0 Month Streak
Tue 15th Oct 2019 at 6:15pm
Bath Report written by Sam Ollason
A team of GoodGym volunteers ran around Bear Flat in Bath to deliver flyers for Send a Cow. We ran over 5km in total and went up and down lots of hills! It was rewarding to spread the message of a great charity and also it was fantastic training for us.
Welcome, Ben and Frankie!
We had two new runners meet us at the Leisure Centre. We welcomed Ben for his ever first run with GoodGym and we also welcomed Frankie who usually runs in London. Thanks to both of you for coming along and getting involved. We hope you can come and help us out again soon!
Send a Cow are a charity that do lots of development work in Africa. They have been working with communities there for over 30 years. Last night we delivered flyers advertising their charity places in the 2020 Bath Half. This is a great event that attracts thousands of people to our great city every year. To say thanks, the Send a Cow team have offered us a GoodGym discount. If you are interested then message me!
We split into two groups for this task. Emily lead a group around Holloway and the lower parts of Bear Flat. I took a group up towards the entrance of Entry Hill and then we worked our way back down towards The Bear along the residential roads.
There were some excitable dogs in some of the houses but fortunately no one suffered the fate of the unfortunate post person in cartoons ! We also managed to handout some leaflets (and promote running with GoodGym!) to residents on their way home who were interested. Good marketing effort, runners!
Well done!
Overall we delivered over 700 flyers! That's a fantastic achievement for just over an hour of work! It was a hilly run and I know there were some heavy legs at the end of the evening, so well done for sticking at it.
Thanks!
Thanks to the team at Send a Cow for a great task and thanks to Emily for leading half of the group last night. Also, thanks to Emily for the pun this week.
Upcoming runs
Tue 30th Jul 2019 at 6:15pm
Bath Report written by Sam Ollason
10 GoodGym volunteers put on their gardening gloves to help out at the community garden at Donkey Lane in Bath. We removed bindweed, controlled some rampant mint and cleared some overgrown paths. It was a hilly run but we were rewarded with amazing views over Bath!
Welcome Richard!
After meeting at the leisure centre we gathered into a group and welcomed a new runner, Richard, to his first GoodGym run. Thanks for coming along and helping us out last night, Richard. We hope you will come back again and give us a hand in the future!
Congrats on 50 good deeds, Allie!
A massive congratulations to Allie who was earning her 50th good deed with us at the task! Getting to 50 is a fantastic milestone and you will be rewarded with a shiny new black running top!
Hilly run, time for a silly pun
We ran through town, up the hilly Lansdown road, down Camden Crescent and along Perfect View to Donkey Lane. This was a particularly hilly route but it was fantastic training for us. Plus we got to see some of the best views over Bath (after all, the place is literally called Perfect View!!).
What a time to be a-chive!
Our hosts, Sue and Jeremy, welcomed us to the garden and, as we caught our breath, gave us an overview of the project and the tasks at hand. The community garden is maintained by Sue and Jeremy but anyone is welcome to help out and enjoy the fruit, veg and herbs that are grown there. Some of the things grown there include apples, Japanese wineberries, chives and mint. We had three main tasks and we split into groups to make sure we got everything done on time.
Pathway to heaven
One group was tasked with clearing the path that meanders around the garden. With the recent good weather, the path has become overrun with weeds and plants and it was very hard for the gardeners to move around and tend their produce. The group used an array of tools (and a good deal of determination!) to clear the path. This makes the path far more accessible and a lot safer and the volunteers who maintain the garden will now be able to get to work.
We prefer to shear-mint instead of spearmint!
Another group were in charge of controlling a patch of mint. It has become overgrown and is invading other parts of the garden so the team of volunteers used their shears to cut it back to a manageable level. The breeze was blowing up the hill and we were all rewarded by the refreshing scent of the freshly cut mint.
One pun to rule them all ... and in the darkness, bind(weed) them!
The final group had a task that required concentration and a great deal of patience. They spent the evening using their nimble fingers to untangle bindweed from the shrubs and plants it was strangling. Bindweed is a very aggressive plant that wraps itself very tightly around stems, shoots and leaves. The team had to be careful not to pull up any of the 'host' plants by accident and make sure just to remove the bindweed. It was a very satisfying job once it was done.
Sue and Jeremy were really pleased with the work we managed to get done. We managed to get so much done in such a short space of time, and it just goes to show what a positive impact we can make to community projects like this.
To say thanks, we were kindly offered some Japanese wineberries that we plucked off the vine. What a delicious treat!
Thanks!
Thanks to Mary for the pun this week and thanks to Emily for backmarking for us to make sure noone got left behind. And many thanks to Sue and Jeremy for hosting us! We shall return!
Upcoming runs
Tue 18th Jun 2019 at 6:15pm
Bath Report written by Sam Ollason
17 GoodGym volunteers ran to Victoria Park to tidy the play area and the skatepark. We did some litter picking and raked the sand in the play areas. Lots of people and young families use this space and we were proud to help keep it safe and clean for all to use.
All hail Clean Mary!
We met at the leisure centre and crossed our fingers that the rain wouldn't come back! Firstly, we awarded Mary a custom t-shirt to celebrate her 200 runs milestone that she recently smashed. Now she has two 'Clean Mary' t-shirts to wear when she goes out running! Well done Mary! Keep up the running!!
I then shared running news from the past weekend. Several of took part in a fantastic Running Omnium that was part of the Top of the Gorge festival in Cheddar. It was great fun and we got really cool medals! Hopefully see some of you there next year.
We also got involved in a great Community Mission at the weekend where we ran to help out at the annual Sunday Funday organised by the team at St James and St Phillips' church.
The Great Get Together
I talked about The Great Get Together which is a project that GoodGym groups across the country are partnering with this week. The project was set up to remember Jo Cox who was killed three years ago. The aim of the initiative is to celebrate the things that bring us together and what we have in common and to reject divisive politics that tear our communities apart.
We all reflected that although we are from different walks of life the one thing we all have in common is a love of running and helping our community. We wore some stickers and wristbands to show our support for coming together and being part of an inclusive community.
After our warm-up we took the scenic route to the play park. We ran through Bath city centre, around The Circus and past the Royal Crescent. What beautiful city we get to run in!
The Rake Get Together
We made it to the park and surveyed the task ahead. After passing out the pickers some of the runners got on their way picking litter from all around the park. There hasn't been too much rubbish dropped lately because of the poor weather ... but there was still too much for us to bear and so we took action!
In for a penny in for a pound
Some of the more interesting things we found were a £1 coin, half of a lego person and a bike chain. We also found a plastic 'skate' on wheels in the bushes. Unsure exactly how this got there (or even what it is for!?) but we dug it out and safely removed it anyway!
Come and give us a sand with this work!
Lots of sand escapes from the play areas out onto the path which can make it slippery and dangerous to walk across. We shovelled a load of it from the path back into the sand pit and then raked it in.
At the end of the task we admired our hard work from the vantage point of one of the climbing frames. We climbed up and had a picture looking out across the sands.
Upcoming runs
Tue 30th Apr 2019 at 6:15pm
Bath Report written by Sam Ollason
On a warm Spring evening 10 runners took a very hilly route to help out at St Phillps and St James' Church in Odd Down, Bath. We scrubbed and cleared grouting between paving stones ahead of new grouting being laid later in the year. We managed to run nearly 8km and gain an elevation of over 170m!
Welcome Una!
We met outside the leisure centre and we welcomed a new runner, Una, to the group. Thanks for coming along to join us, Una, and we hope that you will come back and volunteer with us again! A note for everyone: we have new runners join us nearly every week and so if there is anyone you know that you think could benefit from what GoodGym has to offer then bring them down for a taster!
I shared the news about the awesome Community Missions (here and here) that were completed by some of our really outgoing runners at the weekend. I also shared news about the monthy pub-quiz that we took part in last week (we had lots of fun but we didn't exactly win....) at St James Wine Vaults.
After a brisk warm-up we were on our way!
A hill-ariously fun task!
We ran up Holloway, through Bear Flat and then up Bloomfield Drive. This is a very steep hill in Bath and we were very pleased with ourselves for pushing on and getting to the top. We were rewarded with some beautiful views of Bath in the Spring time.
We met our host, Andy, at the task. We have been helping out Andy and his team for the past few years and he was excited to have us back to give him a hand. He had kindly provided some drinks and refreshments for us to keep our energy levels up, and then we were on with the task.
Our n' aGrout in Bath!
Our challenge was to dig and scrape the mud and old grouting that was stuck between the paving slabs at the front and back of the church. As well as the regular services that are held at the Church there are also a multitude of community groups that use the various spaces there every night of the week! Because of this the paving stones are well-used and they need to be re-grouted to make sure they stay safe.
No time for mossing about!
We split into teams for this task, with half of us at the back of the church and half at the front, and chose our tools! Andy had provided us with kitchen knives, chisels and trowels and some tough brushes to remove the stuff stuck between the slabs.
No weeds here!
Time was up against us as there was a lot to do! Another challenge that meant things took longer than expected was that everytime we removed some stuff from betweent the slabs it kept falling back down the gaps as we tried to brush it away. We had to make sure we coordiated our actions and worked well as a team to be as effective as possible.
When it was time for us to leave Andy was really happy with what we had accomplished. Hopefully we can come back later in the summer to re-grout the paving stones now that they have been cleaned and prepared.
Thanks!
Thanks to Emily for backmarking for us this week on the run, thanks to Joe for the awesome double pun this week and thanks to Andy for hosting us for a fun outdoors task. We will return!
Upcoming runs:
Tue 23rd Apr 2019 at 6:15pm
Bath Report written by Sam Ollason
On a humid April evening 16 volunteers ran to Donkey Lane near Perfect View in Bath. We did lots of useful cutting and weeding at the community gardening project there. We had lots of fun and did some great hill training!
Welcome!
We met outside the leisure centre and I shared the latest news and notices. We have organised 2 fantastic Community Missions for this weekend. See the bottom of the run for details! After a warm-up we were on our way.
"H'ill stop us running up hills one day..."
We ran up Walcott Street and up the steep steps in Hedgemead Park. This really burned the quadriceps and was a fantastic workout for us all! We paused at the top to catch our breath and (did some tricep dips in the meantime!) made it to Donkey Lane with plenty of time.
No foaling around!
Our host, Sue, was ready and waiting for us. Donkey Lane is a community garden that is managed by Transition Bath. The garden is run entirely by volunteers and anyone is welcome to come and help improve the garden and enjoy the produce. They grow an assortment of fruit and veg, including apples and kale!
There was lots of work for us to do and Sue split us into groups.
Nettle the devil you know!
Some of the runners were using shears to cut down nettles and large weeds on the side of the path. With all the good weather we have been enjoying recently they have started to run wild! This useful work helps keen the pathway clear and safe which is good for the gardeners and also other members of the public using the Donkey Lane foothpath.
We'ed never give up!
Another group spent the evening on their hands and knees with an assortment of tools to improve the path that runs inside the garden. The GoodGymmers were using trowels and even knives and forks to remove weeds from the path. To make sure we didn't damage the path, we made sure to use our tools to cut the weeds at their base instead of pulling them straight out from the root. Our hard work made a massive difference to the look of the path. The path is clearer and safer for gardeners to use and it also makes it clear to the public that the area is a tended community garden and not an overgrown patch of land.
A forkin' hard bit of work!
Other runners were using pitch forks to turn over some ground to make it more suitable for planting later in the year. This was tough work as the ground hasn't been worked for a while!
WELL DONE QUEEN MARY!!
We took a moment to honour a well-travelled member of our group. This task was Mary's 199th good deed and her coach run later this week will be her 200th. This is a massive achievement that we wanted to recognise, so Steph, in classic GoodGym spirit, presented Mary with an amazing '200' t-shirt complete with buttons and rubber gloves that she had made at home. And of course we insisted that Mary wore the top on the run back! What an inspiration to us all.
On our run back we paused to watch a group of Morris dancers in the centre of Bath. There was discussion about combining our cool-down into some kind of dance procession to match them as a rival group...
Thanks!
Thanks to Emily for backmarking for us last night and making sure no one got lost! Thanks to Joe for another brilliant pun! Thanks to Steph for helping me take pictures and thanks to Sue for hosting us at the task. We had lots of fun and we will be back soon (hopefully at harvest time!!!).
Upcoming runs
Tue 16th Apr 2019 at 6:15pm
Bath Report written by Sam Ollason
A massive group of 21 runners ran along the canal path to Cleveland Pools. We did lots of jobs to help keep the grounds clean and safe. It was really exciting to contribute towards a historic and important part of Bath! We ran 3km in total.
Welcome Anni!
We met outside the leisure centre and I gave the introduction talk. We welcomed Anni to her first GoodGym run. It was great to have you come and join us, we hope you come back again!
After a quick warm-up we were on our way. We took the scenic route and enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the canal path. I encouraged the runners to do some exercises by the side of the canal and we formed a conga line of walking lunges!
You don't pool me!
Our host, Sally, met us at the pools. The building and swimming areas at Cleveland pools date back to the Georgian period. In fact, it is the last surviving lido (outdoor swimming pool) that still exists in the UK. It fell into disrepair and hasn't been used since the 1980's. We have been to help maintain the grounds of the pool before, but since we last visited the team there have worked tirelessly to secured a game-changing amount of National Lottery funding. Hopefully with a further bit of fundraising the team can look to get regeneration work started and open up to the public again in the next few years.
Sally had lots of work for us to do and we split into teams.
Pool me once, shame on you. Pool me twice, shame on me!
A group of us donned our gardening gloves and tidied the grassy banks around the pool. We removed lots of sticky weeds, ivy and general weeds from the grounds and disposed of them. This is to stop them taking over the whole area!
We have hidden depths
A duo of runners worked together to 'fish' various weeds and plants out of the pool. They filled two wheelbarrows full of their treasure! Great work! Luckily we had Mark, our trained lifeguard, keeping an eye on things on this task! Thanks, Mark!
Another team were trusted with hand-held scythes and saws to cut down some aggressive stinging nettles that were taking over a patch of land. Their removal will make it easier for builders to eventually get work started.
Better great than never ... April pools!
A few of our number picked sycamore seedlings from the ground surrounding the buildings. If left, these seedlings will grow into fully-fledged trees which can disrupt the foundations of the buildings. It was an important job to nip in the bud!
Some of the runners worked together to clear other weeds and old tree roots that surrounded the old changing rooms. These pesky roots were starting to disrupt the brickwork and removing them means more of the buildings can be salvaged.
An old bra came to support us!
The rest of the runners were hunting in the disturbed ground near the entrance to the pools. They were acting like Indiana Jones and searching for any ceramic pieces of pottery that has been swallowed by the mud over the many years that the pool was used. We filled several tubs and the plan is for them to be made into a large mosaic by schoolchildren. Some of the odder things we found were half of a Lego character, a small rubber monkey and a very old and very disgusting bra!
Overall, it was great to spend the evening outside in the fresh air and make a valuable contribution to an important piece of our heritage in our wonderful city. Sally was really pleased with how much work we got done and we were really proud of our efforts.
Thanks!
Thanks Steph for backmarking for us and thanks to Sally for hosting us. Thanks for the pun this week, Catrin, and thanks to everyone for all the other puns included in the report!
Upcoming runs
Wednesday 10th April 2019
Joe Kenward done 100 good deeds with GoodGym.
Joe has just reached another level: 100 good deeds with GoodGym. That's at least 100 times when they could have easily done something easier. But they didn't, Joe has kept going and going. Helping a lot of other people and getting a bit fitter at the same time. Congratulations Joe.
Tue 9th Apr 2019 at 6:15pm
Bath Report written by Sam Ollason
A group of volunteers ran along the canal path to the community garden at Alice Park. We did some fun tasks to help improve the fantastic community-led gardening project that is based there. We had lots of fun and enjoyed being outside in nature for the evening.
Well done on 100, Joe!
We met at our usual spot outside the leisure centre in town and I shared the latest news with the group. The first item on the agenda was a massive congratulations to Joe (our very own 'Master of all things punny') who was going to be earning his 100th good deed that evening. Well done, Joe! This is an incredible achievement and something for us to all aspire towards.
Welcome Alice and Richard!
It was great to welcome Alice and Richard who were 'on tour' from GoodGym Bristol. Thanks for coming over and lending a hand at the task last night and please come back soon!
In other news I have a meeting with some of the team from GoodGym HQ next week so please let me know if you have any feedback or questions you want me to pass on. Emily also shared news about a fantastic race/event coming up soon at Cheddar Gorge that some of us have signed up to; see the link below at the bottom for more info! I then introduced the task for the evening, we did a warm-up as a group and then we got on our way.
It was just the one swan, actually!
We are blessed in Bath being based near a beautiful and peaceful canal path. We chose to run along this route (pausing to do some walking lunges on the way) where we spotted some swans in the canal. We were speedy and made it to Alice Park with plenty of time.
We met our host, Kathy, at the park and she gave an introduction to the project for those who hadn't visited before. A group of volunteers transformed a section of Alice Park (off to the left behind the hedge) into a community gardening project over 10 years ago. The team of volunteers have cultivated the land and grow a variety of produce including fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. Absolutely anyone can get involved and help with the gardening tasks and also everyone is welcome to enjoy the produce of the garden that is grown for free (although a small donation or some time to help out in the garden is really appreciated!)
We had 3 main tasks last night and we split into groups to make the best use of our time.
Will(ow) they or won't they?
One group spent the evening organising and preparing willow branches. There was a big pile of them left to one side of the garden and the team had to find some decent-sized branches, use some loppers to cut off the smaller shoots and then neatly pile them up.
Old sage and wisdom
Another team used the willow branches to make a fence around a bed of flowers. There have been lots of excited dogs that like to jump into the flowers and herbs that grow in the bed and it is hoped that the new fence will act as a barrier to stop them! Kathy showed the group of runners how to weave the willow together around some stakes in the ground to make a secure barrier using the tension in the wood. This required patience and team work from the volunteers to make sure that there were no gaps and that the fence had structural integrity. Nice work team!
I'm not mud, I'm just disappointed
The third team were sieving compost (yes, that is actually a thing that people do!). This was a fun (and muddy!) task to get involved with. The compost has been maturing in a container since the last time we visited and 'turned' the compost before Christmas. Our task here was to use a mesh net and a bucket to sieve out any sticks, stones, large pieces of mud or snail shells from the compost. We then spread it over a flower bed to make the perfect environment for growing new plants. Among the compost we found a rather large grub that we think will turn into a beetle (which is really good for the health of the garden) and we made sure to tuck him back into the remaining compost.
Thanks Kathy - we shall return!
We sad goodbye and thanks to Kathy for taking the time to host us for the evening. We had lots of fun and we will be returning again in a few months time. Thanks Kathy!
Thanks!
Thanks to Ollie for kindly offering to backmark for us and thanks to Joe for the awesome multi-dimensional pun this week!
Upcoming runs:
Tue 2nd Apr 2019 at 6:15pm
Bath Report written by Sam Ollason
On a sunny Tuesday evening, 19 of us ran to The Nest Project in Bath. We sorted and organised a heap of donated childrens' clothes and then ran them up the stairs to store they away in boxes. This was a really rewarding task that we enjoyed a lot and we were thrilled to run over 8km overall.
Welcome Jamie and Paddy!
After meeting inside the leisure centre we formed a large circle outside in the forecourt. We welcomed two new runners, Jamie and Paddy to the team. We hope you both come back and join us again for some volunteering! After introducing the task, running through the risk assessment and warming up we headed on our way.
Good to see you again, Sam!
We were delighted to have one of our top GoodGym members, Sam P, who used his day off to come back to Bath and run with us again. Great to see you, Sam, and thanks for your help last night! Hopefully we will see more of you soon!
Pub quiz last week
On the last Thursday of every month we field a team in the pub quiz at St James Wine Vaults. Thanks for Emma for organising this and well done to the group who represented us last week!
You've seen the rest, but then there's The Nest!
The Nest Project is based in Brassmill Enterprise Centre in Lower Weston, near the Locksbrook Inn. This was the first group run of 2019 where it was light enough to run along the river. We were delighted to be running along the Avon and enjoying the wildlife and the scenery! We even managed to get in some extra training in the form of tricep dips on the wooden fences along the river path.
We made it to the task in good time, eager for the task ahead!
Our host, Pip, met us at the task. She is one of the volunteers who coordinates the project and she gave us an overview of what the team there do. They receive donations of children's clothes and equipment for ages 0-5years. Anyone from the community can come and ask for clothes, completely free of charge. This is a fantastic charity and a great community asset that we love going back to help.
The task for the evening was to sort a small mountain of donated clothes into different sections, based on gender and age. There were 10 different categories in the end and we made sure to stay organised with signs on the floor and by placing boy's clothes in front of the plastic tubs and girl's clothes inside the tubs.
Dress to impress!
Among the clothes, some of the best finds were a pair of cute little converse shoes, a wonderful red hat and, strangely enough ... a bra!
Time flies by at The Nest!
After our organising, we then formed a line and ran the clothes up to the storage areas upstairs. This will make it easier for the team of volunteers to distribute the clothes to families who come to the project.
Thanks!
Thanks to Pip for helping arranging this task and spending her Tuesday evening facilitating us! Thanks also to Chris and Emily for backmarking for us last night and thanks to Sam P for the pun.
Upcoming runs
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