A sudden temperature drop left us with a very cold evening for a group run this week. A hardy bunch of keen GoodGymers gathered ready to get moving and keep warm.

We didn't hang about getting our much needed warm-up started, welcoming three newbies Yelma, Nuriya and Alem who had all chosen the coldest day to try out Goodgym for the first time!

Our task this evening waited around 2km away at the Penrose Roots to Recovery garden. The whole place is looking very neat and tidy these days but there was a wildflower plot and a patch of bramble that needed cutting down to ground level and raking up into piles. Warm from our run there, we got stuck into the task to keep the energy flowing. With ten of us on the task we made quick work of clearing both areas and got a quick group photo before running off again through the cold night and keeping warm with our leg work!

This week's group run took us up to Stockwood Park to collect acorns, continuing the tree seed collection for Bob the Tree Officer's new planting scheme. Theres loads of grand old oak trees here and they have given us many acorns this year so we filled a bag full in no time at all.

With those collected, next on the list of seeds to collect was holly berries, so we went down the road a bit to Kidney Wood where we'd been told we'd find some holly berries. However, completing a fruitless circuit of the dark dark woods left us empty handed. Giving up, we headed back into town but soon spotted an enormous holly bush overhanging the road with a bumper crop of shiny red berries. Moving on again we took a slight detour to Memorial Park, where a few more holly trees waited for us to finish filling our bag.

Seed swag safely stashed, we swiftly strode back into town to round off another good deed, and mark another good run, done!

It was the night of the 5th November, and a gang of plotters assembled in the moonlight. Tonight's plot was simple: celebrate Gill’s 600th mission and seed the town with future green rebellions.

Their meeting ritual began with a secret rations exchange, cupcakes handed round in honour of Gill's 600th deed. Energised by frosting and plotting spirit, the crew mounted their steeds and took to the lanes, powder-keg enthusiasm in their legs.

They moved like a midnight patrol, scenting hedgerows for spoils. After a brisk run and a quick cycle, two kilometres claimed from the night, the scouts found a hedgerow heavy with red treasure. Swift hands became harvesters; berries poured into the sack like captured rubies. The haul was declared mission success with triumphant whispers.

The two-wheeled detachment peeled away to tackle the second front: clearing the aftermath of Marsh Farm’s pyrotechnics. They swept embers of fiery celebration and litter from the fields, leaving no trace of the night's noisy revels.

The runners bore the berry trove to the Parks team’s volunteer compound in Wardown Park. There the fruits would be rendered into seed mixture, a quiet alchemy that would turn tonight’s small rebellions into sapling uprisings. Plans were made in hushed, excited tones for the future forest the town would not know had been born by moonlight.

Final sortie: People’s Park, oak-hunting under streetlamp halos. The search was thorough and hopeful. At last one noble oak stood sentinel, but the acorn coffers were bare. The conspirators catalogued the defeat with good humour; a future rendezvous was already plotted.

They dispersed back into town. Gill’s 600th deed celebrated, hedgerow bounty secured, fireworks aftermath cleared, another night where small acts in the darkness combined into a larger plot for the common good. The acorn cache would be sought another night, until then the conspirators smiled and vanished into the dark.

This week’s group run was a full-body charge. We powered up our fitness and helped Farley Hill residents save on their energy bills. In celebration of This Girl Can’s “Lift the Curfew” campaign and marking the seasonal shift from Diwali’s glow to Halloween’s shadows, we lit up the night with colourful flashing wristbands to stay visible and vibrant.

We jogged out from the town centre, climbing the gentle incline toward the foot of the Dallow Downs. Our fitness challenge for the evening was sprint-walk intervals between streetlights, pushing up the mighty Winsdon Hill with serious leg wattage and heart-thumping effort. It was a high-voltage workout that sparked plenty of team spirit.

At the summit, we paused to recharge and admire the panoramic views. Spotting a dumped mattress dimming the landscape’s beauty, we moved it to the roadside and reported it to the council. First good deed done and civic pride fully powered.

With our batteries restored, we switched gears to our main task. We delivered flyers for Groundwork’s Green Doctor scheme, an outreach effort to help households facing fuel poverty find practical ways to reduce energy consumption and lighten the load of winter bills.

As we lit up the streets, our glowing wristbands caught the eye of curious locals. Their warm encouragement boosted our morale and added a spark to our steps.

We wrapped up the evening with one last look over the Dallow Downs and cruised back into town feeling connected, uplifted and fully charged. One friendly shopkeeper even gifted us each an orange to keep our energy levels up for the final leg. It was a juicy boost of natural fuel. It may have been a dark night, but our lights and our purpose made it brilliantly bright.

It was a return to the foot of Winsdon Hill on Dallow Downs this morning. Where Brambles had been cut away there was tons of litter on the ground, plus dumped furniture that we dragged down for collection from the roadside. Alongside the Friends of Dallow Downs And Winsdon Hill, we filled bag after bag of litter until we ran out of bags! A huge pile was made by the time our hour was up, but there was plenty more there so we'll be back soon to do some more.