Our group run this evening took us to somewhere new, to help a charity new to us.

Safe and Sound (https://www.safeandsounddorset.org) is a charity that looks to support vulnerable women in our community by offering many different types of support and allowing them to express and explore through their creative side.

Laura, Amber, Chris and I met up at Kings Park to run the 3.4km to meet Dot at Meyrick Park. Vicky ran loops around Winton before meeting us at the task and Hannah managed to sneak away from her little boy to come and add some extra muscle!

We met Dot and she told us about her charity and what they had planned. Her friend lives in some lovely flats and they were getting rid of lots of bamboo...rather than waste it Dot wanted to use it for the charity's new cafe and shop.

Michael from Grounded Community had put us in touch and told Dot we would get the job done...and we weren't going to let anyone down!

With tools in hand we soon decided that focusing on one big pot would be better. Vicky got stuck in and powered through many layers of roots...for those of you that haven't dealt with bamboo before....well it's not very nice...the roots are so tangled and strong that for anyone other than GoodGym Bournemouth it would be a nightmare to split up and pull out...

Well, it took mainly girl power this evening. Chris and I took a step back when we saw the ladies meant business. Gradually chipping away we managed to pull out lots of the shoots and repot them, ready for them to then go in Dot's van.

After about an hour and with Dot happy she had enough bamboo, we tidied up the area so the residents wouldn't get annoyed and jetted off home again talking about our plans for dinner! Making us run back much quicker!

Next week's run is happening but trying to finalise details. It will most likely be on Tuesday though as it's my Birthday on the Wednesday!!

Last night we had a litter pick as our task, not any old litter pick....a graveyard one!!

It was Ian's first taste of GoodGym after being a long time admirer. He'd been coached by Esther from Poole before so was ready for the challenge ahead.

We met up at the church with Daryl, Laura and Vicky. Vicky was also on her first GoodGym experience and it was great to have two new, lovely people join us!

We went through names and favourite ice cream flavours, ground rules graveyard etiquette and scattered in teams to tidy the area.

We came across a toaster towards the end, Caprice and Daryl found some sausage rolls. Laura and Amber found some soiled clothing and then as we converged around the chapel we came across some trendy Adidas trainers in a bag, but because the soles were worn out we discarded them.

We took a group photo by the front steps and then ran back the way we arrived...just much colder than at the start!!

Next week we're doing some gardening on Wednesday. Come and join us!!

Last night was our first group run of 2022 and we marked it with a chilly run around Kings Park. The home of Bournemouth Park Run.

We met up by the Cricket Cafe and all wrapped up nice and warm to combat the fresh chill in the air.

We used John's car to store the litter pickers to allow us to run a little more freely. John was fresh off a 50km trail run...and he's firmly got his eyes on much longer distances!! What a guy!!! Give him a cheer!

We tried to stick to the lit up paths but ran out of light and ended up having to rely on our head torches. Not Amber though, who lost hers to her dog!

We did a loop and collected the litter pickers, handed out gloves and started on our hunt for rubbish.

Highlight finds were some "heavy" pants and a heavy chain..quite tame compared to our usual finds.

Next week we are at St Peter's Church to help them with a New Year clean of their grounds.

We'll be running there but remember you're welcome to cycle along or meet us at the church if you're unable to run/cycle!

Last night our good deed was to help out Paul at Bishop Aldhelm's Primary School with their long jump pit.

4 of us met up at the bottom of Coy Pond to go for a little run and chat together.

It was lovely to have Amber join us again after a little hiatus and Hannah managed her first proper run since having her little boy 11 months ago. It was a special evening for sure!

We took the lit-up road route, avoiding the usual off road trails, and although the distance was short, the hills were not!

Chatting along we made it to the school where Paul was waiting for us and guided us to the long jump pits at the back of the school.

We set up the lights and picked out the right tools and set about shoveling and scraping away all the moss that had grown on the running strip to the long jump pit.

We realised pretty early on that it was all about angles and that our arms are not as strong as we'd like! Hannah added her strategic knee sway to it and soon was shoveling large spades of moss clear.

We cleared one strip and with 15minutes to go we started and got half way through the second strip. A light drizzle started and this was our cue to pack up and make our way back to Coy Pond.

A very satisfying evening in many ways!

Next week's session is in the works so keep an eye out for it!