Eight GoodGym runners gathered at Edinburgh Street Food for this week's group run. It was a slightly longer route today with plenty of uphill, bit shout out to everyone for managing 7.5km and getting so mulch done with our task too!

Our task partner this week was Friends of the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links (FoMBL) — a volunteer‑led organisation dedicated to protecting, maintaining, and improving one of Edinburgh’s most iconic green spaces. FoMBL works year‑round on projects that support biodiversity, preserve heritage features, improve access, and keep the Meadows and Links welcoming for everyone who uses them: runners, dog walkers, families, students, and wildlife.

We were glad to meet up with our task coordinator today, Neil from FoMBL (20 years volunteering with the group!) was ready and waiting for us, equipped with wheelbarrows, spades, forks, and a clear plan for the evening. With tools in hand, the group split into two groups:

Group 1 had their work cut shifting and spreading mulch around newly planted trees to protect their young roots and retain moisture. Group 2 got down and dirty picking weeds along the walking paths.

After an hour of graft we managed to make good progress. We had been able to clear whole sections of path from weeds and a whole enclosure of new trees was freshly mulched.

Why FoMBL Matters — and How to Get Involved

FoMBL is powered almost entirely by local volunteers who care about the long‑term health of the Meadows and Links. Their work includes planting, maintenance, heritage projects, litter picking, and advocating for the protection of these historic spaces. They have a regular meet up on Friday, you can find out more and get involved on their website:

Anyone can get involved by joining the charity, attending volunteer days, or supporting their campaigns. Their website includes details on membership, upcoming activities, and ways to contribute: https://www.fombl.org.uk/

A Strong Showing from GoodGym Edinburgh

This was one of our longest and most energetic group runs yet, and the effort showed. The combination of distance, hills, and physical volunteering made for a proper GoodGym workout — and Neil seemed pleased with how much we managed to get done.

GoodGym Edinburgh is off to a strong start. It's a simple concept - meet, run, help, connect, repeat. It's great to see our little community starting to get established after only 3 weeks!

Shout out to Holly and Rory for their first runs, both made big contributions tonight.

Also shout out to Katie for becoming the first member of GoodGym Edinburgh to take on the Taskforce volunteer role!

Wow, what a great first session launching GoodGym Edinburgh with a bang!

Big shout out to all the runners and walkers who turned up for the debut Tuesday Group Run. We were joined by GoodGym CEO Hannah Crane who made the trip up from London to celebrate Scotland's first GoodGym community getting started.

We set off from Edinburgh Street Food with our running and walking groups and made good time down to Leith Community Croft where the incredible Ali from Earth In Common was on hand to share out tools, tell us about the work they do and talk us through what needed done.

I was blown away by how much weeding, wheelbarrowing, clearing and tidying up we were able to get through in a short space of time. The raised beds were looking in good shape once we were done, we had managed to clear a good chunk of material off site into a skip and made a good start on the market garden (potential for a follow up task here I think).

Finishing off with a 'Bring Sally Up' squat challenge before tucking into some discounted grub and drinks at Edinburgh Street Food was a real highlight for me. Looking forward to seeing what other kinds of short workouts we can squeeze into future runs!

A huge thank you to Places for People for their support in helping bring GoodGym Edinburgh to life. Their partnership has been key to getting this new community off the ground.

For the next sessions I'll be looking for helpers in run leading and photography. There are also opportunities to get involved in setting up tasks as a member of Taskforce. if you'd like to help out with GoodGym Edinburgh just drop me an email.

big love,

Dave