10 amazing Good Gym runners joined me on an Autumnal evening to run 7km to deliver leaflets for our friends at Abbey Community Centre.

We started the evening by giving a big GG welcome to Bianca, who joined us for her first GG run.

Ready, restart, News bulletin.... 350 GG runners from 36 different areas participated in community missions on Super Saturday as part of the 10 year anniversary PARTY celebrations.

Don't worry if you missed the party on Saturday, there is an opportunity to take part in another community mission tomorrow evening in Kilburn.

Ready, restart, GO! We promptly started running to Abbey Community Centre. When we arrived we were given leaflets to deliver to advertise a RESTART PARTY on Saturday, where trained volunteers will fix all of your small electrical items!

Ready, restart, GO! We split into 2 teams and we were reset to run again to deliver the leaflets to local residents.

Once the teams were joined again, wait for it, restart, you've guessed it, we ran again, all the way home to the Queensbury, ready for the party to start!

Thanks for joining me team! Hope to see you again next week, if not before (maybe tomorrow)!!

GoodGym is TEN!

On a muggy night in Brent TEN wonderful people joined me to run 7km, do some weeding for Harlesden Town Garden and celebrate ten years of GoodGym!

After a calamitous start to the evening (forgotten kit, intro fail and general lateness - all from me) we got ourselves together and headed off towards Harlesden.

In our intro tonight the main focus was on the 10th birthday - talking about the City Hall event last week, the Fit Together publication, our flag plans for the evening (see pics), Super Saturday for missions on the 21st and of course cakes for tonight. We also welcomed Helen who joined us for her first ever GG run, what a time to join.

The run there took in our first photo opportunity in Roundwood Park, home of the GG Brent 1km Time Trial. We all posed for the photo and so began the battle of the phones - spoiler iPhone X for the win!

Photos done and we were one our way again and it wasn't long before we got to Harlesden Town Garden. There we met Phillip who let us in and showed us the work to do. Some intensive weeding around the raised planters. Everyone gloved up grabbed tools and got to work. What we hadn't accounted for was how quickly the light was going to come in - before we knew it we were in a lot of darkness. Not to be stopped everyone with phones used them to provide light to finish the task off.

With that all done we posed for a group photo with the flag and then we were on our way. Harlesden Town Garden is a long-standing task for GG Brent so it means a lot for the flag to be there.

With everyone gathered we headed off, I goaded everyone by threatening a super long run on the way home but it was all a ruse to disguise the next flag stop. This time it was Willesden Sports Centre the original home of GG Brent. We posed outside and then were on our way again. We managed to do a quick on the run photo and video and then continued home.

With quite frankly more than enough photos I decided we should definitely do some more so we posed with the new Willesden Green railway bridge murial, one outside our current home, the Queensbury and finally one inside. We made sure we stretched and then it was time for a celebratory drink and some cake!

Happy 10th Birthday GoodGym, thanks for bringing this wonderful community to Brent!

I'm away for the next two weeks but you have Liz and then Claire in charge.

Cheers,
Pritesh

Ten wonderful runners joined me in Brent as we headed over to Clitterhouse Farmhouse to help with three different tasks and run 5km in the process!

We said a big welcome to Pippa who joined GG for the first time, we heard all about the GG Brent Olympics effort – big thank you to Amy, Liz, Pete, Samina, Tabitha – our wonderful team! And… we cued up the fact that it was Tabitha’s 100th good deed!

With a long intro over we let Tabitha lead the run for her 100th deed and I backmarked. Once at Clitterhouse we met Patrick who kindly offered everyone water and then set out the tasks for the night:

• Rob, Vinay and Sadhana were helping to take some amazing pictures and other paraphernalia down from inside the café that is going to be demolished and re-built
• Liz, Amy and Georgie were on painting duty
• Samina, Pippa, Karen and Tabitha were helping to build trenches for a willow dome

We set everyone off working and before we knew it we had been hard at work for 40 minutes and it was time to go! We had a group photo by the lovely sunflower and then with Patrick’s offer of freshly baked scones if we come every week (we’ll see what we can do!) ringing in our ears we set off again!

On the way home Amy and Tabitha did a mini good deed helping a lady whose shopping bag had split by picking up at least a few hundred aubergines for her and then we continued on our way. Once back at base continuing the treats for Tabitha we let her choose Rob to lead the stretch which was very eventful as only one of his stretches matched anything that I would normally do – top work and thanks Rob!

With that all done it was time to finally congratulate Tabitha on her 100th deed – an amazing achievement and from one of our most dedicated and certainly the most fun of our runners here in Brent – congratulations to you!

With that done we headed to the pub for some cake and some well deserved drinks.

Cheers,
Pritesh

It was a great turn out tonight as Ten Goodgym runners met to run to Harlesden Town Gardens and help with clearing the garden. As we warmed up we discussed the plans for Saturdays Goodgym Olympics, its still not too late to turn up if anyone wants to join in on the day, and of course our very own Pritesh has arranged the after party - details can be found here

It was a nice evening for a jog, and we enjoyed the scenic route through Roundwood park. We made it in no time to meet Gabriel and Philip, who were really happy with the extra ten pairs of hands to help them out. We split into three groups for three tasks. First group set at snipping branches so that they were small enough to be added to the compost bin. The second group moved a huge pile of wood to the side of the garden. The third group scooped up all the loose concrete and stones from a patch of land and loaded them into wheelbarrows to make way for a new path way.

It was great to be back at a task where we could see how our previous work had helped improve the gardens for all who use them, we had sown grass seeds a few months ago and now there was a full lawn. Many hands made light work of the tasks and finished with enough time for a secret Olympic training session on the way home (photo evidence can't be shared as we are keeping our training techniques under wraps, but I can reveal that we had a wheely good time keeping in good shape)

After making it safely back to Willesden we cooled down and stretched, and a group of us met back at the pub for yet more Olympic preparations...we now have a Brent flag!

Next Week Pritesh is back in town , and we will of course be celebrating Brent's achievements at the Olympics. Thank you for a great evening, see you all soon!

14 wonderful people joined me in Brent to run 5km and help Clitterhouse Farmhouse!

On a beautiful summer evening we met at the Queensbury and boy there were a lot of you! We welcomed Matthew who was at Goodgym for the first time and then went thru the intro and news (GG Olympics!) before going through a quick warm up!

It was quite a stop start journey, not least as we passed through the hustle and bustle of Cricklewood but we kept up a good pace and were soon at the Farmhouse! There we met Patrick and Elizabeth who were incredibly grateful for our presence and the fact there were so many of us!

Our task was to do some clearing and weeding in around straw bales that were being used to grow all kinds of plants from mange tout - to luffas (yes apparently you grow a luffa/loofah!), we did some watering and we generally made everything look lovely!

Everyone worked hard for 30 mins in the evening sun and before we knew it it was time to go! Thanks to the team for leaving some water and snacks out for us! We had a tour of the main garden and then had a group photo before heading back to base!

After a speedy run back, with some traffic light squats thrown in we were back at the Queensbury! We stretched and then headed for home or a deserved beverage! Fantastic night everyone!

Next week we head down to Queens Park to deliver Queen Park Community Council's community newsletter - all the details here.

Cheers,
Pritesh

Eight amazing runners correctly predicted there would be no rain and joined me in Brent to help NW2 Residents Association with some mega weeding and ran over 3km!

We said a big GGB welcome to Lisa, Sula and Vinay who joined goodgym for the first time. So great to have you with us! And welcomed back an Brent veteran, Sadhana joining for her first run in over two years after injury! Welcome back!

After a quick intro we split into a running group with me and a walking group with Liz! The walkers set off and we took a slightly different route which immediately put is in the path of a caterpillar that was clearly lost! Lisa carefully helped it out of harms way and we were off again!

Reaching our destination we saw Marie and her team on a traffic island on the busy Cricklewood Broadway! Surely nine of us weren't all going to be working there? And we weren't!

Marie led us off on to the pavement and then showed us the areas that needed chopping back, weeding and litter picking. We were sooned joined by the walking group and so everyone dived in! Some of the weeds were hugely overgrown and there was so much litter in there too! We remarked on what a difference it makes between different local authorities as the main road is the dividing line and one was so much more looked after than the other.

After a good 25 minutes of hard work it was time to stop with the NW2 volunteers, the Cricklewood Baptist church volunteers and our group we had made a huge difference! We weren't able to finish everything off but I am sure we will be back!

We posed for a group photo and then split again, this time Liz took the runners and I went with the walking group and before we knew it we were stretched, back at base and ready for home.

Thanks everyone and see you next week - I am just finalising details but we should be off to Clitterhouse Farmhouse for some more weeding work!

See you then,
Pritesh

A dozen GGers got down to some shifty business at Willesden's Old Cop Shop and did some hard time, smashing out a serious plyometics session to boot. Pow Pow!! All in a days work for Brent.

Beautiful scenes down in Brent this week where twelve familiar faces came to pay their dues at our on going mission to regenerate the Old Police Station, into a fabulous community base and artistic Hub. Hurrah!!

With housekeeping done and dusted, it took this swift crew of bandits no time at all to jog the short distance of Walm Lane to the task for the eve, of course with much merriment and catch ups chats along the way. YAY!

Greeting us as always with his usual flair was our fav host colin and all of his magical energy and crazy antics, this week included stopping traffic to achieve the ultimate team pic outside our task base!!

After the matrix style vehicle vanquish, the usual catch up tour got underway and the group were led around the site to be shown the already incredible achievements that had been continuing and ones that we of course had contributed to.

To our delight, the many rooms of the building were now clearing of of debris and rubbish and starting to resemble spaces fit for artists studios and community art education spaces! We were also informed by one of Colin's delightful helpers that there would be a screen printing press available for use in only 2 weeks, so fashion bods in the area too could come and get creative for affordable printer rental prices. Amazing!!!!

After the catch up it was quickly down to the tasks at hand which this week consisted of painting walls and floors which Sabina, Debs, Sean and Tabitha tackled with relish. While the rest of the gang took on a massive shifting operation of the last random bits of debris up in the top rooms.

Just to clarify, when I say random I really am not kidding!!!! There were chairs, boxes, tools, sofas.... Of course there was the odd moment of reflection, where Dinesh and I managed to maximise the fun to be had with a mirror. But for the most part it was game faces on and this motley crew got down to some serious shifty business up and down stairs for 30mins of hard-core graft!!

Holding my breath at one point as I witnessed strongman Simon, although as cool as an icebox, shuffling past me, down 2 flights of stairs with a FRIDGE!!! Forget the gym, that's what I call power-lifting!

After a back breaking 45mins the group reconvened together in the courtyard for some final fitness fun to finish the night.

• Crab Walks
• Tuck Jumps
• Comandos
• Burpees
• Partner pistol squats

Workout complete and were even rewarded with some delicious Colin Specials - His homemade banana shakes, sweetened with the honey made by bees on the roof!!! We were buzzing!! You can't get more organic than that!!

Final farewells wished we turned on our heels and flew back the mile run to base, fuelled by our fruity tooty tastes (but Tabitha trying her hardest to forget the dubious equipment it was made with)

Back home and it was stretch and reflect.... No we didn't steal the mirror! But look back and think of how much we'd really achieved in the Police station. It will be so awesome to see the finished base and delight in seeing our contributing names etched into the memory wall as well!!

See you next time fitness familia!!!

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE

It was another incredible effort, when 20 Goodgymers from Brent, pounded pavements, crossed boroughs and gave back some more time in memory of four weeks since the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire in West London.

On an incredibly hot and muggy evening in July, we came, we grouped and we began, what turned out to be an epic journey over to Latymer Road Church, to meet up with sister Ruth to see how we could help one more time.

Joining the group this week was many a familiar face and to my delight Dinesh and Simon who had returned for more! Also in the mix were some newbies too, in the shape of; Alex, Amy's little brother.... Keeping in the theme of Brent's family affair and Pete, who upon my arrival was sipping on his vital fuel and pre-workout drink ready to rock the roads... Okay, this may have been a half a pint but it seemed to work as he was quick on his feet, swiftly gaining the nickname -Pistol Pete.

As the team set to work on the first leg of the tour, it becomes clear quite early on that we had some pace splits among our epic crew. Therefore the faster team were sent off ahead with sister sledge at the helm. Unfortunately in their rapid response, 2 were caught short and nearly lost their way - Alex and Amy! But luckily with some quick thinking from big sis Amy and a lot of urban orienteering they found their way back and regrouped upon arrival. Phew!!

After Group two had sped into the evening, we agreed to meet at the Church, which is exactly what we did! Me leading the back-packers and of course having my usual chats and love-in with Pushpa AKA mum! But it wasn't long before we were nipping at the heels of the first pack and meeting with Sadhana at the location, who had joined us straight there.

Met with a much less crowed and quieter site this time around, we took the time to soak up the true gravity of the situation on Latymer Road and read the messages on the walls. This truly brought home, how many lives have been not only lost, but affected by this awful tragedy and just our attendance alone felt like we were supporting the acknowledgement of this unbelievably sad and unnecessary event, one which we hope will never happen again in our lifetimes in London.

After a much needed moment of silence and contemplation, the larger than life character that is Sister Ruth arrived and with not much time left on the clock, she asked two things of us - 1) To help clear some of the older flowers away, making room for the many new ones coming each day and 2) Sing. Of course we obliged both requests and wished whole heartedly that we had more time to help and perhaps had more tunes in our voices, as we weren't up to her high standards sadly.

Even though, we knew we were finishing a late one this eve, the time we had for the tasking was unfortunately at an end and with that, the teams split once more. Some got the tube, some the bus and a handful of adventurers chose to run the last laps with me.

Now there has been many a long run at GG Brent since our inception, but this by far was the most challenging run I've ever personally partaken in! Hot, muggy, sweaty and hilly, but let me tell you, this incredibly courageous crew did not complain. Okay okay - Maybe Dinesh was vowing never to return, but he said that last week too and hey presto here he was once more! pow pow

These warriors, smashed the last of the miles coming into home base with a massive 10k under their belts for good measure!! And with copious amounts of water guzzled, the final few rehydrated and assessed the epic challenges that we had overcome. It felt big, it felt important and we felt like a true team!

Next week the run won't be as far only a few short miles in fact, however I have no doubt that the efforts and energy will match this week, because of course this is GG Brent, a true and wonderful team and everything that comes with it.

See you next time.

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE