Last night 12 runners ran 3.5km to help out at Grove Park Allotments

Southwark News

• The GoodGym Olympics happened on Saturday and we came FIFTH in our league. A jolly good show by all featuring a great elimination mile from David Drury and a stunning silver performance in the egg and spoon by Becky.

• The next Big Six race organised by the race team is East Farm Frolic. There's a 10k, half marathon, marathon and a lapped 12 hour race that you can do solo or in teams. Buy your places soon! Some of us will be camping some will be in accommodation (TBC). Come join the fun!

• We have instagram! Follow us @goodgym_southwark

• A big hello to Mikhail and Gwyn who joined us for the first time last night.

That's enough of the business

After some celebration of our amazing results at the Olympics on Saturday we ventured into the rather humid evening and up the hill to Grove Park. We took a rather steep route out there and outdid ourselves on the climb in that heat. Well done team!

Arriving at Grove Park we were greeted by Liz who got us to work in three groups:

• Sawing pallets in half
• Watering plots
• Moving a large pile of bricks

In half an hour I counted six sawn pallets (although it may have been five...), all of the bricks moved and a good 40% of plots got a watering (it's a big space!). Great work everyone.

Particularly impressive were the sawing techniques being tried and tested last night. The double-handed-saw seemed to be most efficient.

Saw you think you can squat?

That's right, I had my speaker to hand and you know what that means - Sally Squats! The group made a solid effort (particularly Gwyn who just did the challenge last Tuesday!) for the whole song which was rewarded by quality time on the swings. If you've not heard of the sally squat challenge, look it up on youtube. It's a cracker.

Next week we're painting the Tigers Clubhouse. It's a 6km run total - down to Burgess Park and back. There is a tv available so if we're doing something in the football, we will be able to watch whilst we work. Here's hoping!

See you next week!

Keep running happy, Lucy

17 runners ran 6km to tidy up at the Giraffe House Comunity Centre

Southwark News

• This Saturday is the GoodGym Olympics at Parliament Hill Athletics track. If you're not registered for an event come and cheer, eat cake (there's a bake off) and drink beer! If you can't make the day, come join us at the after party at the Vine pub in Highgate from 6pm.

• 15th July is the British 10k and GoodGym are taking over a water aid station! You get a free Virgin race place for volunteering, a hat and a tshirt!

• If you're interested in the Team 100 scheme that Vernon told us about last night - please fill out this form. You can find out more at the reach volunteering website.

That's enough of the business!

17 runners gathered last night at Old Spike Roastery to enjoy a glorious summer evening and some do-gooding. Big shout out to Charlotte, Helen and Jordan who joined us for the first time last night and also Chi who's on a whirlwind GoodGym tour, bringing core sessions and 1km reps to everyone! Thanks Chi!

We split into two groups post warm-up. Beth leading one at party pace and Lucy leading a group wanting to stretch their legs a little. By perfect synchronicity we arrived at exactly the same time by the BMX park in Burgess Park where we met Vernon. The group has helped out Vernon many times but it's my first visit! The site is amazing and whilst there Vernon showed me the Tigers Club House which is in need of a lick of paint from us in a few weeks time. Can't wait! On site we met Franco, a Sicilian chef who's just started volunteering at the Giraffe House. He's currently working on a bed for tomato plants that he will tend with groups of volunteers. Ultimately he wants to set up a kiosk in the park selling his tomato sauce. Sounds like a job for GoodGym!

There was loads to get done last night! We split into three groups:

• Moving scrap wood
• Litter picking/general clear up
• Sifting the new tomato flower bed for stones and unwanted items with chef Franco

30 minutes whizzed by! With all the wood shifted, flower beds mostly sifted (Franco couldn't keep up with you!) and the car park looking super tidy - Chi treated us to a short (but hard!) core session. The session involved planks, bicycles, scissor kicks and more. Cores pleasantly aching, we bid our farewells to Vernon and Franco and headed off.

#GGOlympics2018

Before leaving, we had the opportunity to complete a 1km rep to put on Strava to count towards Southwark's standing in the GoodGym Olympics Nationwide Race. Beth led a group home whilst 6 of us stayed to do our 1km rep. Chi has been doing these on his GoodGym tourism so far and is hoping to get his 1km time down to 03:29. 1km is further than you think it is! Really great running from everyone. Don't forget to hashtag the Strava activity #GGOlympics2018 and link your strava to your GoodGym profile to make it count!

What a gorgeous evening to spend with you all. I was treated to a really beautiful sunset on the way home.

Looking forward to seeing you next week - we're running 3km total to do some gardening at Grove Park Allotments.

Keep running happy! Lucy

Six runners met on a fabulous Monday summer evening for a short run to the local former Willesden Green police station-cum- future community hub and all-round creative space, followed by a jaunt up to Gladstone Park for a breath-taking relay race!

A smaller group than usual, but no less full of good vibes and energy, Claire was happy to welcome second-timers Jo and Emily, Joe with an 'e', and Brent regulars Liz, Tabitha and Deborah, vying for the 50 good deed black t-shirt, who will be the first...?

We set off down to the High Street with a spring in our step to the task that awaited us - yes that's right, moving old mattresses ready for collection, and stacking up a batch of new ones. There was no sleeping on this job though, we shifted those mattresses quicker than you could say 40 winks and even had time for a cuppa tea.

Meanwhile, out front, Deborah, Tabitha and Jo had set about sprucing up the surroundings, litter picking, weeding and ... oh dear... standing in poo (ever heard of bag it & bin it Brent dog owners?!?). Not one to be a party poo-per (groaaaan!), Tabitha didn't let that take the smile off her face (well, only temporarily!).

With tools packed up and gloves returned, we said our goodbyes and thank you's for the hospitali-tea and ran off towards Gladtstone Park for a tempo relay race, the six were paired up and ran round the bottom of the park in different directions till they met somewhere near the middle, high-fived and changed direction to race back to the start point - competition was fierce and there was only a measley 17 seconds between the first and last finishers, impressive work! We regrouped for a well-deserved stretch out on the grass before heading back to the Queensbury.

Well done everyone! You make Brent Brighter!!!

Another magnificent night last night chaps. 37 of us… really good. We took a whopping 93 kg of food to the task.

We also celebrated Maddy and Jitendra doing 50 good deeds and getting their highly sought after black T-shirts (Jay, yours is on it’s way)… well done guys!

We also kicked off the GoodGym Lambeth Great British Bake Off sweepstake. To recap the rules, the Tuesday after your contestant goes out you have to bake something from the theme that week…. We will have cake for 12 weeks… I am most excited.

OK, on with the report. I have decided to make this week’s report PUN-tastic… see if you can spot the theme.

We were all JAMmed into Papa’s for a PEACH (slices) of a task. We knew where we were going because we’ve (baked) BEAN to Vauxhall Food Bank many a time so it was a case of getting on the road with our food and getTINg going. Running up Brixton Road, on a mission in Lycra I felt a bit like Anneka RICE (pudding)…

Once we got there Faith weighed up all the food we’d taken and we had managed to take 93kg of food…. That’ll give us muscles.

Get TIN (s)!!!

Next week I’m away so I will PASTA baton onto Axel who will be leading the tasks.

See you in two weeks x