Very enjoyable night tonight with 2 new faces, a 5.5k run and a feel good session at the Food Union Allotments.

This evening, to accommodate tonights group, we had some members walking to the task, some running and some meeting us there. The walking group left slightly earlier to ensure we all arrived at around the same time.

At 6pm, Laura and Lil welcomed Louise who then set off with Lilian on a fast walk to Food Union. The runners, Allan, Deb, James, Laura and Laura met at the usual time of 6.15 where we greeted another newcomer, Cheung. After a warm up we also set off on our journey to the allotments. We were hoping to catch up with the walkers but they were super speedy and beat us there, meeting with Jackie and Lani at the gates.

When we had all arrived, the gates were still locked and at one point it was looking like we might have to turn around and go back. Thankfully, as there were a good few of us, we shouted the task owners name at the top of our voices and he appeared and let us in, phew!

It was the perfect evening for an allotment task, the task owner gave us a bit of an explanation of what they do at Food Union for the benefit of the new members and then he explained the tasks on the agenda. Half of the group started on weeding the asparagus bed and the other half were prepping the soil ready to plant some squash.

The team got straight to it and made quick work of getting the jobs done. Before we knew it, it was time to make our way back, the time went so quick and we could have all happily stayed longer. We had a group photo, said goodbye to Lil and Louise who were starting their walk back to base while the rest of us put the tools away. We said our goodbyes to Jackie and Lani who live close by and the rest of us ran back.

Good work tonight everyone and a big warm welcome to Louise and Hesper, it was great to meet you!

5 of us joined lots of other volunteers for the Glow for Myton 5k walk/run around the city centre.

We arrived and were shown to our stations, Nigel and Laura on the VIP area, Jackie and Katherine on the creative zone and Laura hosting.

Laura stood at the entrance ushering people to the registration desks. Laura and Nigel were checking for peoples red VIP lanyards and keeping the VIP's in check. Jackie and Katherine were on the creative zone keeping the station tidy and asking people to add their emergency details to their race numbers and decorating them as they please.

The place was full of colour with people dressed in all sorts of fantastic outfits and 70’s themed costumes and everyone was in high spirits. We enjoyed listening to the DJ play and seeing all the supporters join in the Zumba warm up. Such good fun!

Thanks for your help GoodGymers, the task owners were really pleased and it all ran really smoothly. Well done!

After a week off due to poor weather conditions 8 GoodGymers were back ready to continue our work on project Sanctuary Garden. We enjoyed a short run to Kairos and already half way there, completed a spontaneous good deed as a pile of Sainsburys crates had fell into the path. Realising this was a hazard, Greame started to move the crates back onto a trolley and was assisted by Jackie and Nigel - nice one guys!

Arriving at Kairos (in the light for a change!) we were greeted by Hannah who had a 'menu' of tasks for us to choose from including digging, painting and flat pack assembling. Allan took on the flat pack challenge, Lil and Deb armed themselves with the paintbrushes while Jackie, Nigel, Laura and Graeme got stuck in with the back breaking digging and removal of the never ending rubble.

The rubble needs to be dug up to make way for compost so that the areas can be used for planting, Jackie and Laura were digging and filling bags with the rubble, while Nigel and Graeme lifted and wheelbarrowed the bags of rubble to the van out the front. Deb and Lilian were painting the insides of the newly erected planters with bitumen while Allan was inside wrestling with a the flat pack coffee table.

By the end of the session we managed to fill the van with as much rubble as possible and paint the inside of 2 and a half planters. The table wasn't quite finished but Allan was determined to stay longer and complete the job with the help of Graeme. It was decided that the rest of the group would run back to base while they stayed to complete the flat pack task.

Before the run back, we enjoyed some madeleines (not mandalorians) courtesy of Graeme which were delicious along with some other delights bought by Kairos and had a group photo around said flat pack table.

Excellent work team!

Table update - Half an hour later and mission accomplished, one complete coffee table which Allan never wants to see again! Well done and thanks to you both for staying on to get the job done.