On what was shaping up to be a very very hot and humid evening we gathered outside Glass Mill ready to tackle the longer run over to Goldsmiths Community Centre to continue tackling the overgrown weeds.

There was a variety of tasks to get stuck into including clearing the overgrown weeds, cutting back brambles, litterpicking and putting all the green waste in the compost piles.

Everyone got stuck in and time flew by, we always have slightly shorter time at the task because it's a longer run but that doesn't stop us!

Tools returned to the tool shed and an apple picked for the journey home, we began the slightly more downhill journey home. To our surprise (and disappointment) we had missed the rain but did get to see some spectacular lightening. We certainly made the most of the cooler post-rain weather on the way home.

Fantastic work tonight everyone - we've started laying the foundations for the new Youth Club that's going to be using the space.

GoodGym Lewisham's finest were out in force to brave the heat and run over to Goldsmiths Community Centre to tackle the overgrown outside space. The space has been used as a COVID testing centre for the past few years and after the temporary structures had been removed it was looking a bit unloved.

It was a longer run over to Goldsmiths (if you're going to the right one and not over to New Cross), it meant I had to break up an interesting conversation about growing rosemary from a cutting but we needed to maximise time spent at the task and head off on time.

We kept it easy on the way to Goldsmiths with the sneaky little hills until the panic that I'd lost my phone (it was in my pocket...) and we soon made it to the centre to meet Clare and Darryl (lovely to see you both back at a group run).

Tools distributed and it was time to get stuck in! A longer run means we have shorter time to get the task done but it motivates us to work quicker. We tackled the weeds, cut back brambles and piled it all up in the trolley to be taken to the compost pile. Thanks Goldsmiths for providing us with water!

We then made our way downhill back to Glass Mill and after a quick pit stop to collect bags, we went to Mamma Dough to celebrate Marta's birthday, PB's and all the good deeds we've been doing recently.

While many enjoyed the sofa, Easter eggs and a holiday film, a determined thirteen took on 7+km, running to help out at Goldsmiths Community Centre.

How heartening to find ourselves welcoming two absolute new-comers along for their first GoodGym group run, on a Bank Holiday Monday! A big welcome and Lewisham Love this week go to Carla and Joana. We also welcomed back Marta, who has been away for a few weeks, having run a half-marathon since we last saw her, well done Marta! We also cheered Eleanor, who ran 20 miles yesterday, as part of her training for the Brighton Marathon in a couple of weeks (having also run a personal best time at parkrun the day before!). The weather had been pretty bad on Saturday, with the Hilly Fields Run Director saying, 'It's not a PB day!' - this didn't stop Bradley from also heading out to run his fastest 5k yet, great work Bradley.

Before our run, we quickly did a little warm up, making use of the area outside our start point, but avoiding the soggy grass. A few knee-tags, leg swings and arm lifts later and we were ready to go. This run is a long one, with a round trip of just under 8km, so Monica, Rosemary and Eleanor offered to back-mark, ensuring nobody was left behind. As we ran, there was lots of talk of Easter weekend relaxation (if you can call PB-chasing and long-running relaxing!) and we were pretty soon heading along the straight road to our task.

We were met at Goldsmiths Community Centre by Lucie, who showed us the various tasks that needed our attention. Last time we visited, a group worked hard sanding the floor in the soon-to-be cafe and shop area. Lucie told us that they will be using a sanding machine on the central area, but it can't reach the edges, so a few people who were happy to do so, got down on their knees and removed layers of grime, varnish and oil from the edges of the room. In the other room, our volunteers carried through heavy boxes of books to be sorted into various categories and genres, a pedant's dream! As always on these kind of tasks, we find some real treasures, with Monica's history of Lewisham book being a rather fascinating find, with photos that we tried hard to place. With our run here being longer, our time is precious, so we were quickly counting down the last ten minutes, then five and so on, until the organised boxes were returned and the sandpaper was put to one side.

Following a question about what the centre is and what happens here, Lucie told us about everything that goes on, with regular classes taking place, including Zumba, yoga, martial arts and so on. There are also socials, meetings, parent and child groups and activities in the outside space. There seem to be lots of exciting plans for the community centre, with Lucie mentioning her dream to have chickens and even a...llama! A few hands went up to volunteer with helping to look after the animals if it happens! Lucie is always looking for volunteers in the charity shop, so do get in touch if you think you might find time to help.

Once we had said goodbye, it was time to run back to Lewisham, always fun, with a nice down-hill stretch towards home. We waved off some of our runners who live en route and rounded off our run with a few push-ups and squats, before a stretch and a chat about next week. The task is to be confirmed (due to a last-minute juggle with dates), so sign up anyway and keep an eye on Twitter (@GGLewisham) for updates. Don't forget the GoodGym Monthly Social is happening this Thursday, a chance to meet runners from other areas, hear the guest speaker and vote for the International Pun of the Month, sign up here.

Not ones to be put off by a bit of rain, 21 awesome athletes covered 8km of running, sanded numerous floorboards and cleaned a kitchenful of cupboards.

No first-timers today, but what a joy it was to welcome Lucy back after what feels like forever! We missed you Lucy! Stepping right back into it, she took on the role of back-marker, with Helen for company, top team.

After last week's epic Medal Monday, this evening felt quiet in comparison, so plenty of time to contemplate just how wonderful it is that no fewer than seven of our runners have been to visit an older person for a chat in the past week. Well done Monica, Anita, Nykolette, Conroy, Jacqueline, Rebecca (and I went to see my coach on her almost 88th birthday too).

Comic Sands

This week's task was taking us back to Goldsmiths Community Centre (it's been a while), so a long run of 8km in total, WITH A HILL! Since our last visit, so much has been happening, with the new cafe and charity shop really taking shape. This will provide a focus for the building, where groups can meet and local residents can come and breathe life into this purpose-built community centre. Our job was to sand the recently revealed floorboards, making them ready for varnishing. A team of willing sanders put on masks, grabbed some sandpaper and blocks and worked hard on a patch of floor...the noise was immense! Those who found the dust a bit too much, were tasked with pulling out the contents of the kitchen cupboards and giving them a jolly good clean.

Normally at our tasks there is a lot of chatter, but our sanders could barely hear themselves think, with the scratchy sound echoing around the empty room. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the radio was on, the talk was flowing and the Lady Di and Monster Munch mugs were being passed around. It really was a task of two halves. It was interesting to see how people's true character could be revealed in their sanding style, we had the:

• follow one floorboard all the way along the room

• sprawl belly-down, creating a human-shaped patch (crime scene alert!)

• neatly sand yourself into a corner

• take off a whole layer of wood

• work in every which way, like a dusty starburst

It was definitely one of those tasks that you don't appreciate until you step back and survey the space. Fantastic work everyone, you really made a big dent in this challenging job (I have a feeling we'll be back!).

Cups away, masks and smooth sandpaper discarded, water sipped down dry throats, group photos taken; it was time to go. The return leg from here always feels so much easier, with a nice downhill stretch to take us home. Those of us who arrived back first found a patch of wall (window) to sit against, willing our fellow runners to appear around the corner. A brief respite with some toe-taps and we were back at the wall, good work. As we stretched, we looked ahead to next week, when we will return to the Albany Garden, to fill some new raised beds with compost and shift some massive logs, sign up here to commit to a great upper body workout :)

Running out into the dark, twenty two of Lewisham's finest took on 8km of running, a whole path's worth of weeding, sweeping and clearing and delivered a few hundred flyers to neighbouring houses.

That's impressive isn't it?!

Joining us this week for their very first group run were Rosemary and Nakisa, with Sophie sampling the delights of Lewisham, having ventured over to Hackney previously - we hope you enjoyed our south eastern brand of good-doing! If you click on their names, you can give them a cheer, there's nothing nicer than waking up to a cheer-alert :)

High-five!

Our warm-up took us out of the cosy warmth of the foyer at Glass Mill, into the darkness of Lewisham central, autumn is most definitely here. After a name-check, some jolly high-fiving and some dynamics, we were off, no messing about! We had 8km to run! Thank you to a top team of back-markers, Stephen, Velile, Chris and Nykolette - who was sparkle-fresh from her birthday weekend in Brussels, where she did a moonlit night run to celebrate! Perfect.

It's been a long time since we visited Goldsmiths Community Centre, so some of our newer runners were a little confused. As I say each time, it's nothing to do with that other Goldsmiths, the one in New Cross, it's a lovely community centre over in SE6! Our run was long, it had twists and turns, it had long, straight roads and it had plenty of chatter. It's amazing how quickly you tick off the miles when you're talking to the person next to you. We tried to stay together, regrouping as and when we could but, it seems inevitable on these longer runs that we should become separated. Great work then from our back-markers, who kept our runners motivated and arrived around the corner shortly after the front runners.

Teamwork

We were met by Lucie, the new Community Development Worker at Goldsmiths. While I waited for everyone to arrive, Lucie took the group to collect some tools and showed them through the building to the sports court area (this place is huge, there are two halls and very many other rooms used by all sorts of groups throughout the week). Alongside the path are flowerbeds, which needed clearing of weeds, in preparation for the after-school club using the space. At the front of the building we had Team Flyer, delivering cards for Blenheim, who had requested that we spread the word in this area, perfect timing! Working in pairs, with direction from Caireen and Kim, our top posties covered neighbouring streets, distributing a few hundred cards in a short space of time - excellent work and thank you team leaders (and to all those who helped to carry the flyers, Kim, James, Stephen and Vic).

With our run being longer, time flew by even faster than usual, but this was just fine, because the flyers had flown and the weeds were no more. It was great being able to take on an outdoor task, with floodlighting and Lucie informed us that there will be plenty more to do in the coming months - we'd better get in training for those long runs!

Those of us who have done this run before know that the return leg is so much easier...down hill!! Weeeeeeeeeee! Well, I say down hill, you do have to run a bit before you get to that downward incline, but it feels great to fly back to our start point. En route I had a lovely conversation with Sarah, who told me that she and Ali had been inspired to revisit Lewisham Irish Centre at the weekend and help out at Foodcycle, where surplus food, that would ordinarily go to waste, is put to good use at a community meal. How wonderful to hear about our runners extending their volunteering beyond our group run (and Ali was full of all-round energy and enthusiasm, having ventured to Hilly Fields first thing to try her very first parkrun)!

You may have noticed in the past few months, we have paused along the way to take photos near our rather pretty local murals. We have the 'Welcome to Ladywell', the 'Hither Green' and tonight we ran past a new and marvellously colourful mural popping up just by our start point, lifting a normally dreary bridge. We just had to add it to our collection! Next week we will run back this way, returning to the Lewisham Irish Centre to finish the painting (we might also have a second task, to be confirmed - keep an eye on Twitter @GGLewisham). Good luck to our very own Spartan, Nykolette, who is taking on her most epic challenge yet at the weekend, be strong Nyk, you inspire us all!