Southwark

Group run

Winter's coming? I can't be-leaf it!

4 GoodGymers made their way 8.0km to help the Galleywall Nature Reserve in Southwark.

  • Adam Quigley
  • Sam Lefevre
  • Emma McNally
  • Nathan Wood
 
Wednesday, 3rd of November 2021
 
Led by Sam Lefevre
he/him

The bitterly cold weather (and a bit of rain) did not stop 4 GoodGymers from doing good tonight. The warmth of the Old Spike Roastery was a welcome delight. I got there way before we were meant to meet up but I got talking to the store manager who was still cleaning up! Emma and Nathan arrived one after the other shortly after 18:30. It was Nathan's first time running with GoodGym Southwark after being a regular (and taskforce) member of Lambeth. Thank you for crossing the border and helping us out tonight! Just when we thought it might be the three of us, our man on a mission, Adam, appeared gasping for air. It turns out he ran from Tulse Hill station to us as there were problems with the train! We gave him a moment to catch his breath before we ventured outside in the cold to warm up on the green. It was a quick warm-up as I knew we had a 4k run there, which would get us warm enough!

Thai New Year (Songkran) x 2, Easter and Christmas were our favourite holidays/festivals....for a multitude of reasons from chocolates to most days off work 🙃


Setting a fast pace

Since we were in four, we did not have a back marker, but we ensured we kept close by despite setting a fast pace from the offset. Down the Rye we went, dodging past people, cyclists and buses before joining the dimly lit Surrey Canal Way. I tried to ensure we kept on the quieter roads after crossing Old Kent Road, joining the cycle route on Abercorn Way and Stevenson Crescent before sprinting down Lynton Road to Galleywall Nature Reserve.


Several jobs for four GoodGymers

Hello Jane!....Oh, it's Alan!

As we arrived just after 19:05, I thought Jane was approaching me, so I said "Hi", but realised there was a white fluffy beard underneath the blinding headtorch light....it was Alan! To be fair, Jane wasn't far behind 😂

After Jane gave us the background to Galleywall Nature Reserve (established in 2004, after taking it over from the local primary school), we were off to a flying start with the tasks/jobs she had in mind. There were several for what I thought would be initially 7 and then 5 people, but we had 4. Yet, we knew what wasn't going to be done tonight would be finished off on Saturday 13th of November - 10:30-12:00 (sign up here).

Adam was the first person to be drafted into the first task and then he ended up doing two more with Alan! What a guy! First thing he had to do was clear the gutter/drainage pipe of any leafs, twigs etc. This will ensure the drainage system works efficiently to fill up their water tank. His second task was to cut/trim the thorny brambles on the fence and finally, his last and most enjoyable task was to clean out moss, twigs and any fallen leaves from the two ponds. He managed to clear the smaller pond entirely, but got a third of the second (and bigger) pond done before we had to head back.

Nathan wanted a physical task, so off to the compost heap he went to sieve the older compost into a wheelbarrow. He sieve and sieve until he almost got a full wheelbarrow of this pure compost, which went on the mound we created last time we were at the Nature Reserve.

Emma had the lovely task of planting daffodils bulbs using a trowel to create holes deep enough to sow those bulbs 👀

I took on the very important task of taking photos, talking to everyone and raking up the leaves by the entrance and woodland pathway. It's harder than you think.... 🙄


We all ran back towards to Old Spike with Emma and Adam dropping off along the way. Next week, we're helping out at the Salvation Army Camberwell with deep-cleaning and disinfecting baby toys.

Thank You Jane and Alan

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 owners and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jane and Alan for braving the cold and dark night to host us. We have a great partnership and we will always be back for more!

Report written by Sam Lefevre


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Sam Lefevre
Led by Sam Lefevre

Southwark Area Activator since Sept 2021 Ultra runner (when I'm crazy), otherwise I stick to anything under a marathon... 🏃🏻

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Group Run: Gardening @ Elmington Community Gardens + Monthly social (Social)

Wednesday 18:30 - 20:15
Led by Sam Lefevre


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