9 GoodGymers Lifted the Curfew in Camden!!

Every October GoodGym teams up with This Girl Can to back the wonderful #LetsLiftTheCurfew campaign.

As the evenings grow longer this campaign is all about creating safe spaces for everyone – and especially women – at night.

And this lovely group – of Emilie, Gary (who's recently joined our Camden crew – welcome!), Jackie, John, Kareem, Lydia, Siobhan, and Steve – created a brilliantly safe and inclusive space last night!

Amidst the evening bustle of Camden Town, we set up shop at Cecil Sharp House, where a bountiful haul of fallen leaves awaited us.

Following a lively group warm up – where we nearly counted to 30... – we grabbed brooms and gloves and rakes and bags, and we started clearing up this special communal garden :)

Within 60 minutes this group made a visibly brilliant difference – thank you so much, everyone!

Here's to next time!!

8 GoodGymers caught the sunset at a woodland garden in Camden!

This wonderful group – Alison, Deirdre (on their first Camden visit – welcome!), Emilie, Imogen, Lydia, Siobhan, and Steve – visited St Paul's Woodland Garden by Camden Square yesterday.

Just a short hop from where Amy Winehouse once lived this special space is a haven for nature and community.

Catherine – our task host – is part of the brilliant Green City Projects team, and they use this space to support people living with mental health difficulties. It was a joy to be there :)

In the race against the dying daylight, everyone kicked swiftly into good-deeding action last night!

The first task was to move a giant pile of bags filled with something called 'hoggin', which Google tells me is a self-binding mixture of clay, sand, and gravel that creates a firm, attractive, and permeable surface, and which I can confirm is very very very heavy!

Not that was a match for this group's muscles, who moved 30+ sacks to a variety of corners in this woodland space :)

Having completed the shifting and the heaving much quicker than anticipated, everyone moved quickly to emptying the 'hoggin', and it really did create firm, attractive, and permeable surfaces!

Thank you so much, everyone! You did a huge and wonderful amount!

8 GoodGymers made a wonderful difference in Central London

London is an especially bustle-y city and it is especially especially bustle-y during the rushing hours.

But it is also a city rich with quiet — gentle — calm spaces, such as the American International Church on Tottenham Court Road.

Although... that's true only when the Stranger Things Musical cast aren't using the AIC to practice their screams and yells and best impressions of the Demogorgon...

...which were our welcoming sounds yesterday evening!!

Not that this affected our especially brilliant crew – Brooke (our lovely host!), Emilie, Imogen, Jackie, John, Lilan (on their first good deed – welcome!!), and Steve – who got down to good-deeding business in a flash!

❤️ Emilie, Jackie, and John focused on the lower garden 👉 they pulled weeds, laid fresh gravel, rearranged a greenhouse, and collected all strewn litter!

❤️ Imogen, Lilan, and Steve headed to the upper garden 👉 they planted fresh seed pots, laid fresh compost, and gave new life to flower-filled planters!

❤️ And Brooke coordinated and organised the whole thing — thank you!

Here's to next time, folks!

London's community half marathon went red this year! 🔥

A huge congratulations to the oodles of GoodGym folk who caught well-earned happy mornings under a hot-hot-hot late summer sun ☺️

It was the biggest joy seeing you all!

Please send me your photos (!) and I will pop them up here (alexmurtough@goodgym.org) ❤️