On the last GoodGym before Christmas, my true love gave to me, a load of leaves shed from a big tree! Our task at ask was to help clear the leaves outside the Guide hall in Mortlake. We met at the Tap before the 2 mile run along the A305… We had made great time until we were about 100m from the guide hall, when we had a brief Santa Pause for the level crossing. Brief was somewhat of an understatement, as we had to wait for the Polar Express to pass (or at least 4 South Western trains). Some of the group (aka everyone bar Lucy) decided to take the stairs over the crossing, but Lucy being obstinate waited for the crossing to open, and turned up about five minutes after everyone else!

We had picked up Nina on route, and the cycling gang were already waiting for us. Kat from the Guiding group led us in to the hall and provided us with the tools for the task tonight, and a pack of chocolate biscuits, which we decided would be a post-good deed treat, so got to work.

Ten Lords-a-Leaping? More like Ten GoodGymmers-a-sweeping, as we got tidying the leaves by the side of the halls. Liz and Chris helped with bag management, filling up multiple big green sacks from the leaves piled up by Nina, and Adam. Sam and Pippa had the fun task of scooping up leaves with the ‘bear claws’ and the technically termed ‘grabber’. Lucy and Ken helped sweep up the odds and ends, one with a big broom and the other with a dustpan and brush.

It didn’t take long before the job was done, and we could help ourselves to the biscuits! Alas, Lucy had other ideas and made the gang work for their treats, with an impromptu Christmas trivia quiz. If you got the answer right, you could have a biscuit. Liz and Kat got involved too, with some terrible, I mean, santa-stic Christmas jokes! We parted ways with a big thank you from Kat. The riders took to their reindeer/road bikes and the runners made their way over the footbridge (not making the same mistake twice) to glide along back to the Tap. All was well, until Sam realised he had left his bag at the Guide Hall… a nightmare before Christmas? Luckily for Sam, he had a Christmas Angel in Liz, who was able to take him back to collect his Sam-ta’s sack.

What a way to end 2023! Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night - see you in 2024, ready for the January challenge!