26 GoodGymers ran 6.3km and helped Scope Charity Shop in Camden on our 5th birthday!

Welcome along to newbies Harriet and Rob. Lovely to have you along!

It was GG Camden's 5th birthday last night, pretty amazing how much good and running we've done over the last 5 years. Here is to the next 5!

In the news this week:

1. We are having a big old party for GG Camden's Birthday next Thursday at the Skip Garden - please sign up by Sunday if you'd like to come :)
2. It's GG Monthly Drinks this Thursday - we've got a pub booked in this pub - link.
3. The GG Olympics has been announced for Saturday 30th June at Parliament Hill Track - represent Camden and keep the trophy ours!

After an active warm up we headed 1km north via Royal College Street to help Scope Camden Charity Shop - a NEW TASK! This amazing charity describes itself as a charity that exists to make this country a place where disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else. Until then, we’ll be here.

This was probably one of the most organised tasks we've ever had with complete instructions and numbers for everyone.

25 people + 30 minutes of good = 12.5 hours of work!

We covered the three floors of the shop covering the following jobs (and there was a lot to do):

• Chris hoovered all three floors!
• A team led by Rosie sorted donations into piles and bags
• Thomas cleaned wooden displays
• Beth sorted shoes and bags
• Freya and Linda cleaned the kitchen surfaces and cups
• Harriet mopped and cleaned the bathroom
• Sophie and Frances wiped and cleaned windows on various floors
• Chris smoothly sorted three racks of ladies' clothes
• Morag measured and sorted men's jeans/trousers
• Sarah and Sarah cleaned and wiped down the stairways
• Liz, Hayley and a full team sorted, labelled and gunned newly donated clothes

Everyone did amazingly and smashed through the tasks at hand. So much work done in such a short period of time!

We headed to Regents Park for a 1km time trial and a longer route home.

See you next week for gardening fun and our birthday celebrations!

PB out

A massive 54 people ran 8km and shifted 16 tonnes of crushed concrete for Grounded Ecotherapy at Southbank!

Wow that was amazing! What a night! Welcome to newbies Ludovica, Becca and Jane - what a night to come for your first time!

In the news this week:

1. Well done to everyone who ran, raced and cheered the Big Half on Sunday - GoodGym even made the official video!
2. It's the GG Monthly Drinks at the Greenwich Tavern TODAY, come along for puns, fun and Pritesh shouting haha!

It was a cracking evening to be a GoodGymer as 54 of us descended upon the Thames for our annual trip to help Grounded Ecotherapy at the Southbank Centre and escape Camden, through Westminster and into Lambeth - hehe. The lights of the river and central was beautiful - a rare sight seeing so many red shirts bouncing over Waterloo Bridge.

16 tonnes!

Grounded Ecotherapy is an amazing organisation, and they are one of London's most unique horticultural therapy projects - they help their members who have suffered mental health, substance misuse issues or experience of homelessness, to get back on their feet.

Our task for the evening was to shift 16 tonnes of crushed concrete into the Queen Elizabeth Hall to help create a a newly commissioned Atrium in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Getting into pairs, we shovelled 6 spades worth of concrete into each bag and followed a route set by the wonderful Paul (bigger beard) before emptying the contents into a pile that will be spread to create the piece opening at the end of March.

50 minutes x 54 GGers = day's worth of work!

It took 50 minutes and 54 GG Camden runners but we got the job done. It was hard, it was physical but man you guys did well. It was pretty non-stop with lots of pulling, lifting and emptying.

Upon hearing all the amazing work Grounded are doing at Southbank we headed home for a well earnt stretch and pint.

Well done everyone - what a night!

Next week we have 3 tasks helping 4 charities in CAMDEN - sign up here.

PB out.