As March enters our calendars a clear night was upon us, we even had stars (thanks for pointing them out Salwa). It was dry and we were free from floods but it was cold!!

18 of us braved the low temperatures and met at Wholefoods ready to venture along the river for a 6km run and help out at the Ham and Petersham Sea Scouts.

Our evening started with the usual warm up outside Wholefoods and then some added fun in the form of interval training. We paired up with another runner similar to our ability and speed and jogged around Richmond Green together, 20 steps steady pace and the 20 steps fast ...we definitely showed those freezing temperatures who's boss!

Then is was Stravas set to go and we were off tackling Richmond Hill and gliding down Star and Garter, finally landing at the scouts where they are tranforming their current land.

We were there to get stuck into a multitude of jobs, from clearing ash from the fire pit, clearing the path of mud and leaves, to planting some bulbs and fishing out all the rain water from the boats. The recent bad weather had battered the land but we did our best to revive it again.

Every day we're shoveling 🎶#goodgym #richmond #scouts #ham #petersham #volunteering #fitness #runninggroup #doinggood pic.twitter.com/WmM2eMa5wc

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) March 3, 2020

In the darkness , under the stars we posed for a photo and proudly plodded out of the woodland in our mud sodden trainers heading back to Wholefoods for the cool down.

And how do we overcome such a cold night? Well we head to the pub for an ice cold beer of course! Amongest the drinks and jubilations we congratulated the finishers of the Vitality Big Half Marathon, those present as those resting their legs - well done everyone!

Welcome to Sue on her first Goodgym run and welcome to Jo on her second.

Don't forget our guide to help reduce the risk of the Coronavirus

some exciting news....On Saturday 11th April we have been invited to the annual showcase match for the Harlequins Women – The Game Changer! We may be able to get 20 tickets (TBC) to give away so please do email markb@goodgym.org and let me know if you would like a ticket

Well that was a blustery one! A day at work spent worriedly checking the weather reports – and finding a whole lot of rain clouds and stories of a windy fella from Ireland called Brendan – did not deter a brave set of Richmondites (and some honoured guests) from gathering to do good on Monday evening.

We welcomed Amy, the trainer for soon-to-launch GoodGym Maidenhead & Windsor, who took us through a very unusual warm-up featuring herding penguins, milking giraffes and even bum fives!

thanks to Amy @GoodGymWM trainer for our fun warm up last night! #richmond #running #warmup #volunteering #goodgym #training #fun pic.twitter.com/rdL4lifrGc

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) January 14, 2020

Then it was off into the night and a soggy 3.6km along the river and up past Ham House & Gardens to the Ham Youth Centre.

The centre does brilliant work in the local community, providing young people with a safe space where they can meet their friends, talk to staff, or take part in activities, as well as offering support on issues young people sometimes face such as stress, substance misuse, relationships & sexual health and school & careers.

When we arrived we were met by Steve and shown to the tool cupboard, where we formed a human chain to hand out a wide variety of cleaning equipment. Soon the whole centre was a hive of activity as we set to work giving everything in sight a good spruce up.

One group peeled off to the centre’s well-equipped kitchen and gave the surfaces and cooker top a good scrub, the floor a thorough sweep and the cupboards of pots and pans a top-to-bottom clean. In the sports hall others got busy cleaning and wiping down surfaces, while in the foyer area others still cleaned glass surfaces, pulled out and hoovered behind a sofa, and even gave the Foosball table a deep clean.

At the end of a satisfying spring clean (oh if only it was spring!) it was over to Amy once more for some resistance work. With fetching pink resistance bands around our ankles we waddled round in circles (penguins again?) and worked our quads – good to get a bit of a burn on before heading back out into the cold wet night.

The skills of the GoodGym Richmond crew are never ending! #hulahoop #fun #games #exercise #richmond #hamyouthcentre #volunteering pic.twitter.com/5Ksz9fdZtP

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) January 14, 2020

We arrived back at Wholefoods damp but satisfied to have done our bit for the January Challenge and ready for home and a hot shower, so Mark finished the evening off with a gentle cool down. Welcome back to Jo for her second run, and very best to Amy with the launch of Maidenhead & Windsor!

As mentioned in the briefing , there is a chance to increase kilometres and good deeds this Sunday on a Kingston Starter , details here

On Monday evening 23 well insulated runners braved Arctic conditions to volunteer their time to bring some seasonal cheer, decorating Christmas trees at the Lynde House Care Home in Twickenham.

Seldom before has such trepidation been witnessed upon exiting the warm fug of WholeFoods’ cosy dining area, as sharp intakes of breath and the occasional chattering of teeth could be overheard.

Fortunately GG trainer Mark quickly managed to distract the team with his efficient warm up routine, complemented by ice skating lunges, press-up tag games, and finessed by a succession of star jumps. Duly warmed up, the group set off on the night’s mission across the river.

As is custom for relatively nearby venues, an extra leg on the outbound leg was proposed to add “stuffing to the turkey”, so to speak. In this case, the motive was to gain enough elevation to view as many Christmas lights as possible from the top of Nightingale Lane, one of our favourite climbs. Duly crested, we cruised back through town to cross Richmond Bridge, which now felt several degrees warmer than half an hour earlier, followed by an eerily dark riverside leg along the Thames.

The residents and staff at Lynde House gave us a warm welcome upon arrival, albeit tempered by a tinge of disappointment when we explained that we were not in fact visiting them to provide an indoor gymnastics display.

However, within the limited time available we set to work on the task at hand - unpacking fairy lights and baubles to decorate five beautiful Christmas trees, each team styling their creation with unique handwriting. It’s a shame that we won’t be there to see how the residents' eyes will light up tomorrow morning when they wander into the homely lounges and reception areas, however a rousing verse of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” was sung by the Good Gym chorus to set the Christmas mood.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from GoodGym Richmond#christmas #carehome #richmond #volunteering #goodgym #volunteering #running #doinggood pic.twitter.com/ZVfGkX4VxD

— GoodGym Richmond (@GGRichmon) December 3, 2019

Duly refuelled with mince pies and hydrating refreshments, the deco-squad returned to Richmond at a steady pace via Twickenham Bridge, completing the 7 Km outing. With another mission accomplished and that familiar feeling of contentment gained from serving our local community some repaired to the pub to celebrate Lenka’s 50th good deed - (congratulations Lenka!) while others no doubt speculated whether perhaps this year would turn out to be a fairytale White Christmas.

Well done to Jessie, Luke and Ellen on your 2nd GoodGym Richmond run and another cheer for all of those who spent the weekend out on various Community Missions.

Happy Running!

Tonight, 18 brave runners turned up to help Petersham Common. Our task tonight was to move bundles of fencing from the bottom of the hill to the top, ready to be put in the ground tomorrow.

We started off the night with a fun and fast paced warm up on the green. Head-torches were necessary as it was already dark, but thankfully the rain held off.

We set off along the river on our run. As it was very wet & slippery, we hard to be sure of our footing but we soon got into a good rhythm with everyone chatting away as we ran. We passed by the 3 Pigeon Plot and noted the newly installed flowers. Then we headed to the bottom of Nightingale Lane. Most people battled their way to the top of this mega hill not once but twice, which is no mean feat! We were joined by a fellow runner doing sprints up the hill, so we gave him some encouragement too.

Thoroughly worn out after that, thankfully we didn’t have far to go to meet Ken at the task. He handed out orange hi-vis vests and showed us to the mountain of fencing bails. We were prepared for this though & keen to get on with it, we knew we had a big task ahead of us! We took the bails in pairs, making sure at least one of us had a head torch, and climbed the hill through the wooded pathways of Petersham Common, following Ken’s trail of hi-vis vests hanging in trees. Progress was slow and steady, with plenty of stops to adjust hand holds or swap arms. The bails were heavy & awkward plus the paths were dark, muddy & narrow, it really was a meaty task!

There was much discussion over technique, with some preferring the bails on shoulders or heads, others carrying them in their arms with one person walking backwards (impressive) or a simple one handed affair so long as you could get good purchase on a stake.

Each pair managed to make 2 trips to the top, with Emily marshalling us across the busy road. We didn’t manage to move them all but Ken still estimated we’d saved him a full days work- not bad team, not bad! I’m certain we’ll all be feeling it tomorrow :)

Well done to Harry on his second run & welcome to Charlie who joined GG Richmond for the first time, glad to have you with us tonight!

Rain...what rain? Whatever rain there was it didn't stop 27 of us running to do good in East Twickenham this evening.

The rain didn't even stop us having our usual warm up fun on the Green either. Tonight the game of agility and speed were at play trying to get a pair of gloves from one end of the group to the other. Despite it being slippery we all managed to stay upright and sturdy underfoot -all set to run and walk to the task!

Tonights task was to help prepare the garden at St Christopher's Fellowship. They have plans to plant a number of bulbs creating new flowerbeds to brighten up the living space for both residents and staff at this awesome charitable house catering for young people in care.

Our duties involved a mass de-weed, large scale pruning, and removal of shrubs, and we even managed to make a clean sweep at the front of the property cleaning all the leaves so the place was left looking ship shape and ready for the next phase of gardening.

Our run tonight was 6km (approx)and despite being soggy and dark was as ever, an absolute delight due to the great company that we run with. Enhanced also by the addition of 6 newbies to Richmond. We welcomed Rob , Carol, Carrie , Emma, Jo and Harry!! And whilst they celebrated their first run with Richmond our own (awesome report writer) JP became 50 good deeds old tonight! Huge congratulations were given for all the good deeds he he has done and for being a great member of GG Richmond.

Well done also to Jenny for running the Lochness Marathon yesterday and we salute you for turning up to lead the Walking Group today too!

Finally well done to all , we were such a large group and you were so super organised and coordinated at getting the task done whilst keeping together as a team.

Look forward to seeing you next week as we raise the stakes!!