It was like day and night as the weather turned from glimpses of early summer back to the harsh arctic winter. It was a comforting feeling to be in Old Spike Roastery as the coffee machine helps heat up the small cafe. Sam had arrived early to talk with Javier (Old Spike Roastery cafe manager) and listen to an infinite playlist of Johnny Cash songs.

As Sam took a breath of fresh air, Paulin and James were within sight and slowly, but surely the rest trickled in; Benjamin, Claire (who hadn't been in awhile...welcome back!) and Nelly.

Since it was cold, we started with a more thorough warm-up session as I informed the team of the ice-breaker question as they wanted more time to think about their answers. Since tonight, we were going to a secret garden, Sam's ice-breaker question was: What is your favourite hidden gem/secret spot in London?

We had answers like Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park, local places like One Tree Hill and Nunhead Cemetery, and oddly a Gnome Garden between Denmark Hill and Herne Hill. Though, as we were getting cold (again), Ben's answer warmed us up as he said GoodGym was his hidden gem and yes, it is! Although, the gem is rough around the edges especially with that Area Activator of Southwark 👀

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More secrets...long lost sons

Sam absolutely loves a hill run. "It's the quickest route to the task" he says as everyone questions their life decisions. Yet, once they are at the top and gradually running down a hill to Camberwell, the silence is deafening. The 2.5k run took us around 15 minutes to do. Sam told Cadence that the group would arrive between 19:10-19:15 and with military precision they did.

It was great to see Cadence and she had marked an area and had all the tools ready. Our task for tonight was to turn up....the soil 😉 as they prepare to grow (I think I heard) drought resistance crops. Yet, my mind was fuzzy (as you'll find out later). With 40 minutes on the clock, six GoodGymers and about six to eight metres in length and 3 metres in width of soil to turn up, we got cracking. Two teams took on two sides and slowly over the course of the time met in the middle. Paulin, James and Nelly were Team A as they concentrated and turned over the soil with efficiency. Team B with Benjamin, Claire and Sam took their time to turn over the soil as they caught up on their (Claire's) latest life stories and dramas.

Sam did ask Cadence what her favourite hidden gem in London is and keeping within a gardening theme, she chose a great choice - Barbican Conservatory. The conversation steered towards other secret gems in London and apparently, there's a great restaurant (Paradise) in Kensal Green (who knows where that is 🙄) that serves amazing food....apparently, according to Claire. As we were drawing closer to the end, Sam's fuzzy mind asked Cadence about her sons and she answered that she doesn't have any. 😲 He confused her with another community task owner, but this didn't go unnoticed by the others as they asked about my "fictionish" sons and we created some backstory about his long-lost sons being garden-loving Guatemalans (disclaimer: he has never been to nor is related to Guatemala)...

Papa, I'll see you in the jardín

Sam is always glad he can provide some entertainment. The pretty much wrapped up the night as we gather the tools, took our group photos and we ended five minutes earlier, so we could see the secret garden. Cadence took us over to the other side of the estate and reminded us that this weekend they are opening their secret garden and giving away freebies (seeds, coffee, advice etc.). Before we left, Cadence was very thankful for our assistance was that would have taken her weeks to do. We will be in touch again as it's within running distance and there's always tasks to do.

Everyone ran back apart from Paulin and James who opted for Falafel & Shawarma (good shout!). We rushed off as we were getting cold and made it back to the corner near White Horse pub to do our stretches.

Well done to everyone tonight! 💪 🙌

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Thank You to all the GG-ers

A personal thanks from me to all those who came and powered through (again) Grove Road hill as we took the shortest run to the Camberwell area. Thank you!

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Thank You Cadence

GoodGym is all about getting fit and doing good! We praise the runners/cyclists/walkers who come to get fit and help out, but we often forget about our task owner. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cadence for reaching out after our chance encounter. Thank you for coming out as the sunset was setting, it was getting colder and there was some light rain. We managed to turn over one area out of two, so I hope you can get the other turned over soon. I am sure this is just the start of many group runs to your community garden!