The Route: A Berry Good Adventure! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

This week our fantastic crew of do-gooders embarked on another mission to spread joy and burn calories in equal measure! We ran to Holy Trinity to meet the lovely Adam, taking the scenic route through the park where we couldn’t resist a spontaneous 50-yard dash. Because apparently regular running isn’t challenging enough - we needed to add some competitive spirit to really get those heart rates pumping!

Well done Fi!! Perdie sorry about the misbehaving bicycle...:0(

Mission: Operation Bramble Trouble

Once we arrived at the vicarage, it was time to get down to the nitty-gritty (and thorny) business of garden warfare:

Blackberry Bramble Battle Royale - Armed with secateurs and sheer determination, we took on some seriously aggressive brambles that had clearly been plotting garden domination. These weren’t just any old thorns - they were the kind that fight back! Several volunteers emerged looking like they’d been wrestling with a particularly grumpy hedgehog, but victory (and a kilo of berries) was ours!

Path Clearing Champions - We declared all-out war on weeds and moss, transforming a slightly shabby path into something so pristine it practically sparkled. The weeds didn’t stand a chance against our green-fingered army of destruction!

Weeding Warriors - No dandelion was safe as our volunteers pulled, tugged, and uprooted with the enthusiasm of people who genuinely enjoy making things tidy (which, let’s face it, is slightly concerning but utterly admirable).

🌟 LEGEND ALERT: Michael Hits the Big 3-0-0! 🌟

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we have a genuine superhero in our midst! Tonight we’re celebrating our absolute legend Michael, who has just recorded his 300th good deed with GoodGym!

That’s right - THREE HUNDRED acts of community kindness since he started back in 2017. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly one good deed for every cup of tea consumed during a typical British crisis meeting, or about the same number of times we’ve all said “this year will definitely be different” since 2017.

Michael, you absolute weapon of community spirit, you’ve been smashing it for seven years and show no signs of slowing down. From bramble battles to litter picking adventures, from community garden chaos to whatever weird and wonderful tasks we’ll inevitably stumble into next week - you’ve been there through it all!

Here’s to Michael: proving that being a legend isn’t just about what you achieve, but about showing up week after week with a smile, a pair of running shoes, and an inexplicable willingness to wrestle with hostile vegetation! 🏆

The Verdict

Another week, another successful mission accomplished! The vicarage is looking absolutely mint (pun intended), our step counters are very happy with us, and somewhere in Lambeth, a group of defeated brambles is probably plotting their revenge for next season.

Until next week, keep running, keep laughing, and keep being the kind of people who think spending their evening pulling weeds is actually a pretty decent way to spend time!

Remember: We’re not just working out - we’re working wonders in our community, one terrible pun at a time!

The Run-Down

Our fantastic team of volunteers laced up their trainers and ran to Brixton Windmill Gardens to help Jean prepare for their upcoming Green Flag assessment. We were absolutely raking in the good vibes with 4 brilliant new faces joining us – talk about turning over a new leaf!

What We Accomplished

The team got stuck in with some serious garden maintenance, focusing on making the gardens look their absolute best for this week’s important review:

• Leaf clearing: We raked up all the autumn leaves scattered across the grass areas
• Path maintenance: Cleared and tidied the pathways throughout the gardens
• General sprucing: Made sure every corner was looking pristine and presentable

The Impact

Thanks to our volunteers’ hard work, Brixton Windmill Gardens is now looking mint for their Green Flag assessment. Jean was over the moon with our efforts – you could say we really helped them branch out and show off what makes their space so special.

The gardens are now in tip-top shape for their review, and we’re rooting for them to achieve that coveted Green Flag status!

Volunteers: 11 amazing people (including 4 fantastic newcomers!)
Total good done: One garden ready to flourish under assessment scrutiny

Special thanks to Fi for leading the run while AA is away!

Last night's group run was truly the root of all good things! Our dedicated runners (Manos, Michael and AA) set off from Papa's Park and made tracks to Windmill allotments, where we dug deep to support Annick and our local growing community.

Mission Accomplished! Our fantastic volunteers really grew into their roles, tackling essential maintenance tasks that will help the allotment flourish. The team split the work beautifully, ensuring no stone was left unturned:

Weed Clearance: Our runners showed they weren't afraid to get down and dirty, pulling up unwanted plants with determination. They really weeded out the competition when it came to thoroughness!

Skip Filling: The wheelbarrow brigade worked tirelessly, wheeling and dealing their way through piles of garden waste. Talk about moving mountains one barrow at a time!

Manure Transport: Our soil-diers demonstrated that when it comes to community service, they're not afraid of the dirty work. They really knew how to spread the love around the allotment!

Every single runner deserves recognition for their outstanding performance. From start to finish, the group showed they have the right stuff when it comes to putting down roots in the community. Their efforts will help ensure the allotment continues to be a place where great things can grow.

A massive thank you to all our incredible volunteers who proved that when we work together, we can really make something beautiful bloom. Your hard work and positive attitudes made the evening truly ground-breaking. You've shown that GoodGym Lambeth runners are always ready to turn over a new leaf for their community!

Until our next mission, keep growing strong!

GG Lambeth were back at it yesterday evening in the first group session post Shindig so lots of energy and enthusiasm for our task.

We had Manos, Michael, Tilly, Ben and AA Yianny gather at Papa's Park in the setting sunshine (the last of it for the week it looks like) ready to set off on the uphill run to BWG.

Once Perdie and Fi arrived we were met by our fantastic hosts Jean and Annick as usual joined also by Louie and the tasks were meted out - connecting the water hose to reach the far end of the playground planters and weeding all the invasive greenery that had accumulated along the side of the building.

Hoes were passed around, litter pickers picked and black bags grabbed and so we were off and at it. Importantly the hose (not hoes) didn't quite reach far enough despite a bag full of connectors and the need for an engineering degree to figure them out and so we had a watering can relay from the trampoline to the planters.

The task itself proved more challenging than it appeared but the group made a big impact in our time there however the most interesting element was Ben having an 80s classic one hit wonder stuck in his head, which he then shared and got stuck in everyone else's as well! (Did you know you can hum a tune into a well know search app and it will tell you the song?! Well you can and we did - Tarzan Boy by Baltimora!)

And so we wrapped it there plenty of good done and plenty of getting fit to boot. Big thanks to all and look forward to seeing you next week!