19 GoodGymers helped St Mary's Flats and Cecil Sharp House with some gardening!!

Welcome along to Anna, Tom and Jill whose first time it was last night - lovely to have you along :)

In the news this week:

1. This Saturday GoodGym are taking over Burgess Parkrun with us providing pacers and all appearing in red! We'd love for you join us!
2. Also this Saturday (in the afternoon/evening) is the Night of the 10,000m PB's at Parliament Hill Track on Hampstead Heath. This annual event is an amazing display of British and European running with some the fastest racing around 25 laps while the crowds cheer on in #Lane3BeerNCheer - elite running, music/circus and beers - come along!
3. Next Sunday there is May's Long Run going from Battersea Park to Richmond Park - gonna be awesome!

Cecil Sharp:

This week we had two wonderful tasks in our beautiful Camden. A team led by Rosie and Kat headed to the Home of English Folk Music Cecil Sharp House to help maintain the gardens. We've been helping Susannah the Head Gardener there for nearly two years, she is always so appreciative of our efforts and the impact we have. Like a lot of places Cecil Sharp had it's funding cut from Camden Council so the charity now survives on using it's spaces for events.

Folking around

A team of 10 got really stuck into the gardening; clearing the weeds between the cracks with the best tool in town and sweeping up the pathways. Over 30 minutes the team had made a massive impact.

St Mary's:

Meanwhile nine of us headed the long way to help St Mary's Flats, we've helping Jon and the community group there for over four years - it's always good to return. Chris and Alysson got to work forking the ground around a tree to loosen it up before planting some ivy and flowers with compost. The rest of the team cleared two gardens of weeds so the residents can use them in the summer, Tom even found some potatoes!

After we'd packed up and taken a group photo we headed for a run along Camley Street, the canal and a progression run around Granary Square before heading home.

Thanks to Rosie's the post-run biscuits - yum!

Next week we are going to be helping Groundwork and Castlehaven - sign up here!

PB out.

33 of Camden's finest helped Skip Garden with some gardening and we leafleted for Green Gym & Kentish Town City Farm

Welcome along to Antonia whose first group run it was last night - lovely to have you along.

In the news this week:

1. Well done to Shirin who hit 50 Good Deeds last week! Woop woop!
2. Also a massive well done to Sophie and Steve who represented GG at Manchester Marathon recently, both achieving under 4 hours.
3. This Sunday is the London Marathon and GoodGym has various cheering squads out and about - have a look here. Myself and 20+ other GoodGymers are running - come along and cheer us on!

Chris' Leaflet Telegram:

This week were leafleting for Green Gym who run local gardening projects in Camden and Kentish Town City Farm who run programs for people 60+ in the local community.

Sunset running

We headed up to Kentish Town. Bumped into Jess (Sophie's mate) on the way there on her bike. Split into two groups, tackled the areas marked on the map around Kentish Town, working our way back down to Castlehaven. Pritesh was at the back, Steve gave a leaflet to some corner lads. Stop.

Skip Garden Report by PB:

We headed over to Skip Garden, through a busy Granary Square (it was like it was the first day of summer or something). Upon our arrival we met Chief Gardener Emma who explained our jobs:

1. Folding up and loading the yurt onto a van to be moved to the Canada Water site - this provides lots more space in the Garden for activities!
2. Shovelling soil into small bags so to be easily used around the garden to feed the plants & flowers
3. Moving the compost ridan out of the way - it's unfortunately broken and will be removed soon, so no more ridan fun.
4. Moving very heavy pots from inside to outside
5. Watering the plants - they need feeding

RIP Ridan

After we'd taken a group picture we headed for a run on the sunny canal with two options on the way back, short with Frances or long with me.

I am recovering from London Marathon next week so Pritesh is in charge and you're going to Antrim Allotments - sign up here.

PB out.

37 Goodgymers ran 7km and helped Grounded Ecotherapy at the Southbank Centre

Spring has sprung and last night was set to be a task to remember, our second visit to the Southbank Centre this month!

Welcome along to newbies Simeon and Alysson - lovely to have you along.

In the news this week:

1. Next Wednesday we are meeting at the Somers Town Coffee House instead of the Living Centre as it's closed for Easter.
2. The date for the GoodGym Olympics has been announced - 30th June. Camden won last year and we'll be looking to retain the trophy - get signed up!
3. Don't forget we are having our 5th birthday party at Skip Garden on 12th April - pizza, bake off and BYOB. Sign up ASAP please :)

Onto to what we actually did last night, after a quick warm up we headed south - through Russell Square, Holborn, passed Somerset House and across Waterloo Bridge to the Southbank Centre. The Thames looked beautiful as the sun was setting over it.

We were helping the fantastic charity Grounded Ecotherapy who say this about themselves: We offer recovery for people and places. We create thriving green spaces from neglected urban environments. Our members have extensive knowledge and skills in horticulture. Joining Grounded Ecotherapy helps members who have suffered mental health, substance misuse issues or experience of homelessness, to get back on their feet.

Once we'd all arrived, we climbed the yellow stairs of the Southbank Centre and got the task going, splitting into groups we covered the following:

• Moved a big and small spikey ball!
• We laid top soil over the ground where turf will be rolled out later this week.
• A team of four raked the laid out soil - smoothing it over
• Pickers collected up rocks, sticks and debris from the laid soil.
• Over the other side of the rooftop a team laid a base of pebbles and covering in some planters before filling them with soil

Tough Mudder

As the sun set our paced quickened and we got tons done. Finishing off with a rush to fill the planters all hands were on it!

After a group picture and a thanks to the Grounded Ecotherapy team we headed into the night back home. Check out Grounded's thank you message for last night's work to us here

Sign up for next week here when we'll be off to help Scope Charity Shop in Camden for a NEW TASK!

PB out.