We need a GoodGym sign outside Guildhall with an arrow pointing to where we are to welcome all the new runners each week. Tonight, we welcomed Annabel and Kim on their first Kingston run - great to have you in the team.

We also had the pleasure of running to the task with the task owner, so much kudos to Michelle - lovely to see you this evening.

Before we set off there was much talk about missions coming up, some where the dates have changed, also #GGSuperSaturday which is the 21st September and all the potential community missions that we can get involved with. As there were so many, to be on the safe side please check the GoodGym website for up and coming Community Missions.

Part of the safety brief we discussed safe lifting technique, so to be sure we knew what it was it flowed nicely that we could examine it in our warm up and get to the core of the movement at the same time (take a look at the photographic evidence to asses your posture.) All that was left to do was to squeeze our knees, set our Strava’s and get our stride on!

A nice and kneesy warm up! #runninggroup #goodgym #kingston #warmup #volunteering #doinggood #mencap pic.twitter.com/MLDGiikZ4S

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) September 3, 2019

The run was a fairly even distance out and back, total just over 5km; which left us plenty of juice in the tank to get stuck into the task at Searchlight Centre. This great community space houses many activities within our Borough and is also a centre used for the great Mencap charity. We have helped out here a few times and on our last visit the old lawn mower died on us, half way through a cut.

An uneven lawn had kept many of us awake for many a night so we were keen to get back to set the record straight , the question was , should we use some of the other grass cutting methods -so just rake it , go at it with shears , tread it down really hard or cut it with chopsticks??

LUCKILY Michelle informed us that they had a new Flymo (now call me easily pleased but that did make my heart sing – Flymo I’m over the moon).

So on a relay system at least three of us used the mower, whilst others litter picked, some did ballerina with the broom and others tackled the nettles and thorns and as the light dimmed the dark side grew stronger and a Star Wars plaster was needed to cover a minor cut. A headtorch was unleashed, first time since winter this year to brighten things up and highlight how much we had done and guide our way to put the tools back in the shed, get the old Flymo to meet the new one and take a well earned lean against the wall before we lunged back into action to make the run home (Guildhall – looking spectacularly red for some reason).

Great to see everyone tonight, welcome again to our two new runners. Good luck to Donna for her half marathon this weekend and don’t forget to sign up all for Fircroft next Tuesday.

Before you get swept away with reading Rob's epic run report, here's the context: we were off to Kingston Mencap's Searchlight Centre to help with sweeping up the leaves in their garden and car park. Now, get enjoying a game of "spot the pun"...

On a dark, but mild October evening, 7 good folk met in Kingston, all dressed in red. With our illustrious leader sunning himself in Malta, no doubt tucking into a good book like Me(i)n ca(m)p(f), it was left to GoodGyms leading lady, Samia, aka Sammy the centurion, to brief us/warn us not to trip up and injure ourselves on route, or dangerously swing tools around, at the task. The warm up was carried out in her own way and unique fashion, with a pre-run team photo to finish it off, that will surely be number 1 this week, despite the lack of animals or Dave (yes, there were some injured egos having last week's group task photo beaten by a dog for photo of the week... but it was a very cute and fluffy dog!).

Then like the animals on the arc, we set off 2 by 2 by 3, with Toby making sure no-one got leaft behind or turned leaft instead of right at the (search) lights...

However like moths to Toby's shreddies (a reference to "goodies" that Toby had found in his cereal once), we managed to find our way there and set about with the broom and bags gathering the leaves and admiring how caviar-like slugs eggs are.

It’s a @GoodGymKingston clean sweep @KingstonMencap pic.twitter.com/ZL2x47HssW

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) October 23, 2018

Aptly enough, Michelle went in search of lights, returning with a pair of floodlights that made leaf-finding so much easier. Puns were demanded and duely given but most just brushed away. Not even the rainbow one was colourful enough. 😢 Although, "we" (Toby) eventually came up with a winner.

A less eventful, but equally as effective jog back, was wrapped up with Samia's top 5 post run stretches and a quick discussion on Martel's glow stick dance and the extent of everyone's Halloween costumes, for next weeks spooky social and the graveyard shift.

Thanks Rob for writing the run report and thank you Toby for backmarking and photo-taking. And credit to Nic for the photo-staging ideas! Great to see so many in the process of getting verified for missions and coach runs. If you're looking for something to do on Saturday, then do sign up and join the brilliant Caroline for a community mission at Fishponds Park - click here for all the info

Fourteen keen runners returned to Kingston Mencap. Mencap is a local charity which supports adults with a learning disability and their families and carers. It is active in its support for initiatives to improve services for people with learning disabilities.

Before heading out to the task we were treated to another of Mark’s great warm-ups by the coronation stone in front of the Guildhall. Coordination was briefly tested and cores engaged with various exercises. We had such a great time with it all we ended up rolling around in the grass (because that is basically what was demonstrated for us to do right?). Oblique muscles were strengthened by pushing arms against a partner and then partners hopped in squatted box steps to get ourselves all set for the run. Once warmed up and muscles ready, we ran off towards Kingsmeadow weaving and dribbling through the crowds of football supporters heading to watch a game.

The sweeper was behind the leaves! #footballpun #kingston #goodgym #runninggroup pic.twitter.com/6ptOOIeYwt

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) August 21, 2018

We were cheered on as we entered the car park and the crowds of supporters in the stands beside the Searchlight Centre applauded us as we set to work. At least that’s what we chose to be-leaf even if they were all wearing football tops! We came to kick some grass and ran away feeling like winners! We had a ball without needing to go near one! Our first task was to clear the car park of all the leaves that had taken over and become a nuisance. We were given a couple of brooms, a rake and some bin bags. Sweepers got behind the leaves and got them all piled up. With our whole group taking handfuls, we managed to fill the bags and clear the lot very quickly. There was more than just standing broom only by the time we’d finished with the lot. We were practica-leaf-inished when we’d run out of time. We hope we were able to leaf an impression!

We had BAGS of fun tonight! #goodgym #volunteering #running #mencap #searchlight #autumniscoming pic.twitter.com/R4nPE3JILc

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) August 21, 2018

Some of us then went around to the front garden while others continued with gathering leaves. The front garden needed some mowing, pulling up weeds and digging, cutting back leaves and general tidying up. With renewed mow-tivation, Goodgymers set to work. Fionn and Toby had no mowns about cutting the grass! But unfortunately we had run out of time before we had run out of tasks! We fought the lawn and the lawn won so we’ve vowed to return again in the autumn for some more leaves. Everyone made it back safely for some nice cool down stretches as the sun set. Thank you Toby for the great back marking.

@goodgym brings "shear" joy! pic.twitter.com/yyzx2w35EC

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) August 21, 2018

"We fought the lawn and the lawn won!"

Well done to everyone who came out to join us for another Kingston good deed done in the community. Special welcome to new runners – Jennie, Holly and Michelle from Mencap who joined us on our run!

Mark reminded us about the taskforce set up that is getting set up for us in Kingston. Once you’ve completed ten runs you’re welcome to join the taskforce to help organise things that are happening with our group runs in Kingston. Some tasks include welcoming new members, back marking on a group run, promoting on social media, writing the run reports and marketing.

In other news, there is a Park Run take over being set up in Richmond Park this Saturday and if you’d like to volunteer please contact Jane. Following that there is a community mission listed under Hounslow at 11:00 this Saturday to do some gardening to support the NHS services centre in Isleworth. You can sign up on the website or please speak to Samia if you’d like more details.

Week 3 for Kingston and we were 11 strong, most of us a different bunch of us from last week so here's hoping we all get together soon!

Tonight we had a real treat, task owner Michelle ran with us AND took part in the task! Such a trooper Michelle. Our task tonight was weeding for Mencap, based at the** Searchlight Community Centre** in Kingston. It was about a 5km all round trip and once at Mencap Michelle told us how they are working towards doing more and more for those with learning disabilities in the community, but also about how they rent the centre out to other worthy charities.

Still rain free after todays heavy downpour, we pulled on our gardening gloves and were secretly thankful for the fresh, wet, easy to pull through soil. Although Lesley was still keen to try her hand with the spade, i am certain it made all the difference. We managed to fill 4 bags and 2 buckets of weeds and waste being careful not to touch the hedge and holly as we worked.

While we were trainer deep in soil a few of us reminisced about how we passed old stomping grounds during the run, from time spent at Kingston University to feeling a sense of nostalgia gardening with parents. It was definitely a "back to our roots night as we hoiked up another weed.

After talks of half marathons, GG Olympics, 5km PB's and podcasts we packed up our tools and headed back to the Guildhall. Chi carried on his GG olympics training by doing a few laps of Kingsmeadow before joining us, throwing in some Strava Segments on the way....keep going Chi!!

A great group doing some really good stuff tonight, thanks again Michelle for joining us.

Welcome to Fionn and Andrew on your first run and well done to Jo on her 99 run! Thank you for putting your mark on Kingston, all the best for number 100!

Start thinking about whether you would like to be part of the Goodgym Kingston taskforce, you can get involved through tweeting about runs, backmarking , writing this report and many more. Get in touch with Mark for more info.