Undistracted by athletic events going on elsewhere in the city, 3 GoodGym volunteers were back at Mary Seacole Nursing Home in the hopes of completing The Great Gazebo Marathon - a project, which Goodgym has been helping with since November 2024.

As ever, task leader Varda, had put in extra hours since our last visit and had not only got the gazebo set in concrete but also completed 3 roof panels. Today, the priority was to complete the final roof panel and, time permitting, paint some planters.

To make the roof panel, there were 4 corrugated metal sheets and 4 metal trims to attach to a wooden frame (one we made earlier). All metal sheets and trims were coated - both sides - with incredibly tough, sticky plastic, which had to be removed before being anything could be attached to the frame. The plastic removal was a rather lengthy process. However, once ready, fixing the metal parts to the wooden frame was a pretty smooth process thanks to Varda's now expert tuition. To complete the roof ensemble, a 'cap' was assembled to sit atop the peak of the roof.

CALL TO ACTION Unfortunately, we were not a big enough team to lift the roof onto the gazebo structure, and with only 10 minutes of the session remaining, we stopped at this point, while making plans for the final 'Topping Out Task'.

We will need a solid team of 10-12 volunteers before this can be achieved, so please, please, if you can make it along to the next session, you can be part of the essential and most exciting final push to get this marathon project over the finish line and earn your invitation to the official opening ceremony (date TBC)!!

Goodgym were back at Stoke Newington Common, helping protect and nurture the young trees and hedges planted previously. 5 volunteers were on hand to distrubute a fresh pile of mulch around the common. The team was so effective, that they ran out of mulch but there is more to do so another session will be arranged soon.

A big 'mulcho gracias' from the task leader, who is delighted with the work done. Everyone who helped out made a big difference and made the task much easier for the Stoke Newington Users Group (SNUG)

Another glorious weekend - the blossom is still out and so was the sun. @nicholas and I arrived early to set up and having done so became a bit nervous that no one would show up, but in classic parkrun fashion just before 9 am we had a bumper crowd of juniors and lots of first timers too. Nicholas and I were grateful to the DoE volunteers, first time volunteer Marjon, and the various parents that were dragooned to enable the event to happen. RD Rue opened the event by welcoming the 46 juniors (I think that must be a bumper turn out) especially the 14 first timers. Well done everyone!

The warm up with Joel was next with jogging on the spot, bum kicked, star jumps, and arm stretches. Then we made our way to the start line. As they prepared to run, a few miles away in Greenwich the elite runners were doing the same for the London Marathon. 3, 2, 1, GO.

The amazing juniors ran, jogged and walked round, there were so many personal records it was hard to keep track.

Well done to the all the juniors for turning up and having a go - you are amazing. Next week’s junior parkrun is on 4th May - Star Wars Day! I wonder how many Wookies will come along?

Volunteered at Hackney Night Shelter

First things first, a big thank you to all the Hackney Moves Run Club runners who got stuck into their first ever GoodGym task. In a change from their usual agenda, they joined forces with GoodGym to put their bundles of energy to good use relaying the woodchip path at Springfield Park.

We gathered at Stronghold Climbing Centre where we started with a GoodGym x Hackney Moves intro. We had a couple of pacers throughout the group who were on hand to chat to the runners about their goals for Hackney Half Marathon and hopefully become a friendly face on race day!

It wasn't long before we arrived in Springfield Park to meet Ash who directed us to the huge pile of mulch and the path that needed relaying.

In true GoodGym fashion, we split into groups: - Diggers: those piling the woodchip into the wheelbarrows - Wheelbarrowers: transporting the woodchip to the path - Rakers: spreading the woodchip once it was delivered

Time flies when you're having fun and before we knew it, it was time to head back to the start point!

We made a huge difference tonight and hope everyone enjoyed their first experience of getting out into the community and doing good whilst also getting fit.

The Hackney Moves Team had kindly provided drinks to keep us hydrated post-run whilst we had a quick chat about all things GoodGym and Hackney Moves Run Club.

Another fantastic junior parkrun at London Fields—and an extra special one for Easter Sunday!

Not knowing how many juniors might turn up, I took a guess at how many Easter eggs to bring. Luckily, Mas and Helen had the same idea, and between us, there were eggs galore as a sweet treat for all the finishers.

Thanks as always to the ever-dependable @nickMoore—everything was set up in no time. After a quick Hackney Haka warm-up, they were off! And what a brilliant performance from everyone. It was especially inspiring to see so many of our younger runners completing the course—truly amazing efforts all round.

Let’s do it all again next week!