This report is a late one, and comes with some sadness that this is the last time I will be leading a group as Area Activator. It has been such a journey for Goodgym Poole!

Tuesday June 25th 2019, 33 Goodgymers met in the courtyard of Daveena’s café for the first ever Goodgym Poole Run. I had been in the background networking across Poole finding new tasks with head office, an incredibly new ad exciting challenge for me, having a baby just a few months old at home and having took the role whilst pregnant, even going to Goodgym London to train whilst 32 weeks pregnant.

I am delighted to say that on that first run, we were joined by Nicola and Robert. It was such a buzz and shared joy between the runners. A shared community spirit that would go on for many months with various tasks and deeds.

Perhaps one of my favourites was the planting of 2000 bulbs for an elderly gentleman, or perhaps painting in the school, or even clearing the many leaves at the church of St Aldhelms garden!

During the times of Covid, many of the Goodgym runners became friends. Connected by missing the community and runs, they talked on social media, planned virtual tasks and met for socially distanced challenges. People that met on tasks at Goodgym, chatting over paint brushes, brooms, wheel barrows and dusters, had become friends, with similar values and interests. Goodgym is indeed a great way to form friendships, with a shared vision and goal. A way to connect. Goodgym has given us a way of doing good whilst keeping active. A way of giving back to our local community with a sense of purpose. We can take notice of the small things around us and between us. Well tonight was a social run to enjoy the lights and finish with a curry. We ran from the park down onto the high street to see the Martime lights and along the quay. Elizabeth headed home after the run to get back to visiting family and we headed up to Ashley Cross to meet Becky who was currently holding onto an injury, with crutches to prove it! With a lovely evening, we all enjoyed a curry (and for me curry for Breakfast as well!) thanks to Gate of India on a busy Tuesday evening.

Here’s the stats I could find on our website for what we have achieved at Goodgym Poole:
Group Runs: 156
Good Deeds: Esther: 119 (120 will be done on NYD!) Elizabeth: 81 Robert 74 Pat: 62 Nicola: 47 Christine: 44 Jane: 40 Becky: 28

I would like to end with some gratitude towards Goodgym and what it has offered us all over the past 3.5 years. The opportunity to come together and achieve so much locally. I am even more grateful for the friendships this has created, the running challenges that have been achieved and the love that has been shared. I still hold dear the picture many Goodgymers gave me in lockdown, at a time when I was struggling so much, we all gave each other strength. I have no idea what the future holds for each of us, our friendships, our running but we will hold so many lovely memories of what Goodgym meant for each of us. On the cold dark nights, in the summer sun. Goodgym will continue in 2023 with a new leader and we hope bring back some of the love, passion and energy we all felt when Goodgym started in 2019 and before Covid happened to us all.