A fabulous five delivered flyers for the wonderful Ignition Brewery in Sydenham, a great task made even better being rounded off with a well-earned beer or two.

It was a brand new task this week, with the wonderful Ignition Brewery needing a bit of GoodGym magic to help spread the word about their upcoming karaoke fundraiser. The brewery is unique in that it was set up 3 years ago with the specific aim to provide work for local adults with learning disabilities, both in the brewing and selling of the beer.

We were a small group but we split into 2 groups to cover as much ground as we could, with the pile of leaflets looking dauntingly large... After a very quick warm-up, we headed off, maps and flyers in hand. Mark, Alys (wearing her splendid meditating sloth running leggings as promised on her last task) and I headed towards Penge East station, whilst David and Jacqui headed down Lawrie Park Road, to tackle the magnificent houses and flats that Sydenham has to offer.

The initially dauntingly large pile of flyers soon disappeared as we braved dogs and snappy letterboxes. We were soon empty handed so we headed to the brewery where a thirst-quenching beer was waiting for us. When we arrived at the taproom, there was a salsa class going on, could this be an impromptu fitness session?! Alas/thankfully (delete as appropriate) not. The inspirational and hilarious Nick was waiting for us and showed us to the brewery, where he had bottles of their Jump Start and South of the River beers ready. He told us about the brewing process in lay-mans terms, and made us chuckle with some of the brewery's 'nearly' names - Brewersham and Special Brew amongst them. He employs 12 local adults with a variety of learning disabilities who would likely otherwise be frequenting local day centres, with a shocking 93% unable to find work. Whilst it was tempting to stay to chat over a delicious bottle of beer, we called last orders, not before Nick very kindly plied us with beer to take away. We hadn't spotted the welcoming blackboard on our way in, what a lovely touch. Nick suggested a summer social-come- task, maybe planting up some oil drums to go on the pavements, count us in.

Jacqui lived only a hop, skip and a jump away so headed off home, whilst David went for the train as he was nursing a football injury. Mark, Alys and I raised a few eyebrows and caused a few chuckles running through the streets with bottles of beer in hand. What a great task, thanks to Nick for his hospitality, and I hope that our efforts result in a big turn-out at the fundraiser on 14th February.

Next week we're returning to Melvin Hall to paint some gates and help weed and tidy the outdoor areas. If the weather is bad, we can head indoors where they will find some tasks for us to do. Sign up here.

A select group of four hardy runners braved the storm for the first trip of the year to Melvin Hall.

A big Bromley welcome to Alys who didn't let the wild weather put her off her first good deed. Extra kudos for the funky pizza leggings!

The wind was howling and the rain was sideways, so we did a quick warm-up before heading to the warm and dry Melvin Hall. John was waiting for us and had laid out cloths and sprays for us to clean the windows in the kitchen, hall, foyer and office, and to clear out, clean and re-stack a storage cupboard in the kitchen.

Tim set to work methodically clearing the shelves of glasses and plates, whilst David and Alys tackled the windows. When the group came together in the kitchen, the conversation turned to Alys' leggings, which aren't the only quirky pair she owns, with a promise of meditating sloths adorning her legs on her next task. David shared that his nickname at university was sloth, due to his laid-back, relaxed nature and slow movements! Tim told of a book that he had read about sloths and hyenas, and dropped in a random fact that there is a population of wild hippos in Colombia, courtesy of Pablo Escobar. GoodGym is nothing if not educational.

When it was time to leave, the weather had unfortunately not improved, so it was a run back to the start point, where we did a quick wall-sit before stretching out our soggy limbs and heading off to the warmth of home.

Next week we're returning to the St Christopher's charity shop in Crystal Palace to help sort stock and tidy the shop. It's a short run but up hill, sign up here.

Four fabulous runners braved the wild weather to make our first visit to the shiny new St Christopher's charity shop in Crystal Palace.

The threat of rain and wind, along with the Christmas party season being in full swing, made for a small but perfectly formed group. After a quick warm-up, Fiona, Tim and I headed up a slow burner of a hill to Crystal Palace's newest, and swankiest, charity shop, where we met David who was sheltering from the rain nearby.

Ginger was waiting to greet us in the shop and had a list of jobs for us to crack on with, before very kindly heading out to buy us some bottles of water. Fiona jumped at the colour-blocking task, making sure the clothes were grouped in matching colours, with the hangers hung in the same direction. Tim took Henry hoover for a spin around the shop, David sorted donations and I cleaned the table and shelves. Fiona found a real mix of fabulous and stand-out clothes, including a fluorescent pink velour ruched skirt, which would definitely turn heads.

I found some rather puzzling items hidden behind some shoes on a shelf, which baffled us all. What were they?! Being rather on the short side, I could only reach the lower shelves so David kindly took over to clean the higher ones, with the help of an elephants foot. Tim had soon finished the hoovering so took over the sorting from David, with the keep vs chuck criteria ("would you buy it?") being harder to apply than it sounds, particularly when the item is a sparkly dress! Suits you Tim!

Time flew by and it was soon time to head back down the hill. The heavens had opened so we made a dash for it, stopping to shelter and do a wall-sit under the railway bridge, before stretching our weary limbs.

Next week we are heading to Sydenham Community Library for the final task of the year. Sign up here and bring your santa hat and tinsel!