Two visits to Pret and a local bakery, two GoodGymers, one very cold evening - the result? Masses of food which would otherwise be thrown away reaches rough sleepers on the streets of Westminster.

While we walked, packed and waited there was plenty of running chat, covering the best ultras to do, the benefits of running the London marathon backwards, and how run has got very...vibey!

Thanks so much to Will who stepped in to help transport the huge amount of sandwiches, rolls, salads and delicious baked goods with his trusty ikea bag! We wouldn't have been able to transport nearly as much to those who need it most without the help!

It's been nearly a whole month since we last helped the American International Church's winter shelter.

That was New Year's Day when the streets were quiet... restful... contemplative...

...yesterday the streets were positively noisy... thoroughly restless... and (perhaps) quite thoughtless!

Eight of us - Alex, Alison, Charlie, Jackie, John, JC, and Steve - gathered in Somers Town - in a nook of quiet - to warm up with a game of Simon Says, before we navigated our way (while sharing stories and conversation) through Bloomsbury's bustle.

A wonderful group of four - Gosia, Ivar, Jo-Anne (on their first good deed - welcome!!), and Will - met us on Tottenham Court Road and we descended down into the basement from which scents from the evening's cooking were bubbling..!

If I'd set up a time-lapse camera, I'd now be able to see a wash of red t-shirts sifting duvets from sheets, pillow cases from towels, amidst camp beds popping up and out and into place. In 25 minutes, this group set up a welcoming space for the evening's guests.

And while this was happening...

Another group were speedily opening tables, arranging chairs, and laying tablecloths - the empty room became the dining room - and it was fit for the food (also being cooked by volunteers) in the kitchen next door.

A big thank you to you all! As well as to our brilliant host, Brooke! Here's to next time!!

Our GoodGym Camden group are experts at running without colliding into passersby.

The employ several effective techniques.

Which include the swivel, the hop-and-side-step, and the zigzag.

I've seen our runners employ each of these techniques to great success on our weekly group runs through bustling Camden.

As one local journalist described our runners: as deft as a gentle spring breeze - they make urban running look relaxing*

But!

Our wonderful group (of Emilie, Jackie, John, Rose, Steve, and Will) didn't need to employ their anti-collision techniques this week.

Meeting in the calm of Regent's Park, we started our evening with a calm and quiet run around the park's outer circle and up through quieter streets to West Hampstead.

Having reached a healthy 5K and shared stories with each other, we arrived at the Sherriff Centre and were met by the brilliant Daisy and Gosia :)

Across the next 30 minutes, we donned gloves and grabbed litter pickers, and we cleared bag-upon-bag of strewn trash and litter - the perimeter (and trees..!) of the centre are a magnet for this, but we finished leaving it clear and tidy!

Thank you so much, everyone, for your time and work - I know just how much of a difference this makes to the Sherriff Centre's team!!

Here's to next time!!

*I might be lying

Three years, 2,432 GoodGym sessions (of which 150 were group runs) and just shy of 5,000 of good deeds completed by 592 GoodGymers, Sam's time as AA of GG Southwark had come to an end!

Sam opened up Old Spike Peckham for one last time and as he has always done welcomed in each and every runner that came through the door: Maria, Paulin, James, Steve, Nelly, Lindy, Emma, Daryl, Gemma, Rosemary, Rosalind, Nathan, Louise, Cecilia, Isaac, Anna, Katy, Benjamin, Jo, Fi, Andrada and Mansur as knew we would meet Daisy and Will.

Despite the occasion, he went through his usual speech and today's ice-breaker question, Sam asked everyone: "What their favourite Sam ice-breaker question was?"

With over 150 ice-breaker questions over the years, it was great to see that they all stuck in people's mind from all the social dates in the year to the awkward, but meaningful questions...

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The One Where We Said Goodbye

After a quick warm-up in the the alleyway, which we all managed to fit in, Sam led the group out towards East Dulwich via Goose Green and in front of East Dulwich station before climbing Champion Hill to get to Albrighton Community Centre, where Elodie was waiting for us and had told us that Daisy and Will had arrived too. The run took us just over 10 minutes covering 1.7k.

After two Saturday morning sessions in the summer, it was great to be back at Albrighton Community Gardens to tackle the next part of the challenge - clear the ivy that was left. With 5 loppers and a couple of hand tools, the team knew what to do and like clockwork, they all started pulling at the ivy to start breaking it all up. Most needed the loppers and shears to cut through the tougher ivy branches. Whilst those who wanted to stay out of the ivy bushes chose to carry the cuttings from the ground to the compost area around the corner.

Sam took photos, videos and put on his favourite songs as he witnessed and watched everything unfold - the reason GoodGym exists as a concept. As we peeled back the layers of ivy, evidence of litter started to appear, so a small team started to pick up items as Elodie provided black bin bags.

Although, we had 45 minutes to clear as much as we could, we were done in 40 minutes. Leaving Elodie will a few bits to tidy up and a quick sweep too. The last thing we had to do, of course, was get in a couple of group photos to mark the end of an era.

Saying our goodbyes to Elodie, we ran back through a short cut down Ondine Road to make it back to the alleyway in less than 10 minutes and to cover 3k in total. Sam did his final stretch before the real farewell could begin at 80-20 Wines next door. A heartfelt speech from Emma and a wonderful gift from everyone made Sam feel so special and he wanted to convey that in his own speech and video to mark the end of the evening. Of course, it's not a complete evening, if we don't need up at the Nag's Head, which we did.

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Thank You to all the GG-ers

A personal thanks from me to all those who came out on Wednesday night for my final group run as AA! The sheer number of you spoke volumes to me and the session couldn't have gone any better. It showed exactly why I joined and fell in love with the GoodGym concept and model. The fact you can bring a group of people together, mix in a short run and a volunteering activity to give back to society. By the end of the night, you feel a sense of accomplishment that you have done something for yourself and others. Elodie, the task owner, was taken aback at what we can do and I hope it can still keep on going as we adapt to a CLA model. Thank you to Anna and Emma for backmarking the runs.

On a sunny Monday morning , Lucy & Will ventured over to Borough from Brent & Victoria to support Borough Food Cooperative (BFC) with packing, stacking and cleaning in readiness for their weekly shop openings. The successful initiative was launched off the back of the Covid pandemic, providing an inclusive and cost-effective supply of groceries and essentials to the local community, whilst reducing food waste. Under the expert instruction of the BFC Shift Leader, Lucy & Will were on hand to receive deliveries from charitable food distributors, including The Felix Project, then get the shelves stacked for future customers! From crates of spinach, an abundance of bananas to Creme Egg filling(!), an array of items were brought into the care of BFC. Special shout-out to Lucy for her inaugural GoodGym task and for offering a further hand to BFC before she embarks on her world travels!

GoodGym will be back to BFC soon - be on the look out for the sign-up and get involved!