came speeding past - if we'd have blinked, we might have missed him! Casually announcing he was still on pace, we cheered him on (well, screamed) and hoped that his recent parkrun PBs were helping him out today ⏱️

Back at the bag drop, the returning runners were proudly displaying their medals and a sense of pride and/or relief. As it did before the race, the busyness built to a crescendo as the bulk of the runners finished, albeit a little easier than earlier in the morning. It also meant that we were able to see all of the GG runners and celebrate their achievements together!

Making it an international running weekend for Team GG, Jacob was in Poland racing the Poznań Marathon - a MASSIVE congratulations from the rest of the team back at home! 🍾

I was flying solo this week at Coldhams Common Parkrun this week. It was an early start as I was on course check duty!

After a moo-velous surprise a couple of weeks ago, I was hoping for a less eventful start this week. Thankfully, aside from the usual rabbit holes, it was a all clear. After reporting to the run director, I was ready to run!

Whilst doing my stretches at the start, the run director announced they were still looking for pacers, so I couldn't resist grabbing a 25 minute bib to help my fellow parkrunners smash those PBs.

Back on the start line and we were off! Doing my best to stick to 5 minute kilometer pace, I soon had a crowd of runner using me as a marker. I managed a pretty even pace and was pleased to see many of my 25 minute crowd zoom past me in the final 200m as I crossed the line just 5 seconds off my target pace.

After a successful morning volunteering and running, it was time to get home and rest up for the Town and Gown 10k on Sunday...