Southwark News

• I still have some community places (£10 bargain!) for the Big Half. Send me an email to get the discount code lucyj@goodgym.org

• This weekend is Super Saturday! Come join us at Southwark parkrun for a 9am start and then come to a starter session to Surrey Docks Farm, leaving from Southwark park cafe at 10.20am. Not only all of this but we'll be celebrating Southwark's third birthday!

• Victoria turned 50 at the beginning of January and is now on 52 good deeds. That's a lot of good! Give her a cheer.

• Next week we're filling a skip at Southwark Tigers. It's a 6km run overall.

That's enough of the business

Last night 19 runners ran 5.5km overall to visit our friends at Crisis charity shop on Denmark Hill. We arrived at half seven on the dot. Anca was amazed at how many of us there were (great job!) and set up to work.

A big hello and welcome to Sharon, Frances, Aurelia and Sharon who joined us for the first time last night!

We split into two main groups:

• Visual merchandising - colour coding the display wall, arranging the jewellry displays, dressing a manequin

• Sorting donations - over the festive period Crisis were inundated with an amazing amount of donations. We sorted sellable form non-sellable and set out for recycling any toys or electrical items. There was also a team pricing books.

So many tasks to get done!

Team Donations sorted 64.4 lbs of non-sellable items for recycling. Solid work!

We got to work, finding all kinds of great items as we went, including a 'Wodent Wheel' which Dom commented

"Looks wheely valuable"

There was no way we'd get through all the fresh donations but we made a serious dent, Helena and Matt dressed a manequin as... of course... a runner! Great to have a GoodGym representative at the shop long-term!

Last but not least - places for Brighton Half and London Landmarks Half with the amazing Terence Higgins Trust at a special rate for GoodGymers

Terrence Higgins Trust is the leading and largest HIV and sexual health charity in the UK. We offer a range of services, from testing to counselling, fund life-changing research, and campaign for a world where people with HIV live healthy lives free from prejudice and discrimination, and good sexual health is a right and reality for all.

• Brighton Half: Sunday 24th February - Discount reg fee £10 (from £25) - Minimum sponsorship £200 • London Landmarks Half: Sunday 24th March - Discount reg fee £10 (from £30) - Minimum sponsorship £350

We'll be there to support you every step of the way! Here's what to expect: a welcome pack, THT t-shirt, a personalised THT running vest, regular email updates with training and fundraising tips, on the day support to cheer you to the finish line, and an invite to our “#TeamTHT Thank You Party" later in the year.

If this is the perfect challenge for you, get in touch with Laura laura.stock@tht.org.uk

Great work team, see you next week!

Southwark News

• Saturday was the GoodGym Christmas party at the Old Library where we varnished their floors not so long ago. It was an amazing evening with some stunning costumes (theme the first letter of your GoodGym area). Check out the photos here.

• Get your long run on in Waltham Forest fing out more here on Sunday 9th or try out track with the lovely Lambeth lot at Tooting Bec track - check it out here.

• Our own Emily McGovern is organising a Christmas lights fun run fundraiser on Tuesday 11th Dec - come run and look at London's festive lights in support of not one, not two, but THREE charities. Core blimey! Find out more and sign up here password: coolearth1

• Next week is to be confirmed but it will be either carol singing at a care home or running donations/packing up donations for Red Box Project period poverty charity. Keep an eye on the listing here.

That's enough of the business

Last night 10 runners ran 5.5km to Camberwell Salvation Army to wrap presents and put together food parcels to be distributed over the Christmas Period*

On arrival Janet welcomed us and split us into groups - four people wrapping books for younger children's presents and the rest taking food items down from the attic, sorting it into bags and taking them all back up to the attic!

Hello and welcome to Fiona, Chris and Nico who joined us for the first time last night!

The food bags had to contain: one soup, one baked beans, one pasta/rice and a mystery item (oooooh!). On 23rd December when they'll host their Christmas dinner, they'll be adding perishables - turkey and mince pies - to the packages. Janet says that this year they've had more referrals than before from social services for those that will struggle over Christmas so our work last night was really appreciated.

We wrapped 25 books and filled 73 food bags!

Having finished we went through a short core, glutes and hamstrings routine which certainly got those hammys saying hello!

Great work everyone, 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