How it Works

The Good Gym provides meaningful ways to exercise.  It connects people who want to get fit with physical tasks that need to be done, and which benefit the community.  We can do anything from shifting rubble, and planting gardens to making deliveries and friendly visits to older people.

Group runs:
We run regular group runs during which we stop and help local community organisations. Over the past year we’ve cleared land for a community garden, moved rubble, tided up community centres, shifted soil on allotments, helped a school to make a new vegetable patch, moved books around the library and decorated community centres for Christmas.

Working with less mobile isolated people:

The Good Gym pairs runners with isolated less-mobile people in their area.  Runners jog to their house, deliver something nice, have a brief chat and are on their way again.It helps people get fit by providing a good reason to go for a run and it helps the person being visited by providing them with some friendly human contact and a newspaper or piece of fruit.

Timing is up to the runner and the person they’re visiting. Usually after work and weekends work best.  Runners commit to at least one run per week.

The Good Gym finds someone in the runner’s area, gives them some advice and running tips and a list of phone numbers to call in case you need help.  You’ll then be introduced and get going. We’ll check in with both parties from time to time to make sure its all going smoothly.

The Good Gym is running in East London, in partnership with the Olympic Park Legacy Company, before launching a version that can be used more broadly.

Safety:

The Good Gym has a rigorous safety policy that will ensure that everyone using the Good Gym is safe.  Runners will have to be checked by the community and require a CRB check.

Who is it for?

The Good Gym is for anyone who exercises,  would like to exercise or would like to help.  If you’re not keen on running but want to cycle or walk that’s good too, but we’d like you to get some health benefits from it – so no driving.

Can the Good Gym help me?

If you think the Good Gym could help you, or someone you know, get in touch and we’ll see what we can do.

If you’re thinking about joining the Good Gym and would like to know more, you might find our Frequently Asked Questions for Runners helpful.

The process:

We try to make the process of signing up as easy as possible. In case you want to know how it works,  it goes like this:

1. Signup on the get involved page.

2. We’ll invite you for a run in the near future.

3. Come for a run.

4. Fill out the sign up form including information for a Criminal Record Check (we need to do this for legal resaons).

5. Decide if you want to donate:  if you’d like to donate you can either give us a lump sum to cover your CRB check and running top, or donate a fiver a month, or decide not to donate at all.

6. Get a nice package in the post.

7. Check your details with us: we need to check some of your documents and get your signature to give us permission to submit your criminal record check.  We’ll meet wherever is good for you.

8. Start running.