On a pleasant (and not windy for a change) Spring night, eight of Goodgym's bestest met in Wanstead to move soil, tidy flower beds and ran 7km in the process.

In recent weeks there have been a flood of first timer Goodgymers with Sharon and Linda joining for the first time last week and James joining us this week for his first ever GG run and task. The first visit is often the hardest with questions like, "will they be nice?" and "what if I can't keep up" front of mind for most people. The great news is that Goodgym is super friendly and suitable for all, so if you are reading this and you've been putting off attending a run please don't worry - we will definitely make you super welcome, and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it. If new joiners wasn't enough we also welcomed Thomas who is a regular at GG Islington!

With introductions done and the group raring to do good in the Borough, it was off to the Corner House to shift the final remnants of three tonnes of top soil and compost that has been sitting in the driveway. With only two spades available and eight runners, it was decided to split the task in two with half the group shifting soil and the other removing rubbish from the lovely Wanstead Community Gardeners flower beds which line the street. With tasks allocated the teams set off, eager to get things done in quick, fast, time.

We've been chipping away at the topsoil bag for some months now, decanting it into smaller bags for topping up flower beds. So it was great to finally see the back of this giant load of dirt and within 20 minutes, Peter, James, Jenny and Thomas had shifted into two smaller sacks and dragged it out of the way. In the meantime, Linda, Kris and Sharon had discovered loads of drinks bottles, crisp packets and cans in the various bushes and flowerbeds. Top work team and a huge amount done in no time at all.

With the tasks complete, it was time for a short warm up and then a Fartlek session on George Green. This is a fun way of giving your running a boost and with 20 minutes on the clock the gang set about using three sides of the Green as a training ground. The idea is to alternate between a strong effort and an easy effort using the three sides to dictate pace. So simply, strong effort to the first corner, easy effort to the next corner, strong back to the start AND repeat. Using a 300m loop this is a great way for the whole group to encourage each other and it's surprisingly tough.

After 20 mins of this fun (some might say torture) everyone was a little more out of breath and ready for some light stretching back at base. Another fun evening doing good in Redbridge. If you fancy getting involved, check out the link on the right...