And so another year begins with a bang with the January Challenge! This week the Charlton contingent ran together to Woolwich to start our group run, where we warmed up with someone passing by joining in before catching her train - always nice to bring the community feel on our Woolwich starts!

We set off for Glydon to freshen the paint in the back room. A little tlc goes a long way here and many a painting job has been completed by our merry bunch. Lovely way to start the year and always worth coming out on a drizzly evening for GoodGym - friends, a little exercise and doing some good always make January much better.

Nice one folks, see you next week!

Wednesday was a chilly one! Sarah and I warmed up and had a leisurely run to Glyndon where we met Pieter, Andy and an unwitting rocking horse I've named Nigel. Andy showed us the cupboard Nigel was to be packed away in. How many cupboards have we tidied, sorted, repacked and cleared out at Glyndon? Surprisingly large cupboards and it's deceptive how much you can fit in them.

We had to take everything out to put Nigel in - face down was the best storage position, poor thing - and then remember where everything went back, not least slotting the TV in for easy access. A trip to the shed later (full of all manner of things needed for a community centre) and we were finished in plenty of time for a nice run along the river.

All the best Nigel, we hope you get your Toy Story moments to canter around Glyndon of a night.

Nice work team, until next time!

NB: This report features a description of two short films which doesn't do them justice. If you'd like to watch the films you can refer to the GGG whatsapp group but I will warn you: they are harrowing.

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It started like any ordinary Wednesday evening, meeting this week in Woolwich and swapping stories about how genuinely boring our Halloween's were. Sarah definitely won, having put the effort into carving a pumpkin and handing out sweets to the trick or treaters. Is that worthy of a good deed, GoodGym? I think after the night Sarah had, it should be (see short film 1 "Psycho" for full context).

After a short run up to Glyndon we were joined by Pieter and Kit and set to work on our first task of the evening, clearing a cupboard, taking out a nailed in shelving unit and sliding a new fridge in there.

While waiting for Andy to get the necessary tools, the gang gathered round to hear our second task, inspired by the excellent show, Taskmaster. The task was in two groups to create a scary short film using contents from the cupboard. Each group had 10minutes to plan their film and they got bonus points for featuring Andy in said film.

> "Your time starts now"

Just as this is announced, Andy walks in with a saw held out in a murderous rage as he turns towards the cupboard to meet his foe, the shelving unit. Pieter valiantly blocked his path to the cupboard screaming to take him instead; both teams thought they had their short films in the bag at this point. Disappointingly, he merely hacks at Pieter's finger; a warning saw. Then he proceeds to tear the unit limb from limb, dragging it unceremoniously from its dusty home to be used as a prop in a later film. It was brutal and I was getting increasingly concerned we hadn't foreseen the health and safety risk in this task.

After the fridge was in situ, and after a therapy session both teams felt ready to take on task two; the short film.

Film one featured a rendition of Psycho with a shower curtain and shower head from the cupboard, complete with the Psycho sound effect. Poor Sarah didn't see Julian or his knife coming until it was too late. Andy starred as a voice of Sarah's partner at the beginning "I'll be in in a minute darlin'". Hmmm...you could say he orchestrated the whole thing in fact. One to mull on.

Film two featured a stable marriage of two equal psychopaths. Pieter took up Andy's saw and (in a chilling display of chauvinism) came home expecting a change from his usual dinner from his wife, Marta. Marta described the meal as being "very fresh and jumping around in the market not that long ago". Butler Andy was called to reveal the meal which was Kit, definitely supposed to be dead with a knife protruding from her, but who instead dissolved into laughter trying to get her sound effect to work. At least Tom was genuinely surprised to see her - we've paid for an additional therapy session for him.

Some behind the scenes quotes from the making of the films:

Maybe can we get some more blood

If you wanna be dead body number one?

*It's a shame this paper cutter has a safety on it *

Hopefully no one needs the loo

I'm a bit scared of Andy

Well done to both teams, sporting efforts all round. Team two narrowly won the contest but all were awarded sweets, including Andy.

If you're concerned about Pieter's wellbeing, I can report that after spending the night in A&E and what he called a 'blood transfusion' he's looking much more like himself. Although he did have an awful lot of tomato ketchup around his mouth. I think it was ketchup....I'm sure it was.

Remember the Fireworks at Glyndon tomorrow!

Lots going on this weekend and next week we're at Clothes for Causes for our run starting at the Naval College. Until next time!

NB. This report was written by Tom Bigglestone, who wasn't there...but then how did he write such an accurate representation of what happened?

Wednesday 20:33- Franki created group "Run Report challenge"

20:35 Franki : Tom, we've nominated you for the run report. Should you accept this challenge, we will supply you with ten photographic clues and five key phrases.

20:40 Tom: Challenge accepted.

And that was how it happened. GoodGym accepts no responsibility for what is described in this run report. The phrases Tom was given are in bold.

"Well that’s a Mission that will go down in the annals of history! I certainly won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.

It didn’t have the best of starts. Ten minutes into the warm up activity, all a casual bystander would hear was Franki shouting “it’s a points game!” as justification for injuring them all in a desperate quest for victory. If that was bad, her over-zealous approach when Rachel shouted “high knees people” only added to the walking wounded.

Julian was nursing a bruised eye socket which everyone agreed was the shade of bike chain black. On his birthday as well (happy birthday, Julian!). He certainly made some new friends and got some qualifications in small-talk as members of the public crowded around to assist. Pieter, also dizzy, dazed and confused from Franki’s “win-at-all-costs' in-game violence, could only repeat the same two words to any subsequent question: “baked beans.”

When the police arrived to ask Franki what had brought on this torrent of energetic elimination and destruction, all she could say, as she was led off in handcuffs, was *“I had broad beans for tea, from a packet, not a can.” *

And so the mission itself began. The run of 1.07km was completed at a brisk pace. The 70p chocolate bars in the vending machine looked all the more enticing after the recent pause in Bank of England Interest-Rate Hikes. But there was no need - with food aplenty: Miniature Heroes (the only confectionery selection box that doesn’t contain nuts, I found out last week, hence why they’re so popular in schools. And GoodGym tasks, it seems). Plus some rainbow sugary sweets which looked like they had enough e-numbers to kill a small horse.

As always, lots of painting ensued (we could probably all qualify with Checkatrade through practice hours alone). This time it was the skirting boards - our famous wall remains intact!

Luckily the rest of the evening passed without incident. Franki has just been released on bail. With a restraining order. Must stay 100m away from broad beans."

Until next time, if you dare.

It has become some sort if omen that if I am leading the group run then it will run. This is taken so seriously that our initial plan to start a new gardening task was swapped for inside work, back at Glyndon.

The group arrived at the station, Jen and I were accidentally late as we squeezed in a cheeky intervals session before our group run. I blame our lateness on how seriously we took our drills before starting our session... luckily our group are very familiar with each other and it was lovely to arrive to them all chatting away. We got started by sharing our favourite words, butterfly in various languages came up high, there were also preferences for onomatopoeia!

The slightly chaotic vibe continued as the group started the warm with Jen subbing as Run leader as I grabbed a snack and perch pigs, other snacks are available... after some nice mobilising exercises we were ready to tackle our run up the hill.

Once there Andy greeted us and took us to somewhere new! A storage garage that had accumulated lots of junk and everything was stored very haphazardly. The group sorted the items into things staying, items for recycling, rubbish and gardening tools. It was incredibly dusty! What a difference 20 minutes made, bikes, cassettes, musical instruments, books of varying degrees of quality and clothes were sorted through. Plus we found some new tools that we will use next time we are in the garden. A quick sweep and everything was stored back in the space, it was truly amazing to watch as I munched on my salmon salad.

The weather stayed kind and it was a beautiful evening to spend with the lovely GGG, we sped back down the hill and enjoyed a nice stretch and some percy pigs.

You said rain was forecast? Pfffft.

The GoodGym weather gods sorted that one out and we enjoyed a sunny evening in SE18 for a short run up to Glyndon community centre in Plumstead to carry out a few tasks.

But first, a few things to celebrate. Alex claimed his frequent flyer badge as this was his 50th good geed! Sara had completed 50k in the Serpent Trail in Sussex! And Jenny and Matthew had been to Love Trails in south Wales and returned in one piece! It was also a pleasure to welcome Louise, who’d hopped across the Thames to join us for her first group run from Woolwich.

After some sprints to warm up and a short run up the hill to the Glyndon Centre, we divided into indoor and outdoor groups. Alex and Louise stayed inside to take apart an old desk. Outside, the rest of us got to grips with a bit of weeding.

It sounded like we were going to end up with a surprise visitor. As soon as Matt and Tom investigated the top of the garden, a neighbour’s dog burst out, barking angrily and sticking its nose through a slightly wobbly fence. And it didn’t sound like it was going to go away. That wasn’t in the safety assessment…

Eventually, the animal calmed down and was coaxed inside for its tea. Then the work could get under way.

After filling a big bag of weeds and taking apart that desk, our jobs were done - and it was back down to the hill to share cake outside the Crossrail station to mark Alex’s 50th.

Some of us even slipped away to the nearby Salt bar to toast our achievements. We were joined by another dog this time - albeit one far friendlier than the one up the hill. It was a good end to a good evening’s work.