Southwark News

• Next week our group run is to the Crisis charity shop in Camberwell. It's 6km overall and we'll be joined by a journalist and photographer who are interested in giving back to the community and acts of kindness costing nothing. Let me and them know if you don't want to be in photos/involved. Sign up for the run here. Next week is also the third Wednesday of the month so it's our social. We'll be heading right next door to Batch after the run for a drink.

• Saturday 19th Jan is a big one for us! We'll be celebrating our third birthday, running/volunteering at Southwark parkrun and going to Surrey Docks Farm for mucking out, sweeping and animal time. I can't wait! Sign up to join us at parkrun here and for the starter session (all welcome!) to Surrey Docks Farm here.

• This Saturday is the next Cross Country fixture at Wormwood Scrubs. If you're part of the GoodGym Race Team come and join us! It's not as hilly as other courses so it's a great intro to the muddy fun of XC! Find out more here.

• Sunday Jan 13th is the GoodGym long run. Fancy getting some longer kms in with friendly faces and food at the end? It's going from Kew Bridge to Richmond for 18km, there's also a 13km option. Find out more and sign up here.

• I have 25 community place for the Big Half to shift! This means that instead of costing £40 they're an amazing £10! If you or anyone you know is interested in a place, whizz me an email and I'll send you the discount code - lucyj@goodgym.org - the more the merrier!

That's enough of the business

Last night a whopping 23 runners gathered at Old Spike Roastery with two missions in mind: Chopping, shovelling, sawing and snapping at Galleywall Nature Reserve and collecting abandoned Christmas Trees for the recycling point at Telegraph Hill Park.

There was an excited hum in the air in Old Spike, I have to say, it's good to be back! Helena took a sub team out to collect christmas trees to go off to a farm over on Telegraph Hill - watch the video and follow us on instagram here, whilst I lead 17 of us to our friends at Galleywall Nature Reserve.

A huge hello to Sasha, Chris, Lucy, Amelia, Sophie, Jenny and Gillian (core blimey that's a lot!) who all joined us for their first ever good deed this week. Woop woop!

Once we arrived at Galleywall we were met by Christine who promptly to set work: Sawing a large branch into logs for the fire, axing smaller bits of wood for kindling (tunrs out this takes a very special technique), shovelling compost from the compost bins into bags, breaking down branches and bagging them for kindling. The sawing was viewed with a little trepidation at first but soon the excitement and satisfaction of sawing yourself a bit of log over took. Lots of cheering happened as we blasted through the large brand provided to us and then went on to polish off another one. Amazing work! Many bags of kindling were collected and the compost bins very nearly completely emptied into bags.

Amazing work everyone! You can now add carpentry to your CV.

Unfortunately we couldn't stay for tea as we were a little late getting back to let the sub team into Old Spike, we found them hiding out in Batch next door with Gin and Beer (see photo) which looked like so much fun we joined them afterwards.

Subteam Christmas Collection gathered 14 trees! Great work!

Apparently it was slim pickings for trees until just before Helena's team headed back so well done on a big collection. It will help many a person trying to get down Christmas-Tree-jammed pavements and make sure the trees have a happy new life.

Phewf, a lot going on last night! And what a lot of fun! See you next week.

Lucy J

Southwark News

• Hannah Foote is about to reach her 50 (she's on 47) and we hope to see her on her fiftieth for a cheer! Lianne Cooper is also on the cusp of a big milestone. She's been injured for a while so we haven't seen her but we're hoping she comes to join us for her 100!

• This Saturday is a GoodGym bonanza! Start your day off at Tooting Parkrun where Wandsworth are providing pacing and many other GoodGymers will be along to support - sign up here. Then head to Waterloo Station for the 16k long run led by Frances Powrie - sign up here AND THEN after some recuperation, head to the Old Library for a night of music which is FREE to GoodGymers (just type in 'goodgym' on the promo code section) - get your ticket here.

• 24th November we're having a Christmas decorations party to get ready for the Christmas party - sign up here.

• 1st December is the one we've all been waiting for! It's the Christmas party! Theme is the first letter of your area. I've heard that Lambeth are going as Lord of the Rings. Can we top that? Sign up here.

• Next week we're going to Southwark Tigers on Burgess Park to paint the clubhouse store room. It's a 6km run overall, don't bring anything that you don't want to get paint on! Sign up here.

That's enough of the business

Last night we ran 6.2km overall to go to Crisis at Camberwell to change over the shop floor and sort donations. We split into four groups:

• Tagging clothes

• Sorting books and then jewelry

• Colour-coding a display wall

• Taking down a wall displays of frames and replacing it with a cosy winter display

We tagged a lot of clothes, finished the books and jewelry and completely transformed both wall displays. You should be very proud of your handiwork! We saved Anca so much time by getting this done for her this afternoon and therefore helping her to do more to make the shop as effective as possible in its mission to raise money for Crisis and promote the cause.

Before we left we did a boomerang/photo shoot to promote Crisis's Christmas campaign. This year you can buy a place for a homeless person at Crisis at Christmas. It's the perfect gift - find out more here.

Great work team, see you next week!

Lucy J

Southwark News

• This weekend was a big one for races! Oxford Half, Cardiff Half, Chester Marathon, Chicago Marathon and many others. Congratulations if you were racing!

• If you're part of the RaceTeam - or even if you're not! - they're choosing the big races to attend next year tonight at Somerset House. Find out more here.

• Dates for your diary! 1st December we are hosting the GoodGym Christmas party at the Old Library on Burgess Park. Wahoooo! Sign up page coming soon. We'll be having a Christmas decorations party before. AND 2019's GoodGym goes abroad trip is to Sofia - there's 5km, 10km and a half marathon. Get your flights whilst they're crazy cheap! Sign up here.

• It's officially headtorch season - here's a good'un for 6 quid.

• It's cross country season! If you're a GoodGym member you can become a member of the RaceTeam and join in cross country which runs all winter. Email axel@goodgym.org for more details

• Core blimey this is a lot of news.... next week we're running 6km overall to sort donations at Crisis. I love this task! Sign up here. AND next week is our social woohoo! We'll be going somewhere nearby for food and drinks after.

That's enough of the business

Last night we gathered as we do every Wednesday at Old Spike Roastery at 18.45 to leave at 19.00 and run to do good. We got in a bonus 0.8 km on the way out last night (woops sorry!) as we went to Galleywall Nature Reserve in Bermondsey. Galleywall Nature Reserve is a small plot of land which has been owned by Southwark Housing for decades. It was used by the adjacent Galleywall School for some time before the school closed. It has been maintained by a group of volunteers, the Friends of Galleywall Nature Reserve, since 2004, under an ongoing long-term agreement with the council. It has all sorts - a camp fire, Southwark's only composting toilet (see photos), a mini allotment and a permaculture area.

Our mission should we choose to accept? Plant three bushes and 40 daffodil bulbs

Jane set us about our task, the bulb planters were paired up with dibbers, trowels and forks and the bush-planters made a valiant effort with some very tough earth!

We absolutely stormed through the 40 daffodil bulbs and ended up with....

Over 100 bulbs planted!

The bush diggers ended up hitting some brick so that might need a bit more work another time! Jane will send us some photos in Spring so we can admire our handy work.

Great work team!

See you next week.

Lucy J

Southwark News

• This Saturday 8th September we're doing a parkrun takeover. Come join us in your GoodGym tshirt, we'll be going for coffee after at the cafe on the Rye. You don't have to offer to pace but if you'd like to, we're looking for 21, 23, 29, 31 minutes. Sign up here.

• Welcome to Darya, Alex **and Ben Ten** who joined us on their first ever group runs last night. Delighted to have you!

• Next week we're going to the Crisis charity shop in Camberwell to sort donations for their winter changeover. I am very excited! Sign up here.

• Peckham Festival are holding a fun run on 16th September. It would be awesome to have loads of GoodGym faces there. I'll set it up as a community mission, but in the meantime, find out more here.

That's enough of the business

The night are drawing in but that sure as heck won't stop us doing good! We gathered at Old Spike for a slightly-more-complicated-than-usual brief:

• Split into 3 groups running: 3km, 5km and 7km suprise (the surprise was hills...)

• Arm your group with posters and flyers for Peckham Festival's fun run, booklets for the festival and posters for #findAliceKing who went missing from the Catford area on 24th August.

• Come back to the Rye empty handed for 20.00 for fitness fun.

• Best team photo wins a prize (the prize was glory...)

Off we went.

Every team passed out all their leaflets and posters! Amazing job everyone!

Team 3km came back with a creative photo of them drinking much earned pints in front of a McPinty sign, Team 5km had a very arty shot of them in action as well as a photo clearly showing their leaflets and Team 7km surprise didn't quite manage the distance but had a brilliant photo opportunity in a phonebox (it's just asking for a caption competition). Team 3km and Team 5km drew on votes so we had a plank off which every member of the team participated in. Team 3km were the victors with planks of over 1 minute 10 seconds. Nice one! Whilst they were planking the rest of the group did rounds of 10 squats and 10 press ups.

Victories celebrated, we moved further into the Rye and away from traffic to do our favourite Sally Squats. Sally we love you!

An awesome evening, I know that Peckham Festival and #findAliceKing will be delighted. A heartfelt thank you.

See you next week!

Lucy J