Southwark News

• Next week we're going to Surrey Docks Farm - it's a 10km run overall but there's the option to get the overground back. Yay! Surrey Docks Farm means goats and pigs and sheep and loveliness. Come join the fun. Find out more and sign up here.

• This Sunday is the London Marathon! There will be a GoodGym cheer squad outside Somerset House around mile 25 - where they really need you! Hopefully we'll have the banner so we'll be easy to spot. Sign up here. If you're running it, you can comment your number on this page here so we can track you and give you a big old cheer!

• Saturday 18th May Friends of Nunhead Cemetery are having an Open Day and need help setting up. Find out more and sign up here.

• Dulwich parkrun takeover on 1st June! We'll be providing all volunteer positions and pacing (if we have enough volunteers!). Find out more and fill in the spreadsheet here.

That's enough of the business

Last night we gathered at Old Spike Roastery as usual to run 5km to help School Food Matters unload 3 tonnes of compost and then run back 5km back. A busy evening!

We set off bang on 7pm to make it on time and arrived at St Paul's Primary school ready to go. Unfortunately no one was home and after buzzing a few times, doing several laps of the school and calling various numbers, we had to concede defeat. School Food Matters got in touch with me today to apologise, they're not sure what happened and are very sorry as they expected Roy the premises manager to be there.

On the way over we'd spotted a brand new looking adventure playground in Burgess park so that's where we headed! First off we did the Burgess Park rollercoaster focusing on up and downhill running form and then - playtime!

A huge hello and welcome to Lara who came for her first group run last night AND ran the furthest she's ever run!

We made good use of the playground - swings, slides and all. Nothing like a good play! Then we set off home.

Sorry about the task team, next week will be a corker!

See you then, Lucy J

Southwark News

• This weekend - run long with us on Sunday morning, 15km starting at Brixton station, one group led by Dom, one by me find out more and sign up here.

• Sunday afternoon - Back by popular demand! Meet up with the smashing Lambeth lot at Tooting Bec track for a track session. Intervals aimed at improving your running technique with pub after. Find out more and sign up here.

• Tuesday 26th Feb Emily is hosting a fundraising pub quiz night in Westminster - help them in their amazing aim to raise £2500 for three fantastic charities. Find out more here.

• Thursday 28th Feb Matt Guy is holding a fundraiser for Westminster House at Batch. It's an evening of short films on running (called 'Running Shorts' oh the pun joy!) - tickets come with a free drink get them here.

• Next week we need ALL HANDS ON DECK for moving a large amount of mulch for Barnaby at Bee Urban. It's an 8k roundtrip and we'll be leaving at 7pm promptly. Sign up for the run here.

That's enough of the business

Last night 17 runners gathered at Batch (Old Spike is having some works done) and immediately were put to work folding leaflets. We had over 200 leaflets to post through letter boxes and stick on lampost/bus stops for Food2You an amazing new service addressing malnutrition and risk of malnutrition amongst older people. Completely volunteer run, it provides a shopping and delivery service for older people and we're helping spread the word!

Last night was special for a few reasons. 1st: Dee, a stalwart Southwark member, left us back in Spring to move (very far) away and came to visit us! 2nd: My first run leading Southwark was 1 whole year ago! The pun was 'Hello, is it me you're leafletting for?' (yep still happy with that). I was blown away by receiving presents and a round of applause. Yes, there was at least one tear.

The runners are GoodGym, without you we are nothing, you are magic

The group split into four groups with different running routes: two 7ish kms, a 3km and a 5km. We all met on Peckham Rye on our favourite corner of Peckham Rye to play games!

Play can add joy to life, relieve stress, supercharge learning, and connect you to others and the world around you.

We played several rounds of Shark Attack, a big game of What's The Time Mr Wolf (once we'd worked out the rules....) and a slippy-slidey round of Squat Squat Goose. You're never too old to play!

We then headed back to Batch where we enjoyed pizza and drinks and I opened my wonderful presents.

What a wonderful evening, you lot are magic.

Lucy J

Southwark News

• 24th Feb is the GoodGym January long run. There's two pace groups, we're meeting at Brixton Station in the morning (times vary depending on what group you're in) and finishing at Forest Hill for lunch. Find out more and sign up here.

• Tuesday 26th Feb Emily is hosting a fundraising pub quiz night in Westminster - help them in their amazing aim to raise £2500 for three fantastic charities. Find out more here.

• Thursday 28th Feb Matt Guy is holding a fundraiser for Westminster House at Batch. It's an evening of short films on running (called 'Running Shorts' oh the pun joy!) - tickets come with a free drink get them here.

• Next week we're spreading the word for Food2You a new volunteer operated service for over 50s suffering from or at risk of malnutrition. Sign up here. Next week is also the social so hang around after for a drink and a nibble!

That's enough of the business

Last night 8 runners gathered for one heck of a task! We ran the 4km (plus a bit) to Camberwell Subterranea to meet Barnaby who showed us our mission.

2 tonnes of soil to be moved into raised beds on the shed roof

I have to admit it looked like a daunting task! The operation worked thusly: shovellers shovelling soil into plastic crates, crates then wheelbarrowed to near the shed where they were lifted with great chutzpah (by David and Barnaby) to the team on the roof who then spread out the contents up on the roof. We realised on arrival that we hadn't quite grasped just how much 2 tonnes was! But once we'd worked out the system, it was a well oiled machine of all nine (including Barnaby) of us working hard to get the bags emptied and onto the roof.

13th November is Galentine's Day (it's a Parks and Rec thing)

At one point we thought the planters might have nearly met their capacity. We were wrong! Barnaby came up onto the roof and stamped down the existing soil in the beds and we realised there was plenty more to go. Ah well, better crack on!

Fun Fact: Nearly 50% of us were called Lucy last night

I realised at the end of the evening that I'd forgotten to put the flash on my phone so all my photos were incredibly dark. Woops! Victorious with the empty bags, we were buzzing as we ran home.

And if a two tonne soil bag , lands infront of us

To shovel by your side, well the pleasure, the privilege is mine

What a task!

Great work team, we'll be back moving even more (but this time mulch) in two weeks time. We'll need even more hands on deck then.

Lucy J

Southwark News

• Next week our group run is to the Crisis charity shop in Camberwell. It's 6km overall and we'll be joined by a journalist and photographer who are interested in giving back to the community and acts of kindness costing nothing. Let me and them know if you don't want to be in photos/involved. Sign up for the run here. Next week is also the third Wednesday of the month so it's our social. We'll be heading right next door to Batch after the run for a drink.

• Saturday 19th Jan is a big one for us! We'll be celebrating our third birthday, running/volunteering at Southwark parkrun and going to Surrey Docks Farm for mucking out, sweeping and animal time. I can't wait! Sign up to join us at parkrun here and for the starter session (all welcome!) to Surrey Docks Farm here.

• This Saturday is the next Cross Country fixture at Wormwood Scrubs. If you're part of the GoodGym Race Team come and join us! It's not as hilly as other courses so it's a great intro to the muddy fun of XC! Find out more here.

• Sunday Jan 13th is the GoodGym long run. Fancy getting some longer kms in with friendly faces and food at the end? It's going from Kew Bridge to Richmond for 18km, there's also a 13km option. Find out more and sign up here.

• I have 25 community place for the Big Half to shift! This means that instead of costing £40 they're an amazing £10! If you or anyone you know is interested in a place, whizz me an email and I'll send you the discount code - lucyj@goodgym.org - the more the merrier!

That's enough of the business

Last night a whopping 23 runners gathered at Old Spike Roastery with two missions in mind: Chopping, shovelling, sawing and snapping at Galleywall Nature Reserve and collecting abandoned Christmas Trees for the recycling point at Telegraph Hill Park.

There was an excited hum in the air in Old Spike, I have to say, it's good to be back! Helena took a sub team out to collect christmas trees to go off to a farm over on Telegraph Hill - watch the video and follow us on instagram here, whilst I lead 17 of us to our friends at Galleywall Nature Reserve.

A huge hello to Sasha, Chris, Lucy, Amelia, Sophie, Jenny and Gillian (core blimey that's a lot!) who all joined us for their first ever good deed this week. Woop woop!

Once we arrived at Galleywall we were met by Christine who promptly to set work: Sawing a large branch into logs for the fire, axing smaller bits of wood for kindling (tunrs out this takes a very special technique), shovelling compost from the compost bins into bags, breaking down branches and bagging them for kindling. The sawing was viewed with a little trepidation at first but soon the excitement and satisfaction of sawing yourself a bit of log over took. Lots of cheering happened as we blasted through the large brand provided to us and then went on to polish off another one. Amazing work! Many bags of kindling were collected and the compost bins very nearly completely emptied into bags.

Amazing work everyone! You can now add carpentry to your CV.

Unfortunately we couldn't stay for tea as we were a little late getting back to let the sub team into Old Spike, we found them hiding out in Batch next door with Gin and Beer (see photo) which looked like so much fun we joined them afterwards.

Subteam Christmas Collection gathered 14 trees! Great work!

Apparently it was slim pickings for trees until just before Helena's team headed back so well done on a big collection. It will help many a person trying to get down Christmas-Tree-jammed pavements and make sure the trees have a happy new life.

Phewf, a lot going on last night! And what a lot of fun! See you next week.

Lucy J