Alice Newstead

We love visiting Seniors and especially visiting to put up the Christmas decorations! Join us this week, for a run of around 7km, where we will add some festive cheer to south east London. If you have a head-torch, please bring it for the run, it will be dark!

If you are new to all this, don't be shy and don't be worried about feeling left out, we try to make everyone feel very welcome. If you are using the changing rooms and lockers at Glass Mill, make sure you bring a returnable £1 coin.

Third time lucky on our return to Hither Green station embankment, this time we'd perfected our soil moving technique, we had an elaborate human chain moving the soil in buckets from one end to the other, a couple of people filling in the edges with soil, we had people swapping in and out to relieve the people digging - fantastic work everyone!!

Ain't no mountain high enough

I had high hopes that we might get to the bottom of the soil this week but it's going to take another session or two and then we'll finally get to the seed sowing stage and hopefully we'll see our rewards in spring/summer when the wildflower meadow will be looking beautiful.

In the end we didn't have time for a fitness session on the way back to Glass Mill as we got carried away with the soil but I think everyone worked hard enough anyway. I bet arms are aching this morning.

Next week we are heading to Glebe Court, a salvation army care home to work in the garden. Sign up here. Important information - we are required to have proof of double vaccination and a negative lateral flow test in advance of arriving at the task otherwise we will not be allowed onto the premises.

Don't forget the GoodGym Lewisham (nearly) Christmas Party, sign up here.

I have broken a GoodGym code. Which is a code that no GoodGymer should break. And that is a code of timeliness.

For it is over 36 and nearly 48 hours since this wonderful Greenwich group got to the streets. And I've yet to write the run report.

I think - somewhere deep in GoodGym's founding documents - there's a rule that mean I should be docked 10 good deeds.

But anyway, here are my thoughts and recollections from Wednesday's happy evening.

11 of us met in our old haunt - the beautiful Royal Naval College - and we did so next to one rather big film set. So do watch out keen film buffs, for you may see some red-t-shirted good-deeders in the background of something soon...

And we were off to leaflet - to leaflet or our friends at Age Exchange. They are having a Christmas Fair at Blackheath Halls on Sunday 21 November, with all proceeds going to support Age Exchange in Blackheath, which helps people and their carers live well with dementia.

We shot up and around (in two groups) the streets surrounding Greenwich Park, spreading the news that there's a Christmas Fair in town. And it's a socially-focused and community-positive one at that.

Afer 45 minutes of word-spreading, jogging, walking, nattering, and giggling, we headed back to the lights of the College for a good ol' stretch and cool down.

As always, big big big thanks to Rachel for organising everything :)

Nice one.

Some people like to count down to Christmas. Just this week someone told me it was 7 weeks to go. Eeeek. And they didn't even look especially festive, so it must be fairly common.

And some people count down to other things. Like birthdays - or holidays - or (my favourite) pay days.

But we, in Greenwich, had been waiting for something a little more unique. In addition to birthdays, holidays, and pay days. Because it'd been 602 days since our last group run. I know this because I tattooed a very small 'GoodGym' logo on my body for every day that went by.**

And last night the waiting was up and we were off to start spreading our good-deeding energy across Greenwich again. Most of us met at the very lovely Charlton House for some pre-session nattering, giggling, and chatting. GG Greenwich old-hands (and friendly faces) were joined by Jonathan, who was on their first GG outing, and Debbie, who was on their first group run with GG Greenwich - welcome to the family, guys!

It was a full moon last night and after a quick warm up, we collectively howled 'RED THUNDER'*** to mark our come back, before setting off to the wonderful Glyndon Community Centre in Plumstead. Which is where we were met by the lovely GG Greenwich Area Activator, Rachel, and all-round wonderful souls, Jennifer, Pieter, and Matt.

In 2 weeks, we'll be coming back to Glyndon to get painting. But last night was prep night and we got to work sanding and sugar soaping. It was quick and swift, but with 19 hands a-working, you can always get a fair bit done.

After that, it was back to the roads for a steady and happy jaunt back to Charlton. Where we celebrated being back and together with a drink at the Bugle Horn.

A big big big thank you to Rachel for organising everything yesterday :)

Here's to the next one next week, and the one the week after, and the week after that...

Nice one.

** Maybe...

*** Maybe...