Cakes And Tears
20 GoodGymers made their way 6.1km to help the Meadow Orchard Project in Haringey.
- Wednesday, 24th of July 2024
- Led by Euclides Montes
Twenty Goodgymmers congregated in the grounds of the wonderful Meadow Orchard in Crouch End for an emotional evening of doing good and getting fit.
Nurj O'Clock
This report is a bit late because frankly I found it a bit hard to write. Or more concretely, I tried a couple of times but failed miserably each time. You see, even in her absence, Nurj had managed to grab centre stage on Wednesday's task like she had done some many times over the last six years and I knew I would have to write a report with her as the protagonist for one last time. The words just didn't come, to be honest.
So, instead, I have decided to share with you the big Nurjehan-shaped hole she leaves on a normal Goodgym evening. She played many roles within our motley crew: self-appointed timekeeper, naughty gossipy aunt, strict school teacher when we needed a telling off, whingepot whenever we attended her least favourite task that shall now forever remain unnamed, indefatigable do gooder, tireless 5k/10k runner, unconditional friend, and perhaps, the one thing we'll miss the most, her enthusiastic cheerleading of everything Goodgym Haringey. She loved Goodgym. And she preached its praises at any given opportunity.
If I'm allowed a personal note, I'll personally miss a role she played too well without any fanfare or noise but that she relished and excelled at. Whenever we had a new runner in our group, it would always be either Nurj or myself reaching out to say hello to them. She would then proceed to tell the newbie all sort of crazy stories about how I am a mad area activator, I would then reply by telling the newbie to watch out for her because 'this one bites' and thus, within the space of thirty seconds, a newbie was eased into the dynamics of our group and was then shadowed by Nurjehan for the next 45 minutes, regaling them with whatever particular drama was happening at her school that week and making sure their evening was as fun as possible. I'll miss my newbie whisperer.
Our dearest Nurjehan Khan passed away on Thursday 18th July 2024, having completed 273 Goodgym tasks and along the way having become the unofficial face of Goodgym (her face is the landing page of the website). Goodgym Haringey will never be the same without her and we'll miss her.
I'll finish this here before she tells me off for going on too much.
<3
It's Our Birthday And We'll Cry If We Want To
In a moment of incredible timing, this evening also happened to be Goodgym Haringey's 9th Birthday. There will be other nights to celebrate and we will have a social to end all socials in due course, but we did mark the occasion with cakes, chocolate, and hell of a lot of tears.
We're very grateful to the folk at the Meadow Orchard for accommodating us at short notice (this was Nurjehan's favourite Haringey task) and they had loads of fun jobs for us. They even let us use axes on the night. Talk about cathartic.
Normal service will resume next week.
For now, just look after each other and I'm here if anyone needs a hug, a natter, or a cry.
Love to my wonderful Goodgym Haringey Fam
Report written by Euclides Montes
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Led by Euclides Montes
Goodgym Haringey AA. Shorts/T-shirt evangelist. Burpee agnostic. Funtimes believer.
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Great second paragraph. Would have been there but I'm still away. I thought
she always seemed pleased to see me. But actually I think she was pleased to see everyone.
Beautiful report Euclides. Big love to team Haringey ❤️
Beautifully written Euclides. What a wonderful person that will be sorely missed. Relentless engagement with whatever was in front of her. thanks for having me on the run
Both a sad and joyful report to read, sad for a huge loss foe you all, and joyful because her spirt and love for GoodGym and the clear love for her shines though. I'm so sorry for your loss xxx
Oh that's such sad news. We met Nurjehan a few times at shindig and GG Olympics. She was a fantastic person. You are so right, she'll leave a big hole. Sending lots of love to her friends and family at GG Haringey and beyond 💔
An amazing report Euclides, and I'm so sorry to hear. Thinking of you all.
She will definitely be missed.
You describe her so well. Always funny and in good spirits.
Very beautifully written Euclides, she will be missed by all.
Lovely tribute, sending love to you all
Sorry not to have attended as I didn't know 😞, beautifully written and emotional at the same time. Will come over to see you all soon. Love ♥️
Nurjehan made me feel very welcome to the Haringey group, she will be missed ❤️
Sorry to hear that. I've met Nurjehan only once and she had such a positive vibe around her and witty. 💔
Truly heartbreaking news. I will never forget Nurjehan. She was not only friendly but has this genuine interest in others, and, most of all, a willingness to help. We are lucky to have met her. My heart goes out to all who knew her and will surely miss her.
Beautifully written report; hugs heading from Lewisham 🫂🫂
Nurj made me feel so welcome on my first GG group run and removed the anxiety of being a new runner. Sessions are going to be a lot quieter without her.
This is so well written. Every word bought so many different emotions. My aunty loved you guys. I am so grateful she met such wonderful people. Thankyou for playing such a big role in her life. ❤️
Thank you for this lovely tribute to our friend Nurj. She loved being part of Goodgym and it’s wonderful (but unsurprising!) to hear about the positive impact she had on people’s lives. She was always about what she could do for others and she is missed so much by everyone who knew her. ❤️
Khan sisters
This is so beautifully written. Every word brought forth a multitude of emotions. My sister cherished her time with all her GoodGym community. I am incredibly grateful that she met such wonderful people and thank you for playing such a significant role in her life. May her memory live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her. Khan sisters.
A beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman ❤️
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