Ten tremendous runners joined me in Brent as we headed over to put the finishing touches to the dementia garden in Watling Gardens.

It was a great turn-out with faces old and new – thanks for coming along everyone!

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So with intros done (the social on the 4th October, volunteering at Shoreditch 10k (14th Oct) and getting involved with GoodGym Race Team) we headed off for the short run towards Kilburn.

Arriving at the gardens we saw the task in hand – six bags of topsoil, likely a ton each! We met Gerry, Angela and Joanne who had all had a hand in the success of the garden. Not only did we have an enormous task but we were fighting the light from the moment we got there – we’ll need even more lights when the clocks go back!

Diggers and spreaders

We split into groups with some shovelling the topsoil into various containers, others carrying and then people spreading the soil around the garden. It didn’t take long before systems were made and everyone got into their routine ensuring that we were being as efficient as possible.

Caught in the headlights

Before long the light really had faded and so we resorted to headtorches and bikelights and Angela had cunningly parked her car so she could use her headlights to light us too. We kept at it, the spreaders having to work particularly hard as the topsoil was more like rubble in places with various stones (even bricks mixed in with the soil. Eventually we had covered it all and we decided that we would empty the bags we were working on giving a grand total for four bags emptied – a new record for us!

With all the tools collected and everything tidied away we posed for a group photo trying to use all our lights, said our goodbyes and after a quick conflab decided left for an extended run home

…except

The long run never happened! We ran via the Queensbury to drop Clare off and we ended up doing a relay fitness session! With two teams we went through a short sprint followed by an exercise (5 squats, 10 star jumps and 10 lunges) and then a sprint back to base. It made for a fun and breathless finish to the evening and provided some nice entertainment for the passers-by.

Great evening everyone, great effort and super fun! Sign up for next week’s run here, we’re either doing some leaflet delivery or going back to finish that shed!

Cheers, Pritesh

p.s. thanks to Rosie for pun inspiration!

What a difference a week makes – we gathered in the Queensbury on a positively balmy night compared to last week.

Tonight we were running around 4km to Stonebridge to help Jack from the Canal and River Trust with some litter picking on the Brent Feeder that runs from the reservoir into the canals and eventually to the Thames and the Channel!

An awesome twelve of you, including Katharine who joined for the first time, grouped outside to have a quick intro and get ourselves together before the run.

Sharks

I took everyone through what we were going to be doing, gave a shout out to Danny and Simon who had both ran in the Big Half on Sunday and told everyone about the GoodGym Monthly Social which is this Thursday in Greenwich. Apart from the odd moment of miscommunication – watch out for the ‘sharps’ not the sharks’ near the canal all went well and with Tabitha and Deborah backmarking we set off to Stonebridge.

Keep on running

We take a back streets route to the canal so we that we don’t have too many pedestrians and crossings to negotiate and we kept up a good pace and arrived in Stonebridge in around 30 minutes. After Jack showed us all the tools and safety equipment we needed we split into pairs (harder than you might think) and then split across two sections of canal and litter-picked away! We worked solidly for around 25 minutes and had filled nearly 10 bags full of litter! Great job team and well done to those that braved getting things out of the canal too – we loved those long reach litter pickers!

Litter picks!

With all the bags tidied up and all the equipment returned we gathered for a group photo with Jack. He told us about some of the upcoming tasks we might get up to (it’s not just litter-picking to be done) including a bat survey, some planting and even wading in to the canal to manage the reeds and we’re hopefully looking to work on some different sites too! Whilst Jack was telling us about this one of the local residents stuck her head out and asked about helping too – we’ll either join forces or have some competition but either way it’s good for the canal!

Bag and bags

With everything taken care of we headed back to the Queensbury (thanks to Kathy for backmarking) and had a stretch before heading home with a deserved happy glow. Next week we’re nipping over the border in to Camden (shhh!) and helping the wonderful Abbey Community Centre digging in their community garden (3k run each way). Sign up here, look forward to seeing you all.

Cheers, Pritesh

GoodGym Brent!

Here we go - the age of Pritesh! Sorry, I'll stop.

It was freezing last night and it only got colder as the night went on but seven brave souls joined me in Brent to help out with the regeneration of the old police station in Willesden Green.

No newbies tonight but welcome back to Samina who had been away for six months or so and welcome back to Danny who was back for the second week in a row.

It was a bit of a topsy turvy night as I got to grips with leading the area and whilst I wouldn't call it a turn for the worse when I proudly proclaimed that we were heading right out of the pub to the police station and everyone told me I meant left I may have been slightly worried!

With Liz leading the way (thank you!), we made short work of the 1k trip to the police station where we met Colin and his friend Adi who had an assortment of jobs for us. The old police station is, well very much the old police station but Colin is working to regenerate the building with areas for arts, refreshing the outside with some new plants, fixing up some space at the back for yoga and even has bee hives and is going to be growing flowers. That is by no means and exhaustive list but working on his own (other than volunteers) and with no budget means it's slow going so any help we give is a great help!

Danny, Liz, Uthman, Kathy and Danny weeded and planted outside the station, whilst Samina, Alex, Amy and myself helped move some wooden boards to be used in what will become the fitness area. We got on with things as quickly as we could as much to keep warm as to get lots done and the time flew by.

With everything done we grouped for a photo and then Kathy (thank you!) led us back to the Queensbury, taking a longer 2.5k route and we stretched before heading home.

Thanks everyone for being so welcoming and helping out too. Look forward to seeing you all next week!

Cheers, Pritesh

Tonight nine noteworthy GoodGymmers ran around the streets of Brent posting flyers to promote GoodGym.

This week we faced another task cancellation, the second in a row, so after some last minute efforts to find something we settled on posting a range of GoodGym flyers. We had some to promote membership and to try and encourage coach and mission referrals, so, hopefully we'll see some results of that in Brent in the coming weeks.

Meeting at The Queensbury, we were joined by Lucy for her first group run! Go give her a cheer! There's also a bit of good deed competitiveness in Brent: with three runners close to 50, it's Debbie in the lead with 49...

After a quick warm up we set off and starting posting flyers. We had loads with us and the team made short work of the residential streets around Brent and posted them all.

It wouldn't be GoodGym without a quick fitness session of course, so we made use of some open space to run some quick drills and games.

From there it was time for team photos and back to Queensbury for applause and stretches.

See you all soon! D

Tonight nine natty GoodGymmers ran 3k channeling our inner Lenny Kravitzs to rock the streets of Brent and deliver flyers and donation bags for SCOPE.

Meeting at the Queensbury, we were joined by Rachel from Scope who explained there had been a late change of task: instead of going to their West Hampstead shop, we would be dashing around the local streets and promoting the charity instead. Rachel brought a big box of flyers and bags for us to post: thanks Rachel!

We were also joined by Zi, attending his first ever group run. Give him a cheer!

I stuffed my bag full of supplies, with Kathy kindly doing the same. For our warm up, we shouted out our favourite January drinks. It seems mulled wine is popular here: not many dry Januarys in Brent!  

We ran down to a nearby residential road and divided into teams of four each (leaving me free to take terrible low light photos... Sorry everyone) with the teams operating the tried and tested relay method to deliver flyers on either side of the road.

Guys, we posted so many flyers. And bags.

In double quick time the teams had posted all the supplies on a few big residential roads (big being the word: MANSIONS around here).

After that we had a quick fitness session, ran another loop together, and it was back to base!

Thanks for having me guys and I'll hopefully see you all again soon.

D

16 glorious goodgymers came out in style to run roads and speed sidewalks, all in the name of wonderful willesden.

It's always going to be an ace evening when so many warriors show up to do good in terrible weather. Let me tell you, it was absolutely throwing it down this Monday in Jan. However, the Goodgym gods seemed to smile upon us, as the rain reduced and finally stopped ready for our evening of fun.

Welcoming all faces of the familiar and one new - James, who had joined me at the taster session a couple of weeks ago. This lovely lad making up a brilliant new battalion of SIX boys now!! woo hoo! Not to be outshone it was girl power all the way, with a gallant gaggle of ten girls as well.

Painting the (willesden) town (Goodgym) red After housekeeping it was a very swift jaunt down to our task for the evening - First one of the year for the community hub of the old police station, where the regeneration is now a full year in swing. Meeting our host Colin on arrival, we were quickly shown our two jobs for the night - Painting the entrance room ceilings and of course some extra hauling of debrit and waste outside into the van ready for removal.

So the teams split into two and began the 40min shape up of the old cop shop, quicker than you could shake an old paint brush.

In between the sweat and sawdust work, the teams broke off into mini teams of players for me. Of course I couldn't let them get away without some fitness fun in the yard: Relay races, squat combos and conditioning work for good measure.

Before long the final hour was upon us and after the final countdown chimed, we reviewed our amazing efforts!! What a team, who could tackle such a big task and get 90% done in just 40mins flat!! Even though it may have looked like we spent more time painting ourselves (liz getting a colour job on her very own crown) we did in fact paint the walls as well!

The hills are alive After the final farewell there was just enough time to hit the hills of St Peters Road for a short blast of tempos and a final chance to get heart rates racing and muscles aching.

This crew of fitties didn't let me down as they huffed and puffed their way to glory and all the way back home for a final cool down and stretch to say goodbye.

What a great night to paint, thank god we didn't faint, while running up hills, covered in painting spills.

See you next time!!!!

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE