Jay'ffa cakes and Gillybeans

A century and a half century

Well what an epic evening it was with Gill celebrating her 100th good deed and our very own cake man, snowflake aka Jay celebrating his 50th good deed together with us welcoming the lovely Katiewho started her GG journey tonight.

Many congratulations and thanks to Gill and Jay for all their time, energy and humour that they have brought to our Monday evenings and also a big warm GG welcome to Katie. We hope that this will be the first of many Mondays with us.

Joining the celebrity team this evening were also John, Barbara, Ricky, Graham, Duncan, Steve, Paul and Nick. Thank you to you all for turning out on such a cold winters night.

Special mention to Belinda who was in GoodGym Ipswich tonight but whose heart was in Worthing with us all. We missed you !!

No kidding around

This evening we were back at Kamelia Kids which is a childrens day nursery for all children aged 0-8 with particular emphasis on caring for and managing disabilities. This is a regular task venue for us where we always receive a warm welcome from Andy who is the caretaker and maintenance manager.

Tonights tasks we were both inside and out including painting , gardening and some removal work.

Gill wasted no time in starting off with some fine pruning. After 100 good deeds this really is her signature move. I cant even begin to estimate just how many bushes and trees she has trimmed into shape :) Keep reading to hear about the needle felt that John made in celebration of our very own queen of pruning!

Graham, Ricky , Barbara and John joined the outside task with a variety of dead heading and sweeping up around the entrance to centre.

Inside Paul, Duncan and Steve helped move a freezer upstairs whilst Jay, Katie and Nick painted a small bathroom ceiling downstairs. With toasty conditions inside our newbie Katie particularly enjoyed defrosting her fingers which she had lost sensation of during the run !

After some playful photos the aforementioned removal men headed outside for some pruning of the large hedge that lines the centre combining the task with some boyz banter.

The flying cakeman

Back inside lets take a moment to focus on our very own adorable super hero.

Since Jay joined us in July 2018 he has brought such wonderful energy, humour and, without fail, continuous good vibes and smiles to every task and social event he has been to. He has also shared his love of cake and cider and shared many a story about his on line dating experiences. More recently cupid worked his magic with Jay finding love at GG Brighton. Jay has also taken his infectious personality to GG Portsmouth with fellow GoodGymer 'mum' 'Tracey' (aka Lucy) as well as going on tour to Athens with our very own Ros. I think its fair to say GoodGym has changed Jay's life!

A shining light

As usual we achieved a lot in a short amount of time. After 30ish minutes we packed up, had a great photo and said our goodbyes and 'Happy Christmas' to Andy.

Gill and Graham ran directly back to prepare for partying. Nick headed off for a walk whilst the rest of us set off for a short run in advance of the celebrations.

On such a special evening I decided it would be apt to take Jay for a pre Christmas treat. Knowing just how much he loves all the festive lights at this time of year I knew just the place to take him. 1.5 km later we turned the corner of Sea Lane with a breathtaking, jaw dropping view of a Christmas extravaganza light show in a garden at the top of the road. This is well worth a visit and if possible, take some loose change with you as this is all done to raise money for St Barnabas and The Chestnut tree hospice.

After this visual spectacular we took a steady run back to the leisure centre where we finished with a couple of sprints around the track and some stretches before part 2 of the evening began!

Gill's ton and Jays double pony express celebration

We headed to the pub for the obligatory cake, beer,cider and soft drinks option ! Many thanks to Barbara for making her vegan chocolate cup cakes. As delicious and generous as always:) With some of Gills vegan snacks and the crisps and coffee cake that I brought along the feast was soon scoffed ( mainly by Jay! )

We presented Jay with a frame of GG moments from his 50 tasks and Gill with her gorgeous needle felt. Many thanks to John for making both. Much appreciated and loved by all:)

In other news

Another Monday night over and now its only two more before we take our annual Christmas break. After that its a new decade. What an ideal time to set your new GG goal