🏃‍♀️💪 GoodGym Lambeth Run Report 🏃‍♂️💪

This week, our magnificent crew of do-gooders traded their usual running routes for a different kind of marathon - the Great Garage Clear-Out of 2025! 📦🏚️

We descended upon Myatts Fields to help Kim with a mission that would make Marie Kondo sweat: shifting a lifetime's worth of treasures (and let's be honest, some questionable "I'll definitely use this someday" items) from her Hackney collection out into the daylight for inventory! ☀️

The Task-master Lineup:

🌟 Fabian - Our brilliant newbie made their debut and swept us off our feet (literally - they were on broom duty)! Welcome to the gang, Fabian - you really cleaned up on your first mission! 🧹✨

🦸‍♂️ The Usual Suspects: Ben, Michael, Dan, Paul, and Patrick brought their A-game, grabbing, sorting, and stacking like a well-oiled (albeit slightly dusty) machine!

🍰 Adam - Our knight in shining apron stepped up when tragedy struck the Bake Off tent (no baker = no bakes 😱). This absolute legend whipped up a gluten-free fruit cake AND brought Tupperware for transport. Adam, you really take the biscuit! 🎂👑

Mission Highlights: - ✅ Sorted everything into neat categories (playing real-life Tetris with decades of memories!) - ✅ Gave the garage a thorough sweep (though we're pretty sure the dust declared victory and staged a comeback) 🧹💨 - ✅ Proved that many hands make light work (even when that work involves heavy boxes!)

Another cracking evening of fitness, teamwork, and community spirit! Who knew cardio could involve this much carrying? 💪😄

Same time next week, GoodGym heroes? 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️

Getting fit, doing good, and occasionally getting dusty ✨

Two members of Goodgym Barnsley met for a socially distant walk and leaflet drop for Age UK. We distributed leaflets around several streets in the Lundwood area and enjoyed a catch-up in the sunshine! ☀️

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For this task we welcomed new member Kris to the GG Barnsley crew, as he joined me on a leafletting task in Lundwood.

Age UK had requested we deliver some leaflets around the local community to inform people about their essential services, especially at this time of year. We were happy to oblige - even more so as the sun was shining, very much welcomed on a December day! ☀️

Age UK Barnsley is a local independent charity working in Barnsley to offer support and services to older people and their carers. Click here to find out more, and share their contact details with anybody you think might appreciate them.

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2 runners made their way to Age UK Barnsley to help with a painting task.

It was a two's company situation this evening as a couple of regulars met up to help Age UK Barnsley. We have been to the charity's building a few times already to help with freshening up their indoor spaces, and tonight we were tasked with adding a layer of gloss to the skirting boards and door frames. It was light work for just the two of us and we managed to get the whole of the reception area glossed and looking fresh.

The task organiser, Tina, said there are plenty more spaces in the building that could benefit from a refresh so I'm sure we'll be back again before too long.

☃️ Next week is our first task for the month of December, where we'll be back to help with painting at the Locke Park Cafe.

Now, onto booking the Christmas do...

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5 runners made their way to Age UK to help out with a painting task.

After a steady run on a surprisingly mild evening, we arrived warmed up and ready to crack on with the painting task that Sue introduced us to at Age UK. Today we were tasked with freshening up the reception area.

Before we began, a special congratulations were in order for member Clair, who reached a milestone and hit the big 21 today... 21 good deeds that is. Happy 21st Clair!

Then with two big tubs of magnolia emulsion ready to go, we donned our aprons and set to work. Our chat covered a variety of topics, from cycling and running to holidays and Halloween. There is particular excitement in the air with regards to our Halloween Special group run... costumes at the ready, folks 🎃

With every wall benefiting from a good coat of paint, we washed up our rollers and trays and tidied up the plastic coverings - the glossing coat of paint to be saved for another day. We thanked Sue and set off again into the evening.

After a run back to base with a final uphill stretch, we just had a couple of minutes left for a quick fitness task. The challenge was to see who could hold the longest plank. With the promise of a prize for the winner, spirits were high. Everybody did great and we all made it way past the 1 minute mark. It was a close finish with Jane cracking 2 minutes and James scraping the win with 2 minutes 6 seconds. As you can see in the photo, James was thrilled about his gold star.

Another great evening for GoodGym Barnsley. Thanks everyone!

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Our next Group Run will be a leaflet drop for Barnsley Museums on Wednesday 23 October. Sign up here.

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Tonight... NINE of us gathered to help Age UK Barnsley with a painting task and celebrate GoodGym Barnsley's 2nd Birthday!

An eager and hungry group of us set off from the usual start point, warmed up by high knees, zombie walking, lunges and squat frog jumps! Once we'd reached the pedestrian area of town, I got the group running in a chain, with the back runner increasing their speed to get to the front of the line. This brought everyone's heart rate up nicely on what was to be a very short run!

We were back at Age UK for the second time, to finish a painting job we started in July. We'd previously painted all four walls in the room with one coat of emulsion so tonight's task was to do a second coat and gloss the paintwork. Everyone grabbed their preferred tool and we had half the group rollering the walls and half doing the edges. James' height came in handy again as he foccused on the edges between the wall and ceiling! Tonight's topic of conversations centered around travelling, holidays and food, oh we're a cultured bunch! Once we'd finished the walls we finished up by glossing the skirting boards and tidying everything away.

By this time we were all starving and very much looking forward to our evening celebrating our 2nd birthday! It's not often that we sit down and catch up outside of GG so everyone was in high spirits and hungry! We ran the 400m to the restaurant, The Falco Lounge, a newly opened place with cool decor and fashionable food! It was a lovely evening with a great group of people!

It's been an amazing year - we have achieved a lot, helped new charities and gained new members!

In the past 12 months, GG Barnsley has helped 22 groups/charities/stakeholders. Of those 22, 14 are new to us in this last 12 months.

The group's we've helped are:

• Friends of Locke Park
• ELSH
• Barnsley Council (central area team, kingstone ward, town hall)
• Carers garden
• ELIM Church
• Wilthorpe Park
• Penny Pie Park
  
• YMCA - the main buliding and the allotment
  
• Lavender Court Together Housing
  
• New Lodge Community Centre
  
• Park Run Barnsley
  
• Hope In The Community
  
• Bluebell Wood Children's hospice
  
• BSARCS
• Trans Pennine Trail
• Ardsley Park
• BIADS
• Worsbrough Common Community Centre
• Emmanuel Church
• Athersley North Recreation ground
• Age UK
• Worsbrough Mill

We have done everything and anything asked of us - tasks included painting, gardening, litter picking, putting up and moving furniture, fundraising, fixing things, destroying things, laying gravel, cleaning toys, tidying, playing games with the elderly, sweeping sand, making christmas hats, putting up decorations AND digging for raspberries! To name a few!

Some of our successes this year:

• Gained more members
• Reached more groups in the community
• Three members of task force
• Two new run leaders
• Adopting part of the TPT
• Social evening with elderly residents

Quality rather than quantity

Many hands make light work!

Thank you to everyone, you should be very proud of everything you have done to help the local community in Barnsley!