We welcomed Anne to her first GoodGym run tonight with a "Captain's Table" warm up game including some impressive pirate impressions from Rosie. Maxine showed us her new watch (thanks Primeday!) and Sarah, having the same watch and an IT background, was unable to answer the syncing question! Alex was modeling her nice new red T-shirt.

After plenty of deck scrubbing we headed up the road to the Naomi House shop. We arrived at the exact same time as the walkers, it's almost like we plan these things!

We haven't been up to the shop on a Wednesday for two whole months and the donations pen was full so we had plenty to get on with. There were some lovely fancy dress outfits this evening as well as a vintage St Micheal carrier bag with an outfit that wouldn't have looked out of place in Dallas or Dynasty. Sam unearthed a mankini among the donations - I wonder who will buy that!

Angela found some wings but that wasn't how she broke the ceiling... that was when we were filling up the "sorted" pen and it went very high, not knowing her own strength she threw a bag on top of the pile and cracked a ceiling tile in the process! Oops.

We stayed a bit over our time tonight so it was a quick run back, stretch outside the centre and then room emptying!

Don't forget there's an opportunity for good deeds on Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon this weekend. Next week we're off to St Swithun's school - could be painting or gardening so don't wear your best kit!

We were treated to a perfect summer evening for our group run this week, full of sunshine. A warm welcome to Alex and Angura who joined us for their first runs this evening. Give them a cheer on their profiles!

We met off base, at Hilsea Lido, and headed out for a quick run around Hilsea Lines in our pace groups, enjoying some of our very local trails.

Maura shared a lesson in running glamour: "You need pockets in your leggings for lip gloss, because you never know!"

When we finished our loop, we arrived back at the Lido and were tasked with watering some new plants that have been planted and touching up the paintwork. Kat was happy touching up the bottom.

After all the hard work, some of the group took on swimming some lengths in the pool to cool off as the sun set and Katie was kind enough to come prepared with a box of mugs and selection of tea and biscuits!

Before we got started there were lots of notices, so here's a quick recap...

• Tomorrow there's a community mission at 1245 - details here
• Next week we're meeting at Hilsea Lido not at Fratton CC sign up here and bring your swimmers!
• Next Thursday there's a community mission to set up a Bollywood night.
• Next Saturday (6th July) there's the Southsea Beachwatch beach clean
• Next Sunday (7th July) there's the Great Salterns Litter Pick. Keep Judy company and have a nice cafe stop in Baffins afterwards!

As we'd had a lot of notices and a couple of last minute arrivals (no names mentioned here!) our warm up was incorporated into our run down to Goldsmith Avenue. Tracey and Jo North walked the hypotenuse of the triangle while we ran the two sides, with a bit of drama caused by Maura and a bollard on the way - not sure who won that fight but the first aid kit did have to come out! We all arrived within a few minutes of each other so no harm done.

We all set to work pulling up the weeds & cutting back trees in the garden of Diana House, PARCS building where they run groups and counseling services. We learnt that Jen has a personal vendetta against buddleia plants as she hacked her way through one - her and Sadik managed to completely dig it out by the end of the task. Steve was boldly path finding at the back of the garden and disturbed a bumble bee from its nest - so we decided that we should leave that area but use the moment for the run report title!

Charlotte was hiding in amongst the bushes and managed to still have tools in hand when time was called! Rachel was also still doing battle with the final stubborn bits of ivy on the fence and Kat was bailing out the fountain while Sam, Jen, Angela and Sadik rehang the solar lights.

A great job done by all (as usual). The PARCS staff commented that they couldn't believe how much we got cleared in the time. We easily filled the brown bin plus 10 bin bags! We were rewarded for our efforts with flapjacks / shortbread and bottles of water. After running the short route back to Fratton we did some half lap relays in the Rec to work up a good sweat (check out Maxine & Rosie with their flying feet on the photos!) and then headed back to the community centre for a slice of watermelon, kindly provided by Sam. Thanks Sam :)

See you all again soon for more GoodGym fun. Great to see all the red t-shirts now too!

We arrived at the community centre in time to met Rex the dinosaur and to help set up the preloved clothes store which involved getting in the scary lift and lugging lots of boxes!

We then donned the hi viz and grabbed the collecting buckets and helped marshal the parade around Fratton to deliver the time capsule to the church vaults. We were asked to think about what we would like to see in the local area in 10 years when they open the time capsule. T

We got a quick photo op with the Lord Mayor, David Fuller and our Portsmouth South MP, Stephen Morgan. Then we headed back to the community centre for a browse of the stalls and more drumming from batala. We had a great couple of hours in Fratton! Big shout out to Fratton Big Local & the team at the community centre for their hard work in organising the event.

In true GoodGym spirit no-one let the weather put them off some good deeds!

Welcome to Toni for her first ever GoodGym experience - give her a cheer on the website, we hope the next run is a dryer one! Also welcome back to Alex from GoodGym Central who last visited us on our launch run but specifically made sure he planned his council meeting so he could come along to a group run.

Tony, Rohima and Lucy made up the walking group tonight and hot footed it down the road towards the task. Hopefully Lucy had time to pick Tony's brain for top ultra running tips as she's signed herself up for 100km in September - good luck Lucy!

Everyone else headed into the grounds of St Mary's to terrify some poor man who looked up to find groups of 3 GoodGymers running, bouncing and skipping towards him!

Somehow, the stars had aligned as well as the clouds and we had an indoor task booked in tonight - result! Once we had run to the church hall it was time to dry out & get creative at St Cuthberts, decorating jars for the tombola then filling them with prizes for either adults or children. Jo was feeling non=creative so opted to stay in the kitchen and remove the labels from some of the donated jars. Once the stickers came out and shiny bits and pieces were discovered everyone else discovered their creative side and got decorating. Angela's creative side is obviously well used in her job & she was inspired to make a jar that matched her hat. Some lovely examples of all the jars in the photos and check out Tracey (in her GoodGym t-shirt!!!!) giving us the saleswoman posed by a selection of the jars.

There were a few comments about how this task was like art therapy or a hen do, hopefully the visitors to the fayre on Saturday will be suitably impressed! (11-3 if you want to pop down).

Kat observed:

it's the kind of night you'd want to get in your jim jams, instead we've got GoodGym jam jars!

As always, it was impressive what we got done in the time, great team work!

A quicker session than planned on the parkletics on the way home and a few who couldn't resist the temptation of the zip wire in the playground and all of a sudden it was 8pm and we were back at the community centre. Time flies when you're having fun.

Our name is obviously getting known in the church circles as tomorrow we have a community mission to St Nicholas' in Copnor and next week we're off to tackle the garden at St Faiths (we usually get a cuppa after our hard work there too!). Hope to see you at a group run / community mission very soon.

Don't forget we also have our midsummer run on Friday 21st June - hopefully it will feel a little more like summer by then!