This week we welcomed Karwan and Lee to their first GoodGym session before we ran across town to the Luton Airport Parkway train station. It was a rainy night but the running kept us warm on our outward journey to the station. In the woods opposite the car park there was a large collection of litter and dumped clothes that Gill had spotted on her runs through the area.

We arrived on-site to meet Kevin from ABCD Luton, get kitted out with hoops and pickers and ventured into the woods where a handy shopping trolley because our shuttle for heavy bags and bulky items to the collection pile.

With a large team the large mess was sorted out really quickly, we made a huge pile for collection by the council and then set off for the second half of our run, back to the Galaxy for a cool down stretch.

This week’s GoodGym adventure took us back to the wonderful team at Azalea, where we helped wrap up the festive season and give the space a fresh new feel 💫.

🎅 Core task: Packing away Christmas! Baubles were boxed, tinsel was tamed, trees torn down and fairy lights were gently untangled and stored with care. Packing away decorations always leaves a place feeling tidy and ready for the new year!

🎨 Meanwhile, we grabbed brushes and added a fresh lick of paint around the radiators where radiator guards had been removed 🖌️

📦 Down in the basement store room, we sorted, stacked, and streamlined supplies, making the space more usable and organised.

🧹 Then it was time to vacuum the carpets of the tinsel and tree debris, leaving the place looking spick and span. We might not have worn capes, but we definitely brought the sparkle ✨.

🪜 And let’s not forget the stairs, so many stairs! Our quads got a bonus workout as we zipped up and down, clocking up steps like pros 📈.

🏃‍♂️💨 With the tasks complete, we hit the town for a run around and a steps-based fitness session to really work those quads! Who needs a gym when you’ve got GoodGym?

💖 Huge thanks to Azalea for welcoming us back. We love supporting the amazing work you do. And hats off to the team for bringing energy, elbow grease, and good vibes to every floor!

Congratulations to Fitsum for joining his first session with us, hope to see you again soon!

Despite the icey start to the day and the cancellation of ParkRun - a little bit of chilly weather was not enough to put off our two intrepid GoodGymers this morning. This was a plogging task, with a good run out to Warden Hills nature reserve - where David had promised there would be lots to do. And he didn't disappoint. This beautiful area had obviously been host to Party Central, as there was a fire pit and littered around it all sorts of empty drinks cans and snack packets. Running with a litter hoop had been interesting, but we were glad of them and David's new fold up litter pickers which he magically produced from his back pack. And we were all set for some serious litter picking. So much so that we each filled three bags with cans, bottles and all sorts. It was good to see the impact we made on the area, before carrying our swag bags down the hill. Thank goodness we weren't expected to run with them back to the park, but left them ready for collection by the Council next week.

We had a wonderful evening sprucing up the football club. We mopped, scrubbed, painted and washed everything until it was sparkling. Nearly everyone ran and Susannah did her first long distance brisk walk for a while. Thank you so much to Cliff for the chocolates and squash afterwards!