It’s testament to the dedication of GoodGymmers that even in 30 degree Bank Holiday sunshine, 10 volunteers would give up their Saturday afternoon to help paint a school fence. The mission was organised because after two group runs, the painting of the fence at Grinling Gibbons was only a quarter finished. Smart-thinking Pieter made a Facebook poll to get the best date, and 10 of the Greenwich gang (plus Oliver from Wandsworth) volunteered to help out for three hours last Saturday. When we arrived, we were met with our first challenge. The rollers and brushes hadn’t been cleaned since the last group run visit a month before, and so they were a bit hard, to say the least! Undeterred, the determination of the team was strong and we began to work our way along the fence. Of course, a good workman (or woman) never blames their tools... but let’s say they weren’t the smoothest of paint strokes. Nevertheless, we painted and chatted away and the first hour passed quickly. But then - our next hurdle. We were running out of paint! Luckily, I teach at the school and so asked my headteacher to drive to Wickes and buy some more paint. Meanwhile, the painting team finished up the first tin and then took a well-deserved ice cream break. Soon after, new paint and new brushes arrived. Hooray! Except... the paint was a different shade of grey. Was it a problem? Well, we discovered not: this was only the undercoat. The poor school caretaker would have the long job of doing the top coat alone! Fuelled by Calippos, Twisters and Magnums, as well as some apples from the school apple trees, the team continued. With new paint and brushes, we whizzed along the fence at super speed. We only stopped when the clock hit four, our hands were blistered and our foreheads slightly sunburnt. Thank you to everyone that volunteered for this mission - despite the minor setbacks, the team worked brilliantly and many laughs were had too! A special shout out to Marta, as this was unofficially her 200th good deed! (Her official one is next week!)

24 awesome runners ran 4km to paint the fence at Grinling Gibbons School

We were joined by new runner Aaron last night, who got the warmest of welcomes from JC who took off his shirt as soon as he saw him... but of course this is GoodGym so nothing dodgy was taking place, they were just comparing tattoos, as you do.

Before we set off, we went round the group to find out what events we all had coming up. Lots of people doing the Oxford Half which I'm sure will be an awesome race and made even better with many familiar faces in red T shirts running around the course. I hope training is going well for all of your various goals and remember I'm always here if you need a hand with anything!

After a little warm up we headed out of the uni along the main road to ensure we got to the school as soon as possible. I wasn't joking when I said the fence was big was I! It catches me by surprise every time! Natalie had organised everything for our arrival. For those who don't know, Natalie is a teacher at the school. Bet she loved going back in while she's on school holidays! Sorry Natalie but we all really appreciate your help! :)

There was a small amount of sanding still to do plus the painting of course. Without much hesitation, everyone got stuck in.

The gate was open this time so we could paint the back of the railings and actually see what we were doing this time round so that was handy! As instructed before we left for the task, speed would prioritise over accuracy with regards to the painting and lo and behold we managed to get LOADS of it done. NICE JOB!!

There is probably still about three quarters left to do, it's certainly the task that keeps on giving! After 40 minutes or so, it was time to head back. No time for a fitness session this week sadly (which seems to be a recurring theme and for that I do apologise, clearly my timekeeping skills have got a bit too relaxed lately haha) but we took the more scenic route along the river instead, LOVELY!

A few stretches and we called it a night!

Next week we are back at Charlton House, snipping down cable ties from old posters and clearing a path for wheelchair/buggy access. Join us for a slightly longer run than usual!

Social Stuff

Here is the link to the GoodGym monthly social taking place this evening. As always Greenwich is in the bad books for never having anyone turn up... woops! But in all seriousness it's a lovely opportunity to meet some likeminded GoodGymmers from all over the capital so if you're in the area make sure you pop in and restore our image!

We also have our Greenwich social coming up in a few weeks! We haven't had one since spring so it's well overdue. Sign up for the run here and if you know anywhere in Greenwich that you think might be suitable for a few dozen sweaty beings to have some food and drinks then give me a shout!

Great work last night everyone! We really made a good dent in the fence, hope you're all looking forward to future visits! Have a lovely rest of the week!

Cleaning gym mats, sanding down windowsills, and painting classroom doors!

After another day of rain, the evening didn’t look promising! But, despite the bad weather, 10 good deeders came out to help with some tasks at the Grinling Gibbons school.

We met under cover and, in light of the recent return of Love Island, tonight’s question was on the topic of guilty pleasures. Our guilty indulgences ranged from ice cream (whole tubs!!) to bingeworthy TV and radio - but nobody admitted to a Love Island addiction!

We dropped off our bags and then it was time to warm up, something that was much needed. Is it really June?? A game of tag was played…but with a twist. Every time somebody was tagged they linked hands until there was one giant chain chasing the remaining runners. Tactics were needed to make sure everyone was running in the right direction! The only one who didn’t get caught was Rachel. It was also Rachel’s first run, so welcome to Goodgym Greenwich! Give Rachel a cheer here.

We ran along the river as a group and soon arrived at the school where Natalie works! We were here a few weeks ago painting the fence outside. That was the original plan for this evening, but luckily there were some indoor jobs for us to do instead! We split into groups to carry out the different tasks. Ben, Claire, Natalie and Pieter were in charge of cleaning. They scrubbed all the gym mats in the school hall and they were sparkling clean in no time. The hall has never smelt so good! Other tasks included sanding down windowsills and radiators ready for a fresh lick of paint and painting a classroom door. Everyone got to work very quickly and we managed to get everything finished on time – well done all!

We made our way back through the park just in time for a quick team (ab) building exercise! In groups of three our core muscles were put to the test with some twisting, planking and crunching! A quick stretch and it was time to head home.

Next week we are heading to a new task at Cherry Orchard Primary School, sign up here.

There are also lots of community missions coming up if you want to get involved. There is the chance to help out at the Surplus Feast on Saturday June 29th. This is a great event involving lots of cooking and food preparation. There’s also a colour run that you can help out with the following day, on Sunday 30th.

Hope to see you next week!

21 wonderful runners ran 4km to sand down and paint railings at Grinling Gibbons Primary School!

A lush evening in Greenwich once again, hopefully these sunny nights are here to stay! We welcomed two new runners to the gang, Tom and Jennie.. hope you both had a nice first run with us!

Due to my dilly-dallying we didn't have much time for a warm up so a gentle jog around the quad sufficed and then we set off!

The destination was Grinling Gibbons Primary School in Deptford where our very own Natalie is a teacher. Our task was to sand down and paint the fence... which didn't sounds like a big job, but Natalie did mention it was a rather large fence. However ever the optimist I was sure we could get it done all in one session... but no, Natalie does not lie, that fence was never ending.

Once we saw what we were up against, we got cracking immediately. Everyone grabbed some sandpaper and began frantically sanding, some interesting tekkers, I particularly enjoyed Ollie's doubled handed method. Clearly he had done this before.

Then it was time to crack open the paint, which was an ordeal in itself! The lid eventually loosened and we distributed the paint making sure to get as much of it on the pavement as possible as well as each others clothing..!

We focussed the attention on the first few railings for the paint job while the rest of the group carried on sanding their way down the fence, coughing and spluttering as they inhaled the dusty paint fumes!

Time was a-ticking and sadly it was becoming clear that we weren't quite going to finish the job but good news is that we have now prepped it well for next week when we will be returning to hopefully get it all done!

Unfortunately not even time for a fitness session so we tidied up, took a quick photo and headed back to the uni for a stretch!

Community mission at the Colour Run!

If anyone wanted to help at the Bexley Colour Run in a few weeks that I mentioned that would be super awesome! Looks like a bunch of fun! Perfect if you fancy a longer run, Danson Park is lovely!

Great work everyone! I hope you all managed to get the paint off clothes and skin and other body parts! Good luck to those running the Vitality 10k on Monday! See you next week!