9 keen runners arrived for this week’s task and we were all excited to have a brand new GG'er this week – the lovely Carly! We hope we made her feel welcome to the Swindon GoodGym family and that she will join us on lots more runs in the future. This week’s getting-to-know-you question was which colour would best describe your day. Answers covered every colour of the rainbow and more. This run reporter can confirm that GoodGym is a brilliant antidote to a less than awesome day and found the rainbow at the end of a grey day – thank you!

It was an 8km run tonight, or a more psychologically appealing 2 x 4km for those who favour the shorter runs. Crazy Legs led us and Charles was on back-marker duties. We took a different route to Toothill to avoid the ‘Park of Darkness’ although the doubters among us with no sense of direction thought we may have taken a wrong turn. We met Kirsty on the way, and then we were 10, near the sofa shop with the never-ending sale. Did someone say sofa(?), but no time to rest as there were hills to battle, during which it was pointed out there was a reason is was named TootHILL!

Age UK Wiltshire have taken over the running of Toothill Community Centre and are turning it into a hub of activity, helping people to become active in their local community. A diverse range of groups, clubs and people will use the centre and they are appealing to all ages to make use of the space. We arrived and were all secretly hoping that Emma The Trainer would press the intercom buzzer labelled ‘Bar’, or the one for ‘Stage’ for the entertainers among us! But a quick buzz on ‘Office’ and the lovely Anne from Age UK was soon ushering us in. The temperatures inside went up and so the number of layers worn hastily came down!

In a gesture of hospitality that we have become accustomed to from all our hosts in Toothill (they do like a brew!), Anne offered to pop to the shop to get some milk for tea but with the soaring temperatures we were good with water …… and cake. Alethia had met us there, and then we were 11, and came laden with homemade WARM lemon drizzle cake...

No polite holding back this week. We had the discipline of pigeons on chips but we make no apologies – the cake was AMAZING!!!!

Tonight’s task involved sanding, and lots of it. Door frames, skirting boards, banisters and ….. the bar! Anything painted black needed a quick sand down ready for a re-paint. Black sanded paint creates lots of black dust – and we were soon covered! Talking of stages, if Dick Van Dyke had needed some extras for a 2019 remake of Chim Chim Cher-ee, we’d have fitted right in. Imagine the scene, if you will, a merry band of GoodGymers singing in a dodgy cockney accent:

Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee,

Good-Gymers will work very ‘ard and for free,

Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-oo,

Black paint will rub off when I shakes 'ands with you.

There were second and third helpings of cake and soon we were done with the sanding. After a quick wash up of hands and faces (so the locals didn’t confuse us for street urchins) we said goodbye to Alethia. We headed back out to pound the pavements and dropped Kirsty off near the shop with the never-ending sale (but she popped up again later for post run coffee and chat!).

The hardest part of the run is always passing the many eateries with the most amazing aromas and it was decreed that someone on the Task Force should be appointed as ‘Curry Night Co-ordinator’ – yes please!

Back at the Oasis, Crazy Legs led the stretch out session which was almost event free until we did the ‘Flamingo’ and Charles used Helen for balance, who in turn sent Sam off balance with an unruly arm. A GoodGym domino effect was thankfully avoided and we all said our goodbyes.

On the drive home, I turned to thinking what other songs would make up the soundtrack of the evening. Maybe something like this:

• Hello – Lionel Richie
• Where Are We Runnin’ – Lenny Kravitz
• Running Up That Hill – Kate Bush
• If I knew You Were Coming I’d have Baked a Cake - Ethel Mermen
• Mr Sandman – The Chordettes
• Chim Chim Cher-ee – Dick Van Dyke
• Running With The Night – Lionel Richie
• Catch Me Now I’m Falling – The Kinks

Another fun night and thanks to everyone who made it such a great evening. Next week is our 30th Good Deed – wow! - and we will be running to Youth First, home of Swindon Shock Wheelchair Basketball Club where we will be painting. It promises to be a lovely run, approximately 8k in total, that follows some of the old canal route. Hope to see you Tuesday evening! You can sign up here.