Our GoodGym Camden group are experts at running without colliding into passersby.

The employ several effective techniques.

Which include the swivel, the hop-and-side-step, and the zigzag.

I've seen our runners employ each of these techniques to great success on our weekly group runs through bustling Camden.

As one local journalist described our runners: as deft as a gentle spring breeze - they make urban running look relaxing*

But!

Our wonderful group (of Emilie, Jackie, John, Rose, Steve, and Will) didn't need to employ their anti-collision techniques this week.

Meeting in the calm of Regent's Park, we started our evening with a calm and quiet run around the park's outer circle and up through quieter streets to West Hampstead.

Having reached a healthy 5K and shared stories with each other, we arrived at the Sherriff Centre and were met by the brilliant Daisy and Gosia :)

Across the next 30 minutes, we donned gloves and grabbed litter pickers, and we cleared bag-upon-bag of strewn trash and litter - the perimeter (and trees..!) of the centre are a magnet for this, but we finished leaving it clear and tidy!

Thank you so much, everyone, for your time and work - I know just how much of a difference this makes to the Sherriff Centre's team!!

Here's to next time!!

*I might be lying

Every January, a group in red can be found walking and running in a (seemingly) aimless fashion around Camden.

They stop frequently and their eyes dart in a (seemingly) searching manner.

Several can usually be heard saying "I think that's a tree..." before leading the group into a shadow.

Welcome, friends, to GoodGym Camden's annual Christmas Tree Scavenge!

Meeting in the welcome warmth of the Somers Town Living Centre, our group swiftly donned gloves and dropped bags before heading out to the cold for a very important task: our weekly game of Simon Says.

Having completed squats, lunges, arm circles, stretches (of many varieties), spins, twirls, and twists, our group were suitably warmed and ready to scavenge Camden for naughtily discarded Christmas Trees.

Our borough's pavements can be difficult to navigate when they're at their tidiest, and they can become thoroughly inaccessible in January when folks dump their trees on sidewalks, by bins, and in alleyways. Our annual scavenge helps ease the burden :)

Splitting into two groups, our first group of Alison, Jack, John, Louise, Rose, and Steve (led by John) shot off and up through Camden, around Regent's Park, and into Primrose Hill where... they met the most magnificently large tree! Tossed aside, this wonderful fir wouldn't look out of place in a Nordic forest, but it (perhaps) did look out of place being carried through North London streets! Especially when it was joined by several other trees the group found en route!

Our second group of Anne, Ivar, and Jackie, meanwhile, stayed closer to home and explored the green spaces and roads of Somers Town. Amidst stories of the festive season, work, and more this group discovered their first bundle of green behind a bin, and they soon caught sight of four more discarded spruces!

The photos tell a story I can't. This group made a huge difference last night, and they did so while being active and social, which is just the ticket for a dark winter evening :)

Here's to next time!!

King's Cross, Holborn, and Camden aren't known for being sleepy.

They're never usually quiet.

They're usually exuberantly bustling.

Yet yesterday... as our intrepid group of New Year Good-Deeders made their way through... they could hear their footsteps... they could barely hear any traffic... and (for the first time in decades) they could easily hear their conversations!

This was the joy of Central London on New Year's Day!

And our wonderful group of Anne, Ivar, Louise, Jackie, John, Steph, and Steve were one of an unusually small number populating our city's central streets!

They were doing so for good reason.

It was a Wednesday, which meant it was an American International Church Winter Shelter night, and this group were ready to sprinkle their usual good-deeding magic.

Amidst stories from the festive period, nine beds (across three rooms) were assembled, dressed, and tidily organised ready for the shelter's evening guests :)

And it wasn't just the New Year that was in need of celebration... because Jackie, who is a rock in our Camden group, had hit her 200th good deed!! Congratulations, Jackie, and thank you for being such a special person and wonderful part of our group!!!

Here's to next time!

Twas the week before Christmas... and one special group (Amna, Emily, Jacqui, Jackie, John, Rose, and Steve) of good-deeding Camden folk were about to meet three Christmas ghosts...

After a traditional (as seen in A Christmas Carol) festive game of count to (20)24 and an inclusive run through Christmas Camden, this wonderful group arrived at Cecil Sharp House.

Head out of Camden Town and look for giant trees. This is the best way to find Cecil Sharp House. Home to music and creativity, it's also a resting place for a deep archive of folk music.

We don't know whether the evening's ghosts knew (/know) the real Cecil Sharp nor whether they like folk music, but we do know their names...

...the first ghoul was called The Ghost of Leaves Previously Picked, and this friendly spirit (who had a leaf on their head) delighted in showing us the clear lawns and tidy pathways that were the result of GoodGym's work this winter - several of our group joined TGoLPP by jumping up and down and shouting "but where are the leaves - there aren't any leaves!"...

...which was when The Ghost of Leaves Still to Pick popped up from behind a bush, and this fastidious spirit (who had a torch on their head) waved their (transparent) hands to show us oodles of hidden leaves in the bushes - and our group joined TGoLStP by bagging bag-upon-bag of leaves in the bushes and on the flower-beds - and then we were done and about to leave...

...which was when The Ghost of Leaves Yet to Fall stood in the gateway, and this forward-looking spirit (with a diary and pen in their hands) reminded us about the gardening work that is never really complete, and we booked in our next visit for 2025!

Thank you, everyone, for your work and energy - I had a wonderful evening seeing you all!

Here's to 2025... and next time!

Our wonderful group were subjected to envious onlookers this morning.

We felt their eyes on us and our bunting.

Knitted bunting which we were carefully adorning the farmyard with.

We moved - they looked - we hung - they stared - we tied - they glared...............

..............those sheep were so very jealous of our wool-bound bunting!

This ace group - of Aaiza (on their first good-deed - welcome!), Andy, John, Lauren, Steve, and Thaina (also on their first good deed - welcome too!) - brought colour to Kentish Town City Farm this morning!

Over 60 minutes (and alongside our collective sets of fingers and toes turning from cold to frozen) this group dressed the farmyard and its festive marquees with stripy, polka-dot, and multi-coloured bunting, making everything ready for this weekend's festive fair 😊

Thank you, everyone, for making a difference this morning - see you next time!

Our dream team pulled out all the stops (and sheets!) to run a quick mile in support of Brooke, our host with the most at the American International Church, helping provide pillow talk-worthy care for those living on the streets this winter. Joining the comfort crew were Alex, Tom, Emily, Louise, Rose, Steve, Jackie, John, and Ivar, blanketing the night in kindness and teamwork as we got the bedspaces ready for nearly 20 guests arriving later.

The team was sheet-hot, working quickly and with bedside manner that could rival Santa’s elves. In between tasks, we reflected on the restful vibes of the holiday season and how small gestures like this can tuck in hope for those who need it most. It was a session that left us all feeling fluffed up with warmth and reassurance, knowing that for at least one night, everyone would be sleeping soundly.