It was a joy to join the Achilles International UK crew for a special Monday evening group run at Emirates Stadium. Since Christmas Day and New Years Day both settled on Thursdays in 2025, Area Activator Simon suggested a collaboration for the Goodgym Islington "Betwixtmas" task.

8 VI athletes (and 1 lovely guide dog) ran loops of the Emirates Stadium concourse with new, returning and experienced guide runners and walkers. An awesome get together during the festive period. We were super motivated to hear about future training objectives and races planned for next year!

Our next session with Achilles International UK will be at Paddington Rec Track (meeting at Maida Vale underground station) on Thursday 8th January, 6pm

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-paddington-rec-track-3535fe44-723c-45f2-a53f-b5479917cd00

The title already exists somewhere on our reports, but when you see and read this report you will understand that it could only be that as a title. I originally was registered to this mission 2 weeks ago and it was cancelled last minute when I was near Ms D flat as we found out she didn't have tools. This time we were assured she had bought tools. I arrived at Ms D and she lead me to the back garden, which was or looked like snakes all over her back garden and invading the slabs and the side of the shed. I asked for the tools and she gave me massive black bags. Then I asked for tools to cut the massive brambles : she said I only have a spade. Oooopppsss!No tools to weed or cut brambles, but not convinced to be defeated, I took my special bramble gloves(super thick and made for this type of task). Pulled weed, dead branches, dead bamboo, brambles and then used the spade to chop the brambles against the concrete near the back wall. Then as I had my bramble gloves was able to fold/bend so that it could fit in the rubbish bins. The spade was Ace or was i the Ace of Spade today.90 minutes in and the garden looked totally different. So you can sort out a garden without tools or the wrong tools. Ms D was over the moon! This was mission 100 since I have started doing missions just 2 years ago. When i mean missions : it is missions at elderly or isolated persons and not good deeds. Now its time to get more missions in before the end of the year and complete more in 2026.

Leaves and apples from nearby trees had fallen into Mrs C's back yard, and needed to be cleared up. On a crisp, sunny and windy Christmas Eve, I swept up as many leaves as I could find. At times this felt like a Sisyphean task - as soon as I had made a pile, a gust would distribute some of them across the garden once more. But persistence won and, within an hour, both front and back yards were clear, leaving the house looking more tidy for Christmas.

Area Activator Simon met with Goodgym runners from all different areas outside the great doors of St Paul's Cathedral on Monday evening. This week, we set up alternative festive get-together around the Fetter Lane and City Mile boroughs. Wild in Art, an arts collective who set up urban sculpture trails for charities across the UK, worked with the Fleet Street Festive Quarter to create the Xmas Snoopy Trail. 12 "Snoopys" designed by artists and creatives to find across Central London.

Our crew did a smashing job of orienteering around the beautiful Victorian streets, vast office blocks, grade 2 listed buildings and bright neon installations to find all of the figures (some were definitely more tricky to find than others!). Well done, everyone!

To celebrate, we visited Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub on Fleet Street for food and refreshments (rebuilt in 1667 after the great fire of London, frequented by Charles Dickens, and even featured in "The Tale of Two Cities"!)

Ms E had been through incredibly tough times that culminated in a long-term hospitalisation. Her plans to renovate the patio and the materials bought for that purpose became the last thing to worry about. When Ms E returned home, the garden she had known was no longer there. Instead, there was an uninviting portal that led to an impenetrable wall of brambles. Behind the curtain of spikes lay Outworld - once a beautiful and peaceful place until it became overtaken by brambles.

Ms E summoned two warriors from Ealingrealm to fight the invaders in a deadly tournament to protect her home from being conquered by thorns from Bramblerealm. She had only one pair of shears; the other was probably a victim of a bramble conspiracy. But that would not stop Sevan and Kash.

Kash went first through the portal with a pair of Ms E's shears and immediately entered berserk mode, snipping, cutting, and chopping everything in her way. Sevan bravely entered the portal with bare gloves and plastic bin bags. He meticulously captured the defeated brambles and put them into sacks, which was not easy as even the cut brambles fought back, hooking to Sevan's clothes with their spikes.

The warriors had limited time, as it was the shortest day of the year, to win the tournament. They had to knock the brambles out for good. With the help of Amphibian, whom they'd rescued on the way, and a newly discovered rake, Sevan and Kash pressed on and eventually reached the brick wall at the far side of the arena.

When the sun set and the rain came, the battle was over. The surviving brambles retreated to the left side of the arena. Everyone was certain that the light would return to Outworld and to Ms E's garden the following day.

We got rid of Mrs J's unwanted bed. A quick job Job me and David. We took the disassembled bed over to the refuse area with Mrs J's clear instructions. The sun was shining, Mrs J thanked us and wished us a merry Christmas and we headed back out into the world.