Another warm Monday night saw a decent-sized team head out to the Royal London to join Barts Volunteers for a busy night of varied tasks.

Joining Barts Volunteers as they celebrate NHS70

We felt very privileged to be joining them this evening, as it’s an exceptionally busy week for the team – the NHS turns 70 this Thursday 5th July, celebrating the anniversary with NHS70, and so it was something of an honour to be at the hospital this week for our Group Run.

And so to work

Nancy, Marufa and Bernadette, our task owners, were all ready and waiting – and brilliantly prepared and equipped as usual. We headed into the hospital with two teams despatched to sticker Sepsis trolleys on all fourteen floors, while the remaining runners headed outside to the hospital gardens to litter-pick and deadhead rose bushes. Both teams accomplished heaps, with the trolley crew impressively finishing ahead of time, and the gardening crew determined to pick up every last cigarette butt before we started the run back. All too soon we were congregating back in the Whitechapel Road entrance, where thank you’s, pics, goodbye’s – and the plan for the run back - took place.

The return run: 3 running speeds; 5 pacers…

We ran back to base in three groups: Dave and Danny led the 7:30-minute milers; Becky and Gabrielle the 9-minute mile pace, and I enjoyed the 11-minute mile pace. Then we stretched well (“Let’s focus on the soleus tonight, folks”) before rewarding ourselves with some last minute snacks and heading home.

…Thanks – and welcome

Thank you to Dave, Danny and Becky for behind-the-scenes pace-planning and for leading our speedy return run; to Dave and Becky for leading our tasks in the hospital; to Becky and Gabrielle for back-marking on the way out, and to Dave, Danny and Keri for trolley pics!

A big warm welcome to Jack on his first run - what a productive evening, with some fast running! Congrats, and thank you, and hope to see you soon.

And it was great to see visiting Chi and Stefania –please come back soon!

Lastly, I’d like to add a huge ‘well done’ to all the team who made it to the GoodGym Olympics on Saturday, and who competed – pics are included in this report of Sarah’s first prize-winning cake, and Leanne and Becky’s beautifully designed and crafted Tower Hamlets Olympic torch. Thank you to all who were involved in the efforts on the day, and in the lead-up.

Onto next week

Next week, we’re hoping to make it a two-task week: we’re due at Stepney City Farm, and we’re also hoping to help out with some decorating at a local Community Centre, at a new task, so do sign up here if you’re able to make it.

Until then, have a wonderful week.

A team of 20 tough runners braved another melting Monday to head into Tower Hamlets and really get up a sweat.

Team 1: What Lies Be MEATH

16 of us headed to Meath Gardens where we returned to help Tunde, Joanna and Julia of Friends of Meath Gardens water the new young trees, which need a bit of TLC in this warm weather. There’s currently no water-point in the park itself, which means the water has to come from the canal, an arduous process involving trolleys, buckets and a lot of manpower.

Dave headed up the canalside operation, loading vats and buckets of water onto the trolleys, as well as into smaller vessels for the runners to carry back to the trees. Running and walking mileage soon added up - new trees are dotted all around the sizeable park - but we got it done. Every tree received the much-needed two buckets of water. Phew.

Team II: Strim and vigour

Meanwhile, Becky headed up the Cranbrook team, who had been requested as a last minute SOS to head to the estate’s Community Garden for some urgent lawn-mowing and strimming. After a speedy run to the task, well navigated and led by Steve, the team arrived at Cranbrook to be introduced to two strimmers and the task for the evening: weeding the planters, ahead of a garden inspection on Wednesday.

A new (thankless) task soon reared its head, however: an unruly extension cable, knotted in a manner even the best Boy Scouts would have been in awe of, hindered the team’s speedy start. Steve took on the tangle, while the remaining runners donned gardening gloves and declared war on the proliferation of dandelions. Eventually the strimmers buzzed into life, with the team tackling the majority of the mowing, making a respectably-sized addition to the Cranbrook compost heap.

30 degree time trial

After our obligatory end-of-session S&C exercises in Meath Gardens, we headed back to base with a time trial (to celebrate this new, nationwide 1K GG challenge, inspired by the GG Olympics - all the details are here). Our time trial was led by Yesh (PBs are easy to achieve when your goal is simply to keep Yesh in sight…).

Hot, satisfied and ready to hit the beer, we exited our lovely air-conditioned room and made our way to Mother Kelly’s where Bryon greeted us with a Stanley Knife (in the best possible way) to begin crafting Leanne’s beautifully designed Tower Hamlets Olympic Torch. Thank you to Beckys J and G, for all the planning, and to Sarah and Becky J and Becky G for supplies, and to Bryon, Dave, Becky and Becky G for building. We look forward to the end result.

Hello’s, welcome’s – and thank you’s

A very big GG welcome to Hannah, Yas, Chrisanna, Anna and Bea, who joined us for their first TH run. It was great to have you on board - thanks for all your hard, hard work last night and please come back soon.

Lovely to see Dave and Nina (by no means new to GG but new to me) and please come back to TH soon!

Thank you to our utterly fabulous Task Force members: Leanne for her beautiful torch design; Bryon for supporting the GG Olympics and coming well-armed to the pub; Becky G for her Olympic input and for receiving the torch at gone 10pm; Becky J for all her GG Olympic planning, leading up the Cranbrook team, for some great pics and her report-contribution; Sarah for her pristine plant pots and for being such a great New Runner Rep; Dave for heading up the canal team and a great pun; Alys for a wicked pun (and sorry for being such a slow-coach); Si for getting on board the Olympic-craft spirit, Mother Kelly’s suggestion and for encouraging us to get down the pub together a bit more.

Next week, we’re heading back to the Royal London to meet Nancy and the team for more hospital fun, so do join us if you can. Details and sign up are here.

And, if you fancy joining us at the GoodGym Olympics on Saturday, either sign up here, or drop me an email (laura@goodgym.org) if you fancy meeting and travelling there together. There are a few of us going: some of us racing, some are cake-making; some are simply sandwich-eating and beer-supping - so there’s something for everyone.

I can’t WAIT to do it all again then - have a great week in the meantime.