Our GoodGym Camden group's work was a touch more visible last night.

This wonderful group - of Emilie, Jackie, John, Rose, Susannah (our brilliant host) and Steve - turned up, ready for work, at Camden's Cecil Sharp House.

Nestled in a grand building in Camden Town, it's a haven for folk music. And the secret has clearly filtered into the community. We started our work amidst a steady stream of people arriving for the evening performance.

There were some marked differences between us. The most marked being:

• It's apparent that folk music lovers don't wear shorts on February evenings (while GoodGym lovers often do)

Well, um, that really was the only difference I could discern.

Anyway! Our work!

This group swept, weeded, pruned, and tidied last night. And the results, for 7 folks happily chatting away, were remarkable. The pathways were transformed, the remaining leaves were bagged, and the flower beds' weeds were comprehensively pulled, and a great pile of bags captured the natural remnants of our work.

Thank you, everyone! We'll be back in March to sow summer seeds!

Our GoodGym Camden group are experts at running without colliding into passersby.

The employ several effective techniques.

Which include the swivel, the hop-and-side-step, and the zigzag.

I've seen our runners employ each of these techniques to great success on our weekly group runs through bustling Camden.

As one local journalist described our runners: as deft as a gentle spring breeze - they make urban running look relaxing*

But!

Our wonderful group (of Emilie, Jackie, John, Rose, Steve, and Will) didn't need to employ their anti-collision techniques this week.

Meeting in the calm of Regent's Park, we started our evening with a calm and quiet run around the park's outer circle and up through quieter streets to West Hampstead.

Having reached a healthy 5K and shared stories with each other, we arrived at the Sherriff Centre and were met by the brilliant Daisy and Gosia :)

Across the next 30 minutes, we donned gloves and grabbed litter pickers, and we cleared bag-upon-bag of strewn trash and litter - the perimeter (and trees..!) of the centre are a magnet for this, but we finished leaving it clear and tidy!

Thank you so much, everyone, for your time and work - I know just how much of a difference this makes to the Sherriff Centre's team!!

Here's to next time!!

*I might be lying

Every January, a group in red can be found walking and running in a (seemingly) aimless fashion around Camden.

They stop frequently and their eyes dart in a (seemingly) searching manner.

Several can usually be heard saying "I think that's a tree..." before leading the group into a shadow.

Welcome, friends, to GoodGym Camden's annual Christmas Tree Scavenge!

Meeting in the welcome warmth of the Somers Town Living Centre, our group swiftly donned gloves and dropped bags before heading out to the cold for a very important task: our weekly game of Simon Says.

Having completed squats, lunges, arm circles, stretches (of many varieties), spins, twirls, and twists, our group were suitably warmed and ready to scavenge Camden for naughtily discarded Christmas Trees.

Our borough's pavements can be difficult to navigate when they're at their tidiest, and they can become thoroughly inaccessible in January when folks dump their trees on sidewalks, by bins, and in alleyways. Our annual scavenge helps ease the burden :)

Splitting into two groups, our first group of Alison, Jack, John, Louise, Rose, and Steve (led by John) shot off and up through Camden, around Regent's Park, and into Primrose Hill where... they met the most magnificently large tree! Tossed aside, this wonderful fir wouldn't look out of place in a Nordic forest, but it (perhaps) did look out of place being carried through North London streets! Especially when it was joined by several other trees the group found en route!

Our second group of Anne, Ivar, and Jackie, meanwhile, stayed closer to home and explored the green spaces and roads of Somers Town. Amidst stories of the festive season, work, and more this group discovered their first bundle of green behind a bin, and they soon caught sight of four more discarded spruces!

The photos tell a story I can't. This group made a huge difference last night, and they did so while being active and social, which is just the ticket for a dark winter evening :)

Here's to next time!!