This is how John Shirley achieved 1000 good deeds

John Shirley joined GoodGym in 2015 and has gone on to achieve over 1000 good deeds. Here is his story so far.

How did you get involved with GoodGym?
After my wife Jackie took part in the London Olympics opening ceremony, her “pandemonium drummers” group stayed together to play at charity and community events, and through these connections, she heard about GoodGym.

I always thought I should volunteer somewhere, but I’ve got a lot of other things going on and was unwilling to commit to a set schedule, so the attend-when-you-can nature of GoodGym suited me perfectly.

What got you doing so many good deeds?
In my first five years of doing good – to March 2020 – I’d managed an average of just over one good deed per week. Then GoodGym shut down for the pandemic.

When group tasks resumed, a month into lockdown, I started roaming. All entertainment was shut, but I still felt the need to get out and socialise. Volunteering was allowed, so I ran and cycled to GoodGym tasks all over inner London, including, memorably, entire Saturdays preparing Crisis At Christmas.

I met a lot of great people and wanted to keep up with them. So, since the pandemic, I’ve tried to keep up with several groups in London, and my good deed count has mushroomed. GoodGym people are the best company.

And not just in London – I got to know a lovely group in Sheffield when I visited that city for a half-marathon, as well as those in Bristol who I’ve met at several races in the area. And after joining GoodGym Brighton’s South Downs trail runs, I ended up going on holiday with them!

What about the fitness aspect?

Yes, as well as the great satisfaction of doing good in a group, I’m a lot fitter now than when I started GoodGym; I’d been running for thirty minutes a week at most. Enticed by a GoodGym Camden race weekend in Worthing in 2016, I did my first half-marathon for many years, and have participated in numerous races with GoodGym since, including my first two marathons, Yorkshire and London.

I’ve also learned a lot of fitness routines, particularly from the brilliant Laura, area activator at Tower Hamlets.

How do you see your role as part of TaskForce?

I keep an eye on the referrals section of the TaskForce web page, in case there’s anything I can help set up, and also a general eye on what’s happening in the Camden area. For example, I read that Castlehaven Community Centre were holding public gardening sessions, so I set this up as a weekly GoodGym task.

I also see my role as welcoming newcomers to GoodGym, making them feel at ease and part of the group.

It’s very satisfying to walk past a community centre or estate garden while going about my daily business, knowing how you’ve contributed to improving the local community.

Here’s to the next 1000!

Do you have a task that you enjoy and would like to take ownership of setting up and listing for your area? Is this something you could see yourself doing - why not join the next TaskForce training, we would love to have you join us.