Well, what a turnout. No fewer than 28 GoodGymers – including GG visitors, faces we’d not seen for a while, and a couple of new folks – crowded round a table in Wholefoods ahead of our Richmond Group Run. After the briefing, we headed over to the Green to warm up (how many more times will we get to enjoy a warm-up on the grass this year?), with Mark taking us through our paces with a variety of (pretty complex and confusing) exercises in motion.

GoodGym Richmond gets moving on a Monday! #warmup #moves #crab #squat #dance #fun #volunteering #runninggroup #Richmond pic.twitter.com/w1qwKyPVw4

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) September 3, 2019

Suitably warmed up, the main group set off for the undulating hill run up the Church road – down the Kings and up the Queens … Nearly a full house! Chatting was constant until we hit Queens Road and then we experienced the HUSH ON THE HILL. It was like I had gone deaf as the runners set there sights on the top and made focus strides to conquer the hill (last dulation). Meanwhile the walkers power walked through the remains of Richmond Palace (learning a little of the local history on the way), along the river front and up Richmond Hill to the Vineyard, resisting the temptation to pop into the pub next door on the way...

Running drills where try to leave each other , but none of us really want to! #staytogether #runtogether #runninggroup #goodgym #volunteering #richmond pic.twitter.com/d2VsURdKU7

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) September 3, 2019

So, what does The Vineyard do? Pretty much everything you can imagine to support the needy in the community: a morning drop-in for people in crisis (through homelessness, addiction or mental or social difficulty), a foodbank providing emergency food for local people in need, a skills and training social enterprise for those hoping to move forward from crisis, personal health advice towards appropriate treatment and care, and a charity selling clothing and providing clothing support for rough sleepers and household goods for those newly homed after being on the streets. It really is a mega-charity right here in Richmond.

It was December when we were last there, doing a combination of clothes sorting and leafleting, and this time is was nice to spend a balmy evening in the garden. It was lucky there were so many of us because the task was a BIG one. The centre had been closed for some weeks of building work and with the new season fast approaching, had their work cut out to be ready in time. Enter GoodGym. Lists of jobs were handed round and the group divided into small teams to conquer each one. As is our way, everyone rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in – sweeping, sawing, shoveling, compost-spreading, dismantling, lifting, stacking, leaf-blowing (when the plug wasn’t being pulled out by mistake…) and generally tidying the place up inside and out.

It’s amazing to see a team working in harmony and ploughing through the tasks, and before long the garden was looking fantastic – as far as we could tell as dusk descended on us, anyway! Before sending us off on our way back to town, task owner Desiree surprised us with an amazing reward of more delicious Hummingbird Bakery cupcakes than even 28 of us could manage. After a quick photo on the benches inside, we headed back to Wholefoods to warm down, before gathering in the Tap Tavern for our monthly social.

Welcome to Ciara and Naveed on your first Richmond run and welcome back to Jon for his second run with us. Wonderful to welcome over two Hounslow folk Remy and Michelle as well. Hope to see all of you back soon!

Some unusual but festive characters turned up at Wholefoods this evening, including a couple of reindeers, an elf and a santa or two! We must have looked great as the head of Wholefoods jumped in to take our group picture around the tree! After hearing about the amazing community missions completed over the weekend and some information about ones coming up, we got outside into the cold. A quick head count and into an active warm up in Mark's new favourite alley and then we set off up the hill that is Church Road, and back down the Star and Garter Hill, before heading along Richmond riverside (luckily avoiding Nightingale Lane this time - Phew!) then over the bridge. Once over the water we did a hard left to continue along the river on the other side before our staggered arrival at Lynde House Care Home in East Twickenham (some of us may have got a bit lost - Oh deer!!!).

It was wonderful to return to the care home after visiting last year for a Christmas carol sing-a-long with a local choir. We gathered in the main room then dispersed to assemble and decorate not one, not two but SIX Christmas trees in different rooms of the care home. Many of us had to put our temptations aside to avoid the delicious mince pies and mulled wine that were kindly put out for us to make sure we got the trees finished in time. (Mulled Wine and Mince pies - ho ho ho!!! we are spoilt!) Debates began to rise: Beads or no beads? Red or gold? Tinsel or no tinsel? Less is more or more is more? Fortunately we were able to put our stylistic differences aside to focus on the job in hand and all six trees were completed. The big one even had impressive decorative presents under the tree that light up!

We rounded up our Bing Crosby scene with a mandatory FESTIVE group photo beside the big tree and a quick Jingle Bells on the piano then we tackled the much shorter 2km route back to Wholefoods. Have fun deciding who decorated their tree the best - check out the photos!

Welcome to Jon for his first run with GG tonight!

Next week is a trio of tasks so look forward to making good things happen with you all once again!