27 Goodgymers ran 3-5k to help Thornhill Square Gardens and Frelighters City Farm!

Welcome along to Cosmo and Becky whose first time it was. Great to have you along!

In the news this week:

1. A big well done to Steve Lee who just hit 200 Good Deeds - amazing!
2. Fantastic stuff from Steve Coman who ran 3.49 at Edinburgh Marathon recently - winning his age category, getting a big PB and a good for age time - woop woop!
   
3. On Thursday it's GG Monthly Social in Old Street (I think) - go along and have fun - more details here.

Thornhill Report by James:

Around a dozen of us split off to head to Thornhill Square Gardens in Barnsbury. This is a task we visit at least a couple of times a year and it was lovely to see it in the light, since last time we visited we were wearing head torches.

WATER HERE!

We were met by Anna who was delighted to have us on short notice and soon had us working efficiently around one lucky garden plot. We were variously: pulling weeds, cutting back grass, re-anchoring wicker fence, and planting - sunflowers, dahlias, geraniums and primrose - the watering of which was elevated to an artform by our skilled irrigationists. To the melodious incantations of "Water here!", "Need water here!" and "Does anyone have some water?" there wasn't a dry bulb in the house.

Farm Report:

15 of us headed to help Frelighters City Farm, we went via Highbury Fields to extend the route slightly. Upon our arrival Liz told us our tasks, which was as follows:

• A team of five weeding the front of the farm, swept up and made inroads in weeding the back garden
• Meanwhile a group of eight shifted some soil. First of sieving old soil from broken down planters, and then this was wheelbarrowed over to Chris and Aidan who developed a progressively advanced system to get the soil into the planter.
• Lastly Frances and Nina broke up bags of compost, checking for rocks and roots, and then wheelbarrowed it over to near the planter and made a pile.

After we finished up we said hey to the animals - pigs, shaven sheep, an 18 and 19 year old cow's, big goats, little chicks and a loud bird! We then ran to meet James Thornhill crew to do a time trial around the Emirates - nice!

Sign up for next week here when we'll be helping Caxton House Community Centre.

PB out

14 GoodGymers ran 4km to help Mildmay Police do a knife and drug search!

Welcome along to newbies Molly, Rachel, Sabrina and Lucy - great to have you along.

In the news this week:

1. Well done to all those that raced, cheered and pubed at London 10,000 yesterday morning - including Sally and James who raced it and came to the group run!
2. Big well done to Steve 'Speed' Coman who ran Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday in 3.49 and came 1st in his age category - wowie!
3. The GG Monthly Social will be on Thursday 6th June - more details coming soon.

We collected together to hear about all the news above and about the impending task, it was a new one and I was sure "all would be fine" (which it was). This week for the first time ever we partnered with Mildmay Police to search for knives and drug paraphernalia in St Paul's Shrubbery.

Our run there was the shortest route via Essex Road, upon our arrival we met PC Cameron who explained our task - splitting into groups of 3's & 4's we looked in the park borders and undergrowth for various illegal substances (and litter).

Total - 18 weed baggies, 12 canisters, 0 knives and lots of litter!

Some teams did better than others finding weed baggies and cannisters, some of which had union jacks - how patriotic! We of course we bagged up any litter we found during the search, thoroughly cleaning up the park.

To finish up we did a spot of weeding (the non-drug type), took a group picture and headed back to the Arc Centre via the canal - nice!

Sign up for next week here when we'll be helping the Single Homeless Project and are back meeting at the Arsenal.

PB out