Five wonderful GoodGymmers assembled last night for a thorough litter pick around Finsbury Gardens.

The One Where Sarah Tried (Twice)

The gardens are riddled with mess, we had been assured but at first glance after our arrival, the place looked suspiciously spotless. You know that moment when you arrive, gloves on, litter pickers at the ready, and think: Have we been pre-cleaned? Well, appearances can deceive, and our Goodgymmers are nothing if not determined. Give us a patch of grass and a bit of shrubbery, and we will find rubbish. And sure enough, we did: three whole bags of it, thank you very much.

But the star of the haul was not the crisp packets, the bottles, nor even the mysterious orphaned shoe. No. The true crown jewel of the evening was an old, slightly tragic scooter bravely rescued from an overgrown bramble as if it had been waiting years for exactly this moment.

Naturally, Mark and Paul immediately recreated their BMX-driving, non-helmet-wearing glory days with gusto. Happy to report that despite some questionable driving, no Goodgymmers were harmed in the making of this report.

Meanwhile, James stole the sartorial spotlight with the most important debut of the night: his brand-new red GG T-shirt. Fresh, vibrant, and worn with the pride of someone who has absolutely been waiting for the postman like a kid on Christmas Eve. At one point we’re pretty sure he was modelling it more than he was litter-picking, but honestly? Fair enough. It looked great. All along, Veronika kept us all ticking along and on task with the patience of a saint. Hero.

Special shout-out goes to Sarah, who heroically attempted to join us not once but twice. Unfortunately, the universe , and London buses, had different plans for her. Two failed attempts, two disappearing hopes, one determined Goodgymmer foiled by public transport. We missed you, Sarah. Your perseverance deserves at least half a bag’s worth of credit. Also honourable mention to Ellie, who in true GG Haringey form, absolutely stacked it at her run club and is currently in the sick bin. Heal soon, Ellie.

In the end, Finsbury Gardens was a little cleaner, we were a little happier, and Paul and Mark were a little wobblier in the knees than when we started. A successful evening all round.

Come next week.

*Six splendid Goodgymmers ran to give the Westbury Banks Nature Reserve a much needed tidy up. *

Kudos Corner (The Big 2-0-0 Edition)>

First and foremost: JULIE!

The woman, the myth, the 200-task legend. Whether she’s singing “Choppy Choppy Choppy,” finishing evenings in bins, or simply rocking up with unstoppable enthusiasm, Julie is everything Goodgym is about. She is also everything that Badgym is about. And for that we salute you. Rock star.

For Fox's Sake, Paul>

Our mission for the evening was clear: give the Reserve a hardcore tidy up so that it doesn't look too shabby from the main road. Armed with rakes, litter pickers, and loads of gloves, we got on with the task. Well, most of us did. Julie spent her evening trying to pull Paul's trousers down with her litter picker, while serenading us all with a song that described how she would eventually succeed in pulling down Paul's trousers. Reader, rest assured this was all consensual and done in good spirits. #Badgym4Eva

Paul nearly added dramatic flair to the evening too by almost falling into a fox’s den. One moment he was running away from Julie, one assumes; the next, gravity tried to stage a coup. Thankfully, agility won. Paul escaped unscathed, dignity intact, and the foxes presumably grateful for the unexpected entertainment.

By the end of the evening, the Reserve looked a bit better and Dave had won himself another SuperHero badge by running two bags fulls of dripping can down Westbury Avenue to find the closest recycling bin. Apparently a recycled beer can can produce around 4 hours of telly viewing.

We then went to the pub to celebrate our Julie with pub shenanigans.