30 Goodgymers ran 6km to help to Scope Charity Shop on Camden High Street

Welcome along to Nicole whose first time it was last night - hope you had a good first GG! Also welcome to the GG Barnet Crew.

It fills me with great sadness to share that a fellow GoodGymer Jenny Spencer-Nairn has passed away, we send all our love and support to GoodGym Bristol, her family and friends. To start the evening we held a minute silence to remember her. RIP.

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In the news this week:

1. Please note we are back meeting at the Living Centre next Wednesday, it's the same building just the other side address here - 2 Ossulston St, Kings Cross, London NW1 1DF
2. Come along to the social today in Hammersmith - Pritesh will be talking the talk. More details here.
3. Goodgym is taking over Peckham Rye Parkrun this Saturday - we still need pacers, volunteers and general red tops. Full details here.

Some of the group had a very special Crick Institute Tour - see pictures in the report. Thanks to Abi for organising!

After warming up we were off to help Scope Charity Shop, this fantastic shop sells clothes, accessories and more to help raise money for people with disabilities. We ran just under a mile to get to the shop and to get tasking.

Queue & get your tasks here!

As ever Helen was very organised and had all the jobs written down to be handed out:

• Six people including Hanry, Thomas, Rosie and Lucy sorted and priced up clothes, jewellery and accessories.
• CJ and Katherine collected funds for Scope outside the shop - raising an amazing £7.50 between them!
• Kat, Katie, James, Hayley and others sorted donations; ironed, tagged and hung up clothes ready to be priced up.
• Steve and Jordi measured and hung trousers.
• Chris and Tom cleaned and polished shoes before arranging them for display.
• A team of 10 cleaned every inch of the shop and two floors above, including windows, display cases, stairs, the kitchen and toilet.
• Frances and Abi set about picking some of the best clothes around the store to dress the mannequins - cool

Over 35 minutes we made a huge impact to our local community. Next we were off to Regents Park Inner Circle for a time trial and a run home.

Next week we'll be leafleting for Older Persons Services in Ashdown Crescent and gardening for Cecil Sharp House - sign up here.

PB out

12 Goodgymmers run 5km to Emmaus Colchester to sort their clothing display

Colchester GoodGym Gang gathered on a mild but drizzly evening which was to lead to a satisfying mission at the Emmaus Warehouse. This evening we were joined by Kirstie for her maiden GoodGym adventure. Angela welcomed and briefed the group on the running order for our session and after our warm up routine, the ‘Tremendous Twelve’ headed out on our way through Kings Meadow.

The rain which arrived late afternoon made for a slippery run through the paths coated in Autumn leaves and dodging the puddles in the dark added to the fun. We made our way up North Hill, re-grouping by the elephants at the top, then continuing on towards Emmaus. John and Paul who both work at Emmaus during the week explained the layout of the warehouse, leading us through an Aladin’s Cave of furniture, books, pictures and more. To say it was like a scene from Cash in the Attic is an understatement and it would have been no surprise to have had David Dickenson pop up!

We climbed the stairs to the upper floor where all the clothing, shoes and accessories are stored. Our prime aim was to help create a semblance of order which would result in a clothing section which looked appealing and inviting for customers to shop. We had our work cut out when faced with many piles of items and bags of mixed clothing which needed sorting into Gents, Ladies, Kids as well as those pieces which were never ‘gonna cut the cloth’ and would be destined for the reject pile.

To tackle our mission we worked in two groups, one group doing the initial screening, the other tidying and sorting the existing hanging rails. A few of the group couldn’t resist modelling some pieces, Tav taking a shine to a blue dress and Steve was drawn to a floral shirt. Helen did well in getting a hold on the footwear area. Together we made an impact, agreeing that a return mission would be beneficial.

The return leg to Leisure World included a ‘Hump Day hill drill’ workout. Angela gave the group tips on the best technique to tackle this and Tommy and Tav enjoyed a competitive race to the top. All in all this was a thoroughly enjoyable mix of running and retail medicine. What’s not to like? We covered a 5k distance overall but knowing we’d made a difference together, sent us on our way home smiling that we’d done well. Same time, same place next week GoodGymers to blitz the leaves at St Leonards. Sign up here

Run Report by Sue Foley