Commuters, tourists, and (even) dog-walkers were all trying to get away from the rain at 6.15pm last night.

The same time as this lovely GoodGym group were trying to jump into the first splashes of Autumn!

Caitlin, Daisy, John, Steve, and I took temporary shelter under a Regent's Park tree before embarking on a steady run through the park, past the Abbey Rd zebra crossing that the tourists love, and the world's most bountiful rainbow!

Our destination was the West Hampstead Sherriff Centre — a home for community housed within a revamped church :)

Which was where we met Dan (on their first good deed — welcome!!), Imogen, Jackie, Siobhan, and Will, and we quickly grabbed pickers and bags to tackle the litter that accumulates...

...which was less than usual! Albeit 2-3 small bags of things that are better on their way to being recycled :)

Thank you, everyone! See you soon!

Our GoodGym Camden group are experts at running without colliding into passersby.

The employ several effective techniques.

Which include the swivel, the hop-and-side-step, and the zigzag.

I've seen our runners employ each of these techniques to great success on our weekly group runs through bustling Camden.

As one local journalist described our runners: as deft as a gentle spring breeze - they make urban running look relaxing*

But!

Our wonderful group (of Emilie, Jackie, John, Rose, Steve, and Will) didn't need to employ their anti-collision techniques this week.

Meeting in the calm of Regent's Park, we started our evening with a calm and quiet run around the park's outer circle and up through quieter streets to West Hampstead.

Having reached a healthy 5K and shared stories with each other, we arrived at the Sherriff Centre and were met by the brilliant Daisy and Gosia :)

Across the next 30 minutes, we donned gloves and grabbed litter pickers, and we cleared bag-upon-bag of strewn trash and litter - the perimeter (and trees..!) of the centre are a magnet for this, but we finished leaving it clear and tidy!

Thank you so much, everyone, for your time and work - I know just how much of a difference this makes to the Sherriff Centre's team!!

Here's to next time!!

*I might be lying

It'll take half an hour...

40 minutes tops...

Through Regent's Park - over St John's Wood - we'll be there before you know it!

It really isn't far!!

These were all things I said. Last night as we started. I can see the faces of our wonderful group - Happy! Not tired! Full of energy!!

I regret it all now, of course. I can barely write this report. As I remember how our 'longer' run took us through the sunset... and well into the night 😳

And yet... our brilliant group - Emilie, Emily (on their first good deed - welcome!!), Jackie, John, Steph, and Steve - shared stories, caught up, and got to know one another - they brought an enviable energy to Camden's streets yesterday, and they arrived still ready to make a difference at West Hampstead's Sherriff Centre!

Settled in a quite magnificent church, the Sherriff Centre is a hub for the community. Nursery - post office - cafe - live music - community gatherings. It is a special use of space, and we were there to make their pathways more accessible and inviting.

Grabbing pickers and torches, we filled 3 refuse sacks in 20 minutes, bagging bottles, cans, wrappers, and more. With 7 folks working happily together, it's amazing what you can achieve.

Thanks so much, everyone - for your work - and for humoring my optimistic running routes!

See you next time!

(P.S. We talked a lot about geese last night... and they appear in one of our photos!!)