As the sun shone, 29 happy faces tripped along through Lewisham to cover 7km of running and help out at Seniors.

What a gorgeous evening for running and doing good in great company! This week saw one absolute first-timer to GoodGym, hello Matthew and two visitors, Akay, who has previously been along to GoodGym Bexley and Ernie, who is a regular up in Islington, we hope you felt the Lewisham Love :)

In fact, there was an awful lot of love to go round this week, with some of our runners feeling a little high from a weekend of EPIC running. From midday on Saturday to midday on Sunday, our awesome Team Lewisham Wildcats ran 8km laps of hills, trails and through the woods at Endure 24. Between them they ran a whopping 135 miles, supporting each other throughout. They lifted each other's spirits when times felt hard, they gave their all to make sure their team mates had enough rest and, best of all, they represented GoodGym with a smile on their faces and the Lewisham crown sitting proudly on their heads. We're all incredibly proud of what you achieved, well done superstars! Give a cheer to Nykolette, Helen, Amber, Caireen, Jacqueline, Kim, Conroy and Stephen (and added Kudos to Kim, Helen, Conroy, Amber and Nykolette for making it along tonight!!).

Tonight's task was taking us over to Seniors. We do enjoy our visits here, but have to gear ourselves up for the longer run and the HILLS! A quick warm up got our heart rates up slightly (and helped us get to know each other a bit better) and off we went. On an evening as lovely as this, how marvellous to be able to run through Ladywell Fields and push hard up and over Blythe Hill, with a last sweep down to Stanstead Road. At Seniors we were met by Cathy and Alice, who showed us through to the garden at the back of the building. Now this garden is big and, with 29 people ready to get stuck in, Cathy had her work cut out assigning tasks. Pretty soon though, everyone was either putting on gloves or grabbing tools, ready to get stuck into one of the many jobs on offer...

• Digging over the beds in the polytunnel to mix in the manure, creating hotbeds

• Working in the same way over at the raised beds, creating areas to grow vegetables

• Lifting a bench out onto the grass to coat it with teak oil

• Weeding and sweeping the patio

• Sanding tables on the patio, ready for oiling or varnishing (some of which was also done)

• Crawling into the little spaces under the building to pull out tables, ladders, chairs and all sorts of other items, which were then sorted, creating a more orderly space in which to put the useful items that were to be kept (well done Marta and Ernie, this looked like a cramped and dusty job!)

There was even enough time once the polytunnel was done to make a start on an overgrown bed, giving it a quick strim and rake. Just look at that list of jobs! This kind of work is heavy and not always easy for some of the regular volunteers at Seniors, so well done all of you for making a difference in just half an hour.

Before we ran off, Cathy briefly told us about the open day which is happening this coming Saturday, to which we are all welcome (entry is just £1, which enters you into a raffle) and with the lovely new children's play area, we were invited to bring along our smaller members too.

At this point on a run to Seniors, we know what's coming next. The secret is to grit your teeth, drive your arms and step lively (oh and chatting gets a little harder the higher up you go!)...but it's so worth the effort! Tonight's view was particularly good, with clear skies and a setting sun. We are very lucky around here, with so many beautiful green spaces :)

Arriving back at Glass Mill, there was just enough time for one last push, a little wall sit, as if our thighs weren't burning enough already! Next week is pretty special all round. We are venturing over to Surrey Docks Farm, which is always a real treat (think goats, donkeys, sheep, sleepy pigs...). It does mean a long run though, so there is the option of running one way and taking transport the other (remember, we get to run alongside the river for once, which is pretty special). Sign up here to join us, when we might also be celebrating a milestone and getting excited about our summer social at the Wildcat Wilderness.

Have a great week x

It was Monday night again and time for Goodgym Bexley. Tonight we were off the DYC for our 'Odds N Sods' Good deed and run. After a chat about everyones weekend at sign up it was time for business. After a great warm up (Introduced a couple of new dynamic stretches) we started of on our 5K ish (pretty close to) run round to our friends at the Danson Youth Centre. On arrival we were greeted by Ben and two tasks for the Bexley Goodgym Crew to smash!!!! One team headed out the back for a leaf clearing, and rose bush trimming workout. Team 2 stayed round the front to sort out the leaves and trim the rose bushes there which was also a hell of a workout. We shifted 10 black bin loads of leaves, branches and rubbish, leaving the areas looking pretty awesome if i say so myself. Well done team!!..............

We shifted 10 black bin loads of leaves, branches and rubbish, leaving the areas looking pretty awesome if i say so myself

With tools all packed and a bit of sweat on our brows it was time to make the short trip back to Crooklog. Before getting together for our cool down we had to say a sad good bye to Janine who is leaving us for 3 months on a volunteering trip to Sri Lanaka. I hope they appreciate what Goodgym Bexley are letting you guys have, so make sure you look after her. Janine you are gonna be awesome, have a fantastic time. One the other hand because Janine was heading on her adventures Sarah put together some very tasty vegan cakes for the occasion which dampened the blow considerably :-)......... Thanks Sarah. Another great achievement from the weekend has to go to Peter for entering and smashing the South Western 10 miler race in Portsmouth over the weekend. Massive high 5 Peter. Last but not least thanks Neil for this weeks 'Pun'...... Goodgymers, i really hoped you enjoyed this evening and thanks for your company as always. Hope to see you all next week as we head over to Welling for some more out door gardening tasks. We gotta get them in before it gets to cold. Have an awesome week everyone.

What a brilliant evening last night. Thirteen awesome Goodgymers signed up to help Danson Youth Centre fight back their over grown bushes and hedges. As Danson Youth centre is just opposite our meet location we started running out up towards Welling then looping back to get in a nice 3K run in by the time we arrived at the youth centre. After a quick briefing on our tasks we split into two groups. One tackling the bushes on a walk way at the front and the rest of the crew tackling the leaves, hedges and planting boxes in the back gardens. What makes Bexley Goodgym evenings so awesome is the way everyone comes together to get the jobs done. The great conversations and laughs we all have, and the motivation from everyone when running in our group.

What makes Bexley Goodgym evenings so awesome is the way everyone comes together to get the jobs done. The great conversations and laughs we all have, and the motivation from everyone when running in our group.

So here is what we manage to do in such a short time. We cleared and cut back bushes that were impeding on a foot path. Clean up rubbish that had blown into the garden. Racked up a tone of leaves in the garden. Cut back bushes in the back gardens. Removed weeds and turned over the soil in two big plant boxes. The whole area basically looked brand new when we finished.

I want to welcome Deborah for joining us for the first time. i hope you enjoyed your evening, and hope to see you again next week. Big hi 5 to Neil for looking after the front runners this evening, and looking after the gang at the path tasks as i moved between the two. Much appreciated. I also but really don't want say a sad goodbye to Tanya who is moving to Brighton. Our loss is definitely going to be Brighton Goodgyms gain(look after here guys). Thanks so much for all the hard work you have put in over the months, its been a blast.

Tonights Bexley Goodgym Heroes were:- Tanya, Neil, Deborah, Sharine, Janine, Peter, Akay, Charlie, Lucy, Cheryl, Rose, Fiona and me.