Trainer from the charity GoodGym is running to help those in need.
In 2019 I met with Shona Buchanan, trainer at GoodGym for Bristol, a charity which “encourages people not to waste energy in the gym but to get fit while running and, at the same time, do a good deed.”
Shona Buchanan, Changemaker in Bristol
By Ivan Andonov
Most people go to the gym and lift heavy weights to get fit but Shona Buchanan, trainer of the running group, is running to make a difference in Bristol. She shares the concept of GoodGym, where a group of runners combine regular exercise with helping local communities.
The Scottish born lady has been into running all her life. Her first job was as a play worker in a charity for children with disabilities. After her graduating, she’s been mainly focused on doing voluntary work.
“I enjoyed studying politics at the Edinburgh University. I think that politics and voluntary work have a lot in common. They are both guided by helping the citizens.” — Shona noted
Shona came to Bristol just 18 months ago. But it wasn’t until one year ago, when the position of trainer at GoodGym was opened. At that time, she was looking for new clubs or societies which she can join to be more social and help people. For the past 12 months Mrs Buchanan has been the trainer of GoodGym in Bristol. Since then she is constantly involved with organising the group runs for local communities and making the life, of the people in need, better.
“There are so many people that we helped, I lost the count. For example, yesterday we were helping a new charity in Fishponds. They are making activities for disabled people, but their allotment was overgrown in brambles. Now their garden has different areas where they put flowers and vegetables. Our job was simply to make it easier for them, do the tasks they struggle with.” — Shona reported
The energetic trainer is also a community manager at neighbourly, “the all-in-one giving platform connecting charities, businesses and communities.”
“In the UK, it’s hard for many small charities to deliver and sustain. When the funding from the government is not enough this is where private businesses step in. That way neighbourly is supporting GoodGym and GoodGym is able to help others and continue the noble work” — Mrs Buchanan declared
Other partners and supporters which saw the potential in GoodGym are: Nesta Health Lab, Big Lottery Fund, New Balance, BT, bugsnag, Code Climate, Kayako, Noun project, Scout, Travis CI, Paperchase. (GoodGym, About us)
“Over 1 million older people in the UK feel lonely.” … “Loneliness can be seriously damaging and recent studies have shown it has double the impact of obesity and that feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s chances of premature death by 14%.” (AgeUK, 2014)
This is why “One of the missions of GoodGym is to support old people and make them feel less isolated. Visiting an older person as part of your weekly run can make a huge difference to their life.” — The trainer explained
In fact, this “Coach runs”, as they call them, are beneficial for everyone. The older people are called coaches because of the amount of wisdom, knowledge and experience they could share with their runner buddy.
“The older people motivate us to run because we know that once a week someone is waiting for us, to be their friend.” — Shona remarked
Also there are missions — the newest type of runs. “Similar to the coach runs but in groups of 2/3 people, we help elderly people with one-off tasks. Either manual work, either gardening, digging or changing lightbulbs — everything they can’t do on their own.” — She commented
The third type of runs are group runs. “We gather together at quins square, run to the charity/community that needs help, do the task and come back all in 90 minutes.” — The lady said
Everything started in London, when Ivo Gormley, the founder of GoodGym, stopped seeing a purpose in going to the gym. He also had heard the unfortunate story of a housebound elderly ex-builder living a mile away from him. Ivo asked the gentleman if he could visit him. The response was that it would be very helpful if Gormley could bring the daily newspaper. “It immediately felt fun and exciting but also meaningful.” The duo became friends, trading stories and gaining knowledge from one another. The runner was motivated to get out and exercise on chilly nights, every Tuesday and Friday, and the ex-builder wasn’t alone. Actually, this was the first time the idea behind GoodGym was established in 2009. (Hannah Westwater, 2019)
Nowadays, 10 years after the organisation was first founded, GoodGym has around 10,000 members and missions in 50 locations across the UK.
“Bristol is community-based city. There are so many people engaged. Truth, to be told, it’s the most active location from all 50 of them. GoodGym promotes from word of mouth mostly. However, in the new technological era, there is also Facebook advertising, mainly made from the headquarters in London.” — Mrs Buchanan explained
“The future of GoodGym is to continue to grow. To get more people to be involved, be healthy and a lot more good deeds done.” — Shona concluded
References:
AgeUK (2014) Over 1 million older people in the UK feel lonely. Available from: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/archive/1-million-older-people-feel-lonely/ [Accessed 25 March 2019]
GoodGym, About Us. Available from: https://www.goodgym.org/about [Accessed 25 March 2019]
Hannah Westwater (2019) Changemakers: Ivo Gormley’s GoodGym is lending muscle where its needed. Available from: https://www.bigissue.com/latest/changemakers-ivo-gormleys-goodgym-is-lending-muscle-where-its-needed/ [Accessed on 25 March 2019]
Neighbourly, About Us. Available from: https://www.neighbourly.com/aboutus [Accessed 25 March 2019].
