When it rains, it pours! Unfortunately, that meant the task owner for the outdoor task at Cossall Estate messaged an hour before to cancel! Yet, fortunately for us, we had a second task. TRAID came to save the day as their final day of sale ended on Wednesday night, so they need our assistance to clear the summer season clothes all out and luckily, it was an indoor task too!

There was an added twist to our group run tonight, we met Carine and Ed from ZDF ("a German BBC") as they wanted to film us for their "culture in Europe" piece to show their German audience what GoodGym is all about.

They met Sam and all of the GG runners including Emma, who they used as their protagonist for their piece at Old Spike Roastery. We welcomed Maria for her first group run after attending eight community missions over the week! The time arrived to 18:45 and with all the runners crammed in, they listened and ZDF filmed Sam's intro speech before heading out for a warm-up for the last time (or second last time) on the Green.

After our warm-up, Sam's ice-breaker for tonight was fitting as he asked: It is Secondhand September and since we're going to a charity shop, what was the last secondhand item that you brought?

Many mentioned a piece of clothing from a suit jacket to shirts, but also jewelry, furniture (but from Ebay) and kitchen utensils. Ensuring that items have a second life and nothing goes to waste...

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Say Käse 🧀

After ZDF filmed an intro piece with Emma, Sam led from the front as Anna backmarked to ensure no one was left behind. The run was only a short 1k as we ran through the backstreets of Peckham, but at least we got our legs moving. We made it to TRAID to find Ed filming us as well as Mikhail and Paulin getting stuck in with the task at hand. Elena also met us there.

We come here every quarter to help clear out the TRAID store as the fashion season moves with the seasons.

Our main task was to unclip / un-hang the clothes on display before putting them in a massive cardboard box, so that it could be shipped back to the main warehouse for re-distributing / some clothes will come back next summer. At the same time, the hangers needed to be bagged or boxed by type. This looked like a daunting task with the amount of clothes left on the rails, but once we got into a rhythm, it was done within 20-30 minutes.

Lastly, we had Sam, Isaac and Maria taking down Sale signs whilst Mikhail hoovered the floor. There was a large group taking the time to sort and match shoes that needed to be bagged up with the last shoes missing a pair being discharged in another bag.

ZDF used this opportunity indoors to film us doing our work whilst they interviewed someone from TRAID, Sam and their protagonist, Emma.

Finally, we got in our group photo before heading back to Old Spike saying goodbye to TRAID and Carine and Ed from ZDF! A quick 1k run back to base for a quick stretch in the light rain.

Some of us went for a pint or two at the White Horse to de-brief and catch-up!

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Thank You to all the GG-ers

A personal thanks from me to all those who came out tonight! Firstly, a massive thank you to Anna and Daryl for backmarking the run there and back. Thank you to the rest of you for coming along as it was chunking it down all day and running in the rain is never fun. In the end, doing one task at TRAID worked out with the amount of clothing and hangers that we needed to put away. At least, we stayed dry for an hour!

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Thank You to TRAID, Carine and Ed

GoodGym is all about getting fit and doing good! We praise the runners/cyclists/walkers who come to get fit and help out, but we often forget about our task owner. I would like to take this opportunity to thank TRAID who ensured we had a task tonight as the rain cancelled our second task! Also, a thank you to Carine and Ed for filming us and we hope the piece will inspire someone in Germany to start their own version of GoodGym!

As we waited outside Old Spike for Marcus to finish up cleaning, we enjoyed the warmer weather than the inferno that was presented to us inside. We met newbie, Michelle, who came over from work in Mayfair, but lives in Acton! Wow, we appreciate her attending our GoodGym session, which is so far away from her work and home. Thank you, Michelle and I hope you'd enjoyed your first GoodGym experience!

On a warm and muggy day, waiting inside Old Spike wasn't ideally as we welcomed Alastair, Alex, Becky, Daryl, Emily, Emma, Gemma, Paulin, Mikhail Nathan and Tim as Sam quickly went through the GG intro speech before heading outside to get warm on the Green!

After our warm-up, Sam's ice-breaker for tonight was a question on yesterday, which was: Yesterday, was International Day of Charity, what is your favourite charity or the one you donate/fundraise to the most?

We had the obvious ones like GoodGym, Cancer Research UK, NSPCC, RSPCA and MacMillan, but Clare gave us a heart-warming answer as she had fundraised for a friend who was in a coma. Charities are not just organisations, but are acts of kindness.

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Arigato, Kanpai

With Sam leading from the front and Lindy backmarking, we made it to Salvation Army Camberwell Corps within 20 minutes to find Folarin, Mikhail and Paulin already there. Paulin was helping Valentina setup the cleaning stations by filling buckets with warm water.

As we piled in, Olive, Magda, Vic and Abigail met us at the task as we had to split the group into three:

• Team Gardening, who weed the outside garden and a partial part of the parking lot consisted of: Daryl, Mikhail, Olive and Vic.
• Team Window Cleaning, cleaned all the windows inside and out consisted of: Clare, Elena and Gemma.
• Team Disinfecting and Cleaning Toys, the rest of us assisted with the main job of the evening, which was to disinfect and clean the toys in the cupboard and all around the main hall as the Salvation Army Camberwell Corps prepare for the toddlers to come back and use this space next week.

Within 45 minutes, we managed to complete our main task and even put all the toys away back into the cupboard, which in itself is a task of minds (how do I find all these toys in?!). After a quick group photo and small speech to Daryl for his selfless act on Sunday to help another GoodGymer cross over the finish line at the Big Half, we ran back to Old Spike.

Since it was the first Wednesday of the month, a few of us walked over to Kanpai for a couple of rice beers, sake, corn fritters and skewers to say our goodbyes to this establishment before they move "homes" from Peckham to Bermondsey.

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Thank You to all the GG-ers

A personal thanks from me to all those who came out tonight! Firstly, a massive thank you to my taskforce team, Daryl and Lindy for backmarking the run there and back. Thank you to the rest of you for coming along as you saw that power in numbers means we can get not one, but three tasks done within 45 minutes! Thank you to those who stayed on afterwards for a final farewell drink to Kanpai before they move to Bermondsey!

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Thank You to Valentina

GoodGym is all about getting fit and doing good! We praise the runners/cyclists/walkers who come to get fit and help out, but we often forget about our task owner. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Valentina who recently moved over here from the US and was covering Catherine! Thank you for having all the items and tools ready for us to tackle the tasks and we hope you saw a massive difference within the 45 minutes that we were there. We will be back in November and we'll arrange that shortly.

After discussions with the BetterPoints team, they decided to give away 100 BetterPoints for each GoodGym session a user attends (redeemable to twice a week). This is why Sam had a print out of a QR code prepared for those who want to claim their points! Just another way of rewarding yourself by getting fit and doing good!

As we all gathered in Old Spike on the last Wednesday of August, we welcomed in Abigail, Alex, Claire, Clare, Daryl, Elena, Emma, Gemma, Lindy, Nathan, Nelly and Steve as Sam talked all things GoodGym before announcing that it was Steve's 500th good deed! He draped him in the GG cape before giving him a golden party hat and balloon with a faded 500 on it. Congrats Steve!

After our warm-up on the Green outside, Sam's ice-breaker question for tonight was either: What is your favourite fun fair game (due to the Peckham Rye Fete this weekend)? or What TV game show would go on?

We had all suggestions from hook-a-duck to coconut shy and toss-a-ring (on a bottle) to the claw in the Arcades.... For TV game shows, we had those who wanted to win money in The Chase to those who wanted to challenge themselves in Survivor, Takeshi's Castle and Total Wipeout. We also had some weird Japanese hostess game and someone brave enough to try Big Brother...

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The Heartbreak Insect Hotel

Our run took us over the hill and down again as we ran at a comfortable pace to tackle 3k in 22 minutes. As we arrived on-site, we saw Folarin and Mikhail waiting for us, but we also met Sophie, who came for her first good deed after being invited by Clare to come along (with a bribe to get ramen later...). At the back of the group run, we had Magda who jogged along with us as we arrived in Camberwell. Here we were, all 17 of us, eager to get going. We were met by Catalina, who had brought over the tools for us to use. The main task was to clear back a weeded stepping stone pathway in the Wildlife Triangle, but she needed a few volunteers to help her bring over insects for the bug hotel, but also transport woodchip to the allotment.

Our man of the night, Steve and Claire put their hands up to become the transporters of the catepillars whilst newbie, Sophie and her friend, Clare put their hands up to transport barrows of woodchip mulch to the allotment. The rest used the limited tools and gardening gloves to clear back the path in the Wildlife Triangle.

With 90s tunes blaring, the site got a transformational change within the 35 - 40 minutes that we were there. A few insects got to live in the bug hotel whilst the extra catepillars got the other end of the estate... Sophie and Clare managed to move mountains of mulch (at least, 5 barrows full) and we all got to celebrate Steve's 500th good deed at the end with mashed up vegan cupcakes that had unsparkled sparklers.

As 20:00 approached, we said our goodbyes and ran the most direct route back to Old Spike before a few of us decided to continue Steve's celebrations with a slice of pizza and a few beers at Voodoo Ray's!

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Thank You to all the GG-ers

A personal thanks from me to all those who came out tonight! Firstly, a massive thank you to Lindy for backmarking the runs there and back and being the constant support to Abigail. Thank you to the rest of you for getting on with the task and the run wasn't so bad either. Lastly, another congratulations to Steve for hitting 500 good deeds and to Sophie for claiming her first!

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Thank You to Catalina

GoodGym is all about getting fit and doing good! We praise the runners/cyclists/walkers who come to get fit and help out, but we often forget about our task owner. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Catalina for bringing out the tools and telling us what tasks needed to be done. It was quite a stark contrast within our 35-40 minutes session and we're always pleased to help out at Elmington Community Garden. We will be back to help support you come October before it gets cold and dark!

We waited outside for Andres (Javier) to close up Old Spike before heading in for 18:30. Yet, Sam had arrived earlier to do document checks for Diego and Becky. Diego is just getting back into the swing of being active, but Becky was up for joining us on our group run tonight! Welcome Becky!

On a warm and muggy day, waiting inside Old Spike wasn't ideally as we welcomed Alastair, Alex, Becky, Daryl, Emily, Emma, Gemma, Paulin, Mikhail Nathan and Tim as Sam quickly went through the GG intro speech before heading outside to get warm on the Green!

After our warm-up, Sam's ice-breaker for tonight was a two-way (split into three questions) question, which was: Two days ago was World Entrepreneur Day, what would you be an entrepreneur of / who is your favourite entrepreneur? or Since the Fringe is on, who is your favourite comedian?

Many went for the comedian question of which I remember Kevin Bridges, but we now know Tim would be an entrepreneur of weird and wonderful ice-cream flavours and Alex's favourite joint entrepreneur and comedian is Elon Musk...

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Ugly? No, just brutalists

With Daryl leading the way, running along Peckham Rye Park before heading up Dunstans Road and heading up the hill on Underhill Road, we just made it to the top at Ellie was arriving. We also met Steve and Magda who had arrived by foot and bike, respectively.

Ellie was so glad to have so many GoodGymers come along tonight as she had plenty of tasks. After saying all the tasks, we split the group into activities with newbie Becky, Nathan and Steve taking the woodchip moving and weeding task. Alastair, Gemma, Mikhail and Tim were on water-running duties as they filled water cans and buckets from the tap near the estate to take it to the orchard to water the growing apple trees and saplings.

Meanwhile, we had the rest following Ellie for sanding and painting duties: Emily and Emma were helped paint a cage yellow to beautify the community centre whilst Magda and Paulin sanded wooden blocks/planks that will be used as planting signs when the planters for the allotment have been built. Alex and Daryl were in charge of painting these wooden signs with blackboard black paint.

The 40 minutes seems to zoom by as we called it at 19:55 as Ellie had a surprise for us. On Wednesdays, the community centre has a once-a-week food bank and not all the food was taken, so to ensure there's no food waste, she offered it to us. We took home a variety of breads, apples and courgettes.

Since we were at Dawson's Heights, we couldn't resist to walk over to Dawson's Hill to see the amazing views of London before running back with our bags of goodies to our starting point just on time for 20:30 (after a quick stretch).

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Thank You to all the GG-ers

A personal thanks from me to all those who came out tonight! Firstly, a massive thank you to my taskforce team, especially Daryl for leading the run after my injury (did I mentioned that yet....) on Monday night and to Paulin for backmarking the runs. Thank you to the rest of you for tackling the uphill run to the task before taking on heavier tasks than others, so thank you for gritting through it all. You were all thoroughly rewarded with food and great views at the end of it!

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Thank You to Ellie

GoodGym is all about getting fit and doing good! We praise the runners/cyclists/walkers who come to get fit and help out, but we often forget about our task owner. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ellie for having a variety of tasks for us to do from watering to weeding and painting to woodchip moving! Also, a big shoutout to you for tackling food waste as the GoodGymers enjoyed the added bonus of a snack / meal for the journey home. We will be back to help support the allotment project if not in September then in October.

It was a trip back to Galleywall Nature Reserve again, that's twice in a row as Alan, Eddie and Jane needed our help to clear the site as they make headway on the re-development project. Yet, before all that, all the GoodGym runners met at Old Spike and this time, we had a newbie: Elena who came early to meet Sam and discuss all things GoodGym. As the minutes passed by, Steve, Nathan, Nelly, Lindy and then Louise entered the cafe as Sam started his GG intro speech ensuring he did the full speech due to a newbie joining the ranks.

After Sam delivered his intro speech, they made their way onto the Green for their warm-up, but Sam prepared them in advance for tonight's ice-breaker question, which was: This week is National Afternoon Tea week, what is your go-to tea? Also, today is National Day of Singapore, do you have a favourite thing about the country?

Louise, Nelly and Sam were the only ones that have visited Singapore and they all said the same things - the food, architecture and cleanliness - makes Singapore. As for the tea question, people said chamomile, English breakfast tea (with oat milk), green tea, mint tea and berry tea.

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80s tunes whilst demolishing

Running a slightly more direct route compared to last week, we ran through Rye Lane into the Surrey Canal Walk and across Old Kent Road to get to Galleywall Nature Reserve. This week, we arrived on time and met Magda at the site as Vic arrived with us. Later, David and Tim came by walking and cycling in, respectively.

At the site, we had one main priority - to demolish the old shed. Alan needed two people with him, so Steve and Tim took on these roles as they used crowbars and mallets to knock down the old wooden planks off the beams they were attached as Elena, Lindy and Nelly transported these wooden planks to David, Louise and Nathan's team who were taking the nails off the planks to make them safe and worthy of the makeshift skip we were creating.

In the meantime, Magda and Vic were digging up soil for the new shed's first step.

Powering through the tasks, the minutes went by with the assistance of some powerful 80s ballads, but as the time hit 19:55, we had to call it a day as the run back would take at least 20 minutes.

We took our group photo and said our goodbyes to Alan, Eddie and Jane as well as any departing GoodGymers including newbie, Elena!

It was a struggle to run on the way back as most of us were tired from the tasks at Galleywall Nature Reserve, but we pushed all the way until the end! Well done team!

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Thank You to all the GG-ers

A personal thanks from me to all those who came out tonight! Another long run to and from Peckham with some heavy duty work knocking down the old shed, taking apart the shed and lifting / shifting the wooden planks. It is a bit of a hefty job, but we're always up for it!

Also, a thank you to Lindy and Louise for backmarking the runs.

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Thank You to Alan, Eddie and Jane

GoodGym is all about getting fit and doing good! We praise the runners/cyclists/walkers who come to get fit and help out, but we often forget about our task owner. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alan, Eddie and Jane for hosting us a second week in a row as we come closer to the end of this re-development project. That is us until the end of September, when we'll be back.

Thankfully the weasel did not go pop this evening, nor was there any treacle or tupenny rice however Adam did kindly provide refreshments for our intrepid volunteers which was lovely!

Magda was back with us this evening and ran 2km to join us. continuing her recovery so it was great to have you back!

Nicole got in touch with GG Lambeth to ask if we could help out at Trinity Church who are building a new strawbale annex at the back of the church meaning that the gardens have take a bit of a backseat recently. Will and Michael joined AA Yianny at Papa's to make the 3km flat course run to Trinity Gardens, while Marie-Noelle and Paul came on their bikes and Magda ran across Brockwell Park.

Looking at the tasks available we decided with Adam to clear the weeds and grass coming through the circular pathway which at first we thought would be an easy task however pulling them up by hand and then scraping out the hundreds of gaps took the whole session but we were delighted with the result in the end. (see pic)

Big thank you to Nicole and Adam for hosting us and we will be back soon to continue the work, GGers have a lovely week and see you next time.