Our final group run of 2025!

We met the lovely Callum from Active Essex, joining us to learn a bit more about GoodGym so it can be promoted to more people around Chelmsford.

It was a very important evening for us: not only the last group run of 2025, but we were also going for drinks and takeaway afterwards. I made it clear that there was no time to waste with chatting - specifically aiming this instruction at Rich, Andy, and Russell.

Fay, Jess and Joel set off walking with the leaflets (beautifully folded as ever), whilst the rest of us took a slightly longer way out to run to meet at our starting point on Broomfield Road. We didn't get off to a good start at all - the first lot of houses had no letterboxes. We sped off up Swiss Avenue, and meandered our way round the surrounding streets until we got all the leaflets delivered. Apologies to Russell - he didn't time waste and probably delivered the most leaflets.

I was SO focused on getting the task done, I only took one photo. It's a good one though, especially of Jane. Hopefully Callum's photos were good and I can add them on afterwards!

Thank you all for a great 2025, and see you in 2026, if not at Christmas Day parkrun.

Merry Christmas!

Laurie

Hello Chelmsford!

Both our battlecry and the theme of the night's mission. On a freezing Wednesday night we met for a walking tour led by Alan, a bit of a local legend.

Really interesting tour with some highlights below!

• County prison in 1660 was where Toni and Guy now is, presumably where Andy used to go for his crimes against fashion
• Chelmsford is named after Coelmaer's ford, from the Saxon times and that spot is the roundabout outside Tesco!
• From 1-5 July 1381 chelmsford was the capital of England! (Well technically Writtle but Leanne and Jess said that counts as Chelmsford)
• Charles Dickins stayed at the MetroBank, not a Metro at the time but a pub, check out the blue plaque, and clearly lived up to the first four letters of his surname saying after not being able to find a newspaper on a Sunday, "If any one were to ask me what in my opinion was the dullest and most stupid spot on the face of the Earth, I should decidedly say Chelmsford".
• Alan's first blue plaque in Chelmsford was Dr Ben Pugh, just above the Cornish Bakery and there for a legend who helped make Chelmsford one of the first towns to get rid of smallpox and developed a pipe to clear baby's airways after birth which is still recognised today. All some forceps which sounded unpleasant...
• In 1808 there was the great fire of Chelmsford leaving about 11 dead. Glad we don't have private fire brigades now
• Ben studied the difference between a public and a private blue plaque (Marconi on Saracen's Head). Or the drink deals, not sure which took his eye.
• Judge Tindall was the first to use grounds of insanity to not convict someone. I've attempted to use this to my wife when I miss the last train but to no avail
• Only three buildings in England have the same recipe of white stone as the part of the cathedral which retained it after the collapse when they dug a grave too close to a pillar and it all collapsed (sounds like a task GoodGym could have done better!) . The other two aren't as famous as the second smallest cathedral in England - King George Chapel in Windsor and Buckingham Palace

There was also loads more information on the tour - and Alan runs loads of these with the Chelmsford Civic Society. Check them out: https://www.chelmsfordcivicsociety.co.uk/index.html

I will be looking out for the tours of the Shire Hall once permission is received!

Armed with the local knowledge the plan is to use it for our walk and talk sessions to help develop language skills.

Happy running and wrap up warm!

We did our annual foodbank reverse advent calendar collection and got a lovely boot full to donate. Well done everyone who took part, it's for a great cause.

Winter has come!brrrrrrrrr.🥶

After deciding that it was far too cold to run we decided that tonights task of leafleting would be a fully walking group session.

We met in the Old factory car park where Fay met a few people dropping off some donations for the xmas food drop.

Tonights task was to deliver leaflets for a plethora of local charities leaflets that some are in the broomfield area, so we decided to canvas the Avenues, starting at first and seeing how far we got.

With Ben and Jess on one side if the avenue and Fay and Andy on the other we flew along chatting away about many a topic but also next weeks social at the all you can eat, SAN restaurant. Which we decided that those who turned up this evening shouldn't have to pay for.... did i mention it was very cold? 😉

We managed to get as far as fifth avenue before we ran out of leaflets before quickly returning to base to warm up.

Thanks for coming guys, and next week will be a walk and talk with the ideas hub. Hope to see you there.

until then, RUN HAPPY

Rich

10 GoodGymers made quick work of preparing a bumper crop of leaflets ready for our leaflet drop next week. The leaflets were sorted and folded in no time, which meant we could have a chinwag as we finished our drinks before the run back to HQ!

We will be leafletting along the avenues next week, you can sign up here:

After a late message to see if anyone else wanted to join us, it was great to end up having ten of us at the task!

We welcomed Bronya and Lucy for the first time, and Leah and Jess for their first GoodGym session for a while.

Ben led us out down the High St for a slightly longer route to Sanctus, and we arrived to our task surprisingly sweaty for a November evening.

Our lovely task owner Sarah showed us the hallway and toilet that could do with a fresh coat of paint, ready for Sanctus' Christmas meal in a few weeks. As we had such a large group, some of the team painted and some gave the chairs and tables a good scrub.

Richard E showed off his professionalism by giving the high corners a quick dust with a paintbrush, whilst the others went straight for pouring paint out. After speaking to Sarah about how many people Sanctus support everyday and seeing the cleaning team working hard, I returned to the painting area to find that Ben had somehow shut Jane, Jess, and Richard P in the toilet, but this clearly helped as they managed to get the whole room finished.

Whilst the last areas of painting and cleaning up were finished, Sarah showed a few of us round and told us more about everything Sanctus does for those who need its help. A great charity and task, and we look forward to returning!

Refreshing to have some different energy in the group this evening, everyone actually wanted to do the same way back to ARU to get a bit more distance in!

Next week, we have leaflet preparations at The Oddfellows.

Also, let's not all be TOO jealous of Sallyann going to San next week.

See you all soon,

Laurie