Last night saw round 2 of GoodGym Newham's fast flyering for Cody Dock's Frost Fair, coming up on 30th November.

Firstly though, a congratulations to the Princes, Kev and Sharon, respectively our figurative patriarch and matriarch, on their 30th wedding anniversay! And they would have chosen our group run to celebrate it too, had work and illness not gotten in the way. We'll have to save the OJ & Lemonades till next time...

Back to the task - great to have a few more of us this week, which certainly helped with the pretty substantial stack of flyers we were to post through letterboxes to promote the Frost Fair in the local community. Apparently flyering does make a difference to the number of people attending Cody Dock's events, and we even had a special request to go a bit further north of Star Lane, getting the word out to even more folks than we would usually cover. I think we distributed about 700 flyers between the two weeks, so well done everyone!

Just a plug for the event though if anyone is tempted to go (and we've been to past iterations - they are highly recommended) - the Frost Fair is a free community event with craft stalls, outdoor games, live music, fire sculpture, choir singing, food & drink, a free cycle maintenance workshop and other activities. More details on the Cody Dock website

For anyone tempted by gardening and excellent post-task snacks, we're at Emanuel Church this Saturday, and then off to the Adventure Playground next Tues - deets to follow on the WhatsApp.

Last night we met under the iconic London Eye for a very special session. Not only was it amazing to welcome back Kike and Joe, but we also got to cheer Thomas who was along for his very first GoodGym experience!

We had an extra reason to feel positive. Last night we collaborated with Sport England to raise awareness about This Girl Can's Lift the Curfew initiative, which helps raise awareness about the risks women face running after dark. As a society we can make it safer. So, armed with one enormous flag, we had some photos taken courtesy of Chris (thank you) with the London skyline in the background. The only question is what will we do with the flag now? Double duvet cover? Sail? Tent? Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Our task for the day involved supporting GROAD, a charity dedicated to helping rough sleepers, refugees, and anybody living with financial insecurity in London. GROAD focuses on providing essential items, such as clothes and bedding, which can make a significant difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness.

Rail-y great work

During the session, we transported the donations to the railings to display them to their greatest advantage before sorted and distributed clothing and bedding to individuals in need. It was heartwarming to see the direct impact of our efforts; every item handed out was met with appreciation. It’s a reminder of how vital community support is for those facing tough circumstances.

Thank you all for your incredible effort last night! You made a huge difference. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next session where we'll be handing out hot food.

Hilary led tonight's task and after briefing it was random weekly question time ("What's your favourite country?") - we are truly global group...Canada, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, England and Wales....sorry to those I missed. We headed along the greenway, lots of cyclists and runners out tonight.

Hilary took the lead with Kevin and I making sure nobody was left behind. Richard and Bernadette, who are part of the Barts NHS volunteers coordination team, met us and let us know the task for the evening.

We split into two teams and headed to the two of the hospital's tranquility gardens which needed weeding, dead plants removing, shrubs cutting back and sweeping up. Time does go so quick when you're busy and in no time we had several bags of dead plants and leaves cleared.

Some final photos and off we went and of course now it's September, the sun had disappeared and we headed back down a darker greenway, head torch season is here. Some top quality streches to finish the session before heading inside for quick oj and lemonade to finish of the evening.

Just awaiting confirmation of next weeks task,see website for details later in the week.

The start of a new era at GoodGym Newham with our first group run as a community led group.

Paige joined us for her first group run which was excellently led from the Print House by Hilary following completion of her fitness leader training.

We have retained the random weekly question and this week was 'favourite weekend activities' - answers included trips to the seaside, city breaks, cinema, brunch, being out in nature and Im sure some you can guess who gave these replies: paintball and parkrun.

A gentle evening run to Emmauel Church where we meet Sybil and some of the parish leadership team.

Planting was the job of the evening, some of the plants had seen better days but looked better after a good water and we are sure Sybil will look after them.

As usual refreshments had been provided by the Sybil some fruit and ice lollies.....a welcome cool down before we headed off into the setting sun.

Next week we are heading to Newham Hospital to help tidy their Globe garden

Swansong session yesterday, with a tremendous turnout of some of my favourite people, a lovely conclusion to a job that gave me so much.

It transpired that I've run out of Random Weekly Questions, trying to refrain from a deeper enquiry about change or anything of the tear-jerking variety, hence I was blank; so we rolled a positive and somewhat sentimental question: "Favourite GoodGym organisation ?" Turns out there were loads, no clear winner, an indication of how broad our church is and how many remarkable local projects there are.

I then proceeded to say a few words, delving into what GoodGym has given me. For those who know me know that discussing and interrogating my emotions isn't what I consider a night out, I'm a huge advocate for the dated practice of bottling things up, but the occasion was worthy.

To reiterate what I may have mumbled, I'm mostly grateful for the lifelong friendships, enforced by the experiences of volunteering, running, British weather, travelling, racing and drinking. With a special nod to a lovely couple, whose relationship was forged by a series of Wednesday evening connections. Proud, for the impact we have had on the locality, the number of messages I get saying "how amazing your volunteers are". Equally, proud for the transformational change many of you have undergone through running. Loss, because I will miss you all. But I always end with this positive feeling; I think because it's now left in a very capable set of hands; arise Task Force.

Amongst this milestone, we did actually do some good yesterday, in the form of my least favourite task, flyering. The morale was high, so it was hit easily absorbed. With the return of some long-serving sisters, Mel and Ruth (and later Charlotte), it felt like 2019 again, what a treat to see you, appreciate the effort to come. With big numbers comes big effect, and we managed to get our flyering done in no time, leaving many moments to loiter and talk curb-side.

With the realisation I can't summarise nor do justice to my thoughts on my tenure, I'll wrap this up now. But not after a huge thanks to my lovely photo-book compilation.

It's not bye, but see you later.

Till next time,

B