Part 2 of Gazebo Check was in session this evening.

Dave and Jen were trying to stave off the jet lag, with help from Ebe, Dave, Jim and Jane this was done successfully!

3 gazebos were deemed in fully fit working order and all had a full set of sides. There is even a bag with spare roof and sides!

After a clear up of an over zealous sandbag. We were treated to an array of goodies and hot drinks before trotting off into the night.

First off, congratulations to Jim who completed his 10th good deed tonight, making him eligible to join the Task Force and 'just' 40 good deeds away from the black T-shirt. Jim describes his wardrobe as inspired by Wednesday Addams so the 50 good deeds tee will fit right in!

I got a bit sidetracked by Wednesday one-liners before writing the run report, this was the one that reminded me most of our group:

"I cause chaos. I don't succumb to it.”

Jim and I formed the cycling group to the Stacey Centre, meeting Sinéad (who'd run 9k beforehand), Laura and Tracey at the Stacey Centre Orchard.

Some other volunteers had been in and finished off our ball court weeding job so we were sent to clear the path at the back of the shed and vines to ensure a safe fire exit route. We made a lot of snails homeless which resulted in a slow race up the fencing to claim a new spot; we battled brambles and grappled with grapevines. Once we'd finished up the path was much clearer than it had been 45 minutes earlier.

We celebrated with a non-homemade sweet snack and then headed on back home for a variety of dinners.

Thanks everyone, look out for the next visit to Stacey Centre, Tom promised no rain!!

p.s. As it was too dark for any decent photos, I've included a pic of Kingston Rec at 5pm today featuring (if you look closely) a double 🌈

After the May Fayre, St Mary's Church found themselves in possession of four abandoned gazebos. Despite trying to reunite them with their owners, they remained unclaimed.

GoodGym were called in to test them all out to check they were fully-functioning and in decent condition. After testing they were structurally sound, we then donned their little gazebo hats and packed them away for use next spring. One of the four had to be discarded, along with a couple of the bags, but three have joined the ranks for regular use. Interestingly, there were five "hats", so there are even two of those spare for future use.

Despite a complete lack of appropriate terminology ("have you compressed your inner button?" was probably the phrase of the evening), teamwork made the dream work, and our task was complete.

Anna also gave us a run down on an upcoming interactive art installation coming to St Mary's, Stretch, which they are keen to have GoodGym support with. Keep your eyes peeled for more information, which I will share when it come!

Thanks Jim for bringing along son Thomas to his first ever GoodGym session!

Looking a bit mad and potentially dangerous, we ran down Hilsea Lines baring spades and pitchforks, before connecting back to Northern Parade to the location of our task. Two of the residents at Redbridge showed us where they wanted the vegetable garden located, and we worked together to decide on dimensions.

We may not have made a perfectly parallel patch (more of a trapezoid, for those who want specifics when it comes to quadrilaterals), but a huge amount of earth was turned over, ready for planting. Thomas was an absolute trench-edging pro, despite not having ever dug one before. New skill unlocked!

We had another pleasantly menacing run back to the Lido to round off the evening.