A week after GoodGym Southwark and Ellie from the Arbor project had met, we were back for more at Bells Garden Community Centre. We came back to finish off what we had left off!

And we weren't short of hands, after a drizzly day, it was a welcome site to meet in the warm and coffee-filled aroma of Old Spike Roastery. Sam had received messages from various GoodGymers to say they were either running late or would met him there. Lindy arrived first as she came to get her documents checked as she wants to do more in her local community. One by one, they all started to stream in - Emma, Nelly, Paulin, Benjamin, Sophie, Katy and Alison, who came for her very first GoodGym session to claim her first good deed! Welcome! And due to the newbie, Sam went through his usual GoodGym speech outlining the benefits & how to get involved with GoodGym!

Knowing he had to wait for Hannah, who had to drop-off a shelf (there was more airtime on the shelf than what was needed), Sam did a longer warm-up and had a more in-depth ice-breaker question to be answered, which was: Since it's International Women's Day next Tuesday, who is your most inspirational woman in your life and why?

Thinking we would get loads of "my mother" responses, it was a pleasant surprise to hear GoodGymers highlighting their aunts, sisters, grandmothers, partners, colleagues and best friends; who have all inspired them.

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We moss try harder

Hannah arrived just as we were doing our ice-breakers and dropped off her shelf (last time, I will be mentioning it) in Old Spike and then off we went. The same running route as last week avoiding the main high street on the way there by taking the back routes to Peckham Library. Thank you Paulin for backmarking. The 2k run took us 12 minutes to run and as we approached Bell Gardens Community Centre on Buller Close, we spotted Liam and Ellie at the open gate leading to the basketball court. With no time to lose (as we were determined to finish off the task), Ellie brought in the tools and tonne bags as Sam, Lindy and Sophie set out all the portable lights. We all chose our weapons to tackle just over half of the court that was left filled with moss. We knew we would do it in 11 plus Ellie, but Vic arrived just as we got going with news that her brother would be coming out of hospital after four/five months in, so she brought that determination with her. We used shovels, knee mats and ice scrapers to get the job done! 🙌

Most of the team got down on their hands and knees to scrap off all the moss as Sam then joined by Hannah and Liam shoveled what was scrapped into two tonne bags until they were filled. After this point, we started to create piles of moss that turned into mounds of moss! We were like busy insects constructing in the middle of the night. Ellie was very pleased that as the time drew closer and closer to 20:00, we were reignited to finish the task despite getting damp gardening gloves and working in messy/muddy conditions. Yet, it was worth the last push as we completed the task - two tonne bags filled and multiple piles/mounds of moss left to be shifted to a makeshift compost heap and to be used in the raised beds 💪 Awesome work from everyone in the 40-45 minutes that we were there.

All our work couldn't clearly be seen with the limited light that we had, but the morning photos showed how we cleared the whole court. Our efforts were awarded with a lovely group photo and biscuits: Golden Crunch Creams and Chocolate Bourbons. 🍪

We said our farewells to Ellie and Matt, but I have no doubts that we will be back to help out in the Spring and beyond. Yet, off we went back to Old Spike Roastery via the high street losing Vic, Liam and Sophie on the way. After a good stretch back in the alleywall, most of us were up for a pint (or two) and a meal at the White Horse as it was the first Wednesday of the month - our GG Southwark monthly social!

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Thank You to all the GG-ers

A personal thanks from me to all those who came out last night as we pushed to finish clearing all the moss! It was great to have 11 other GoodGymers. GoodGym Southwark hasn't had double digits for a group run since the first group run of the year. Yet, it's not about the numbers (although it does help for tasks like these), but about the members themselves. Thank you!

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Thank You Ellie and Arbor Project

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 Ellie for welcoming us back again. Can't wait to see what the place would look like in a one month and a half to two months' time!