33 Goodgymers ran 6km and helped Scope Charity Shop with lots of GOOD

Awww wow is this just the coolest thing ever (read in American accent). The much beloved Imogen is leaving for LA so it was her last GG - party time!

Welcome along to newbies Abigail and Alex - lovely to have you along!

In the news this week:

1. Get signed up for the GG Olympics now! It's going to be an incredible day of events on 30th June - deadline for sign up on Sunday 3rd June.
   
2. Good luck to those doing the Lake District races this weekend!
3. On August bank holiday Frances and Lucy are leading us to Dorest for some trail racing - all the distances available at East Farm - information here.

After a dynamic warm up including a NEW SKIP we headed over to Scope Charity Shop on Camden High Street. This amazing shop managed by the very organised Helen, helps fund work so disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.

Everyone lined up for their designated jobs and got going:

• Katherine polished all the shoe shelves and sorted all the shoes - she was having the best time
• Abi cleaned windows and surfaces in the middle room
• Alyson cleaned the skirting boards all over the shop - lots of hard work!
• Thomas measured trousers and labelled trousers
• Aidan cleaned the display boxes - everything looking shiny!
• Chris and Frances dressed the stores mannequins with the shops finest wear
• Three groups of three played the price is right with shoes, jewellery and ties - estimating the sell price and labelling them up
• 10 people sorted, hung, labelled and steamed clothes to be put on shop floor
• Steve - did up zips and buttons, cleaned the stairs & the toilet!
• Melanie and Liz cleaned the kitchen thoroughly

After 30 mins of hard work helping this fantastic charity shop we headed to Regents Park for a fitness session of x3 90 seconds with a progressive speed for the last 30 seconds. Everyone did really well - nice!

We'll miss you!

Once we got back to base we of course headed to the pub for Imogen's Leaving Party which included some amazing Mr & Mrs Camden t-shirts, vegan cake & more!

Sign up for next week here when we will be helping Antrim Allotments.

PB out.

27 Goodgymers ran 6km and helped Kentish Town City Farm

Welcome along to newbie - Ramon

This week we returned after helping Kentish Town City Farm prepare for May Day celebrations last Wednesday. Our job was to basically pack up everything we put up last week.

Many hands make light work!

A team of 13 were tasked with emptying and putting down the marquee. This involved team work, clear instructions from Chris and no one getting stuck underneath as it came down.

The rest of the crew packed up two gazebos and carried down 12 hay bails, stocks, scarecrows and everything else that was up there.

Once we were done Frances put me in the stocks and everyone fed the goats.

Last but not least we wanted to say a huge well done and congratulations to Sophie Hedges for hitting her 300th good deed. Fantastic!

Nice one! Come back next week when we have three tasks!

PB out.

27 GoodGymers ran between 4-6km to help three tasks in Camden - Cecil Sharp House, C4WS & American International Church!

Welcome along to Linda, Lizzy and Kara whose first time it was last night - lovely to have you join us!

In the news this week:

1. Well done to Sarah Rajabalee whose 50th Good Deed it was last night, she's been coming to GoodGym Camden since March 2016, has ran half marathons and contributed massively to Camden being a better place!
2. On 12th April we are going to Skip Garden for our 5th Birthday Party - see details here - gonna be fun!
3. So you know how last week was the biggest task of the year, well BIGGEST TASK OF THE YEAR Part Two will be on Wednesday 28th March lifting the turf for Southbank Rooftop - sign up here - need 50 people please!

Right last night we had three amazing tasks, helping three amazing charities:

1. Cecil Sharp House - monthly gardening trip
2. C4WS - making beds for the homeless
3. Skip Garden - moving logs for this amazing organisation

Cecil Sharp Report by Katherine:

Frances led a group of 8 to our monthly task at Cecil Sharp. The group headed into the walled garden to work on the patio, trim a bush and tidy the lawn. Unfortunately the wind meant the lawn had to be done a second time due to the leaves being blown everywhere...”did we not get all the leaves in the Autumn?”.

ALPS

The group then headed up to Primrose Hill to take on the ALPS (Arms, Legs, Posture and “Surprise, you’re going up the hill a fourth time”). After a quick stop at the top for the view, the group headed back with their improved running technique.

C4WS limerick by taskforce (led by Kat):

There once were 8 runners from Camden

They ran in pairs, not tandem

They made beds at speed

To get their good deed

8 runners, all women from Camden

Skip Garden Report by PB:

A group of 10 of us headed to Skip Garden to help Global Generation with a people power task, meeting Gwen between the fairy lights we split into three teams to move a ton of logs - movers, draggers and stackers.

Armed with good will, trollies and wheelbarrows we got the task done in no time! Imagine how long that would have taken one person!

Band Work!

Saying our goodbyes to Gwen we did a lap of Granary Square before doing some conditioning, including - step ups, tri-dips, squats, jump-squats, single-leg squats, resistance band work, planks and mountain climbers.

Once Rosie's group has joined us we did a quick fitness session of x3 90 seconds, accelerating your speed with 30 seconds to go! Boom!

Next week we are helping Sheltered Housing, leafleting for the Farm and making beds for the last time this year!

PB out.

A massive 54 people ran 8km and shifted 16 tonnes of crushed concrete for Grounded Ecotherapy at Southbank!

Wow that was amazing! What a night! Welcome to newbies Ludovica, Becca and Jane - what a night to come for your first time!

In the news this week:

1. Well done to everyone who ran, raced and cheered the Big Half on Sunday - GoodGym even made the official video!
2. It's the GG Monthly Drinks at the Greenwich Tavern TODAY, come along for puns, fun and Pritesh shouting haha!

It was a cracking evening to be a GoodGymer as 54 of us descended upon the Thames for our annual trip to help Grounded Ecotherapy at the Southbank Centre and escape Camden, through Westminster and into Lambeth - hehe. The lights of the river and central was beautiful - a rare sight seeing so many red shirts bouncing over Waterloo Bridge.

16 tonnes!

Grounded Ecotherapy is an amazing organisation, and they are one of London's most unique horticultural therapy projects - they help their members who have suffered mental health, substance misuse issues or experience of homelessness, to get back on their feet.

Our task for the evening was to shift 16 tonnes of crushed concrete into the Queen Elizabeth Hall to help create a a newly commissioned Atrium in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Getting into pairs, we shovelled 6 spades worth of concrete into each bag and followed a route set by the wonderful Paul (bigger beard) before emptying the contents into a pile that will be spread to create the piece opening at the end of March.

50 minutes x 54 GGers = day's worth of work!

It took 50 minutes and 54 GG Camden runners but we got the job done. It was hard, it was physical but man you guys did well. It was pretty non-stop with lots of pulling, lifting and emptying.

Upon hearing all the amazing work Grounded are doing at Southbank we headed home for a well earnt stretch and pint.

Well done everyone - what a night!

Next week we have 3 tasks helping 4 charities in CAMDEN - sign up here.

PB out.