GOOD, BETTER, BEST.
GoodGym was set up in 2011 to connect running and doing good in local communities. We talk to founder Ivo Gormley about the gym-with-a-difference and its impact, and meet three GoodGymers to find out why they love it
Words: Rachel Ifans
When Ivo Gormley wanted to get fit, back in 2009, he didn’t fancy joining a traditional gym. He says: “I didn’t want to go into a sweaty basement, run nowhere on a treadmill and lift things that didn’t need lifting. I wanted to do something more useful so I started running to deliver the newspaper to Terry, an elderly neighbour. He lived around a kilometre and a half away so it wasn’t far but it eased me into running.”
The relationship turned out to be as beneficial for Ivo as it was for Terry. For Ivo, it was motivation to exercise and a purpose for his run, and for Terry, it meant he saw someone on a day where otherwise he wouldn’t have.
Ivo says: “Loneliness and isolation continue to be a huge issue for people of all ages, but particularly for older people and those who are less mobile. There can be very few options for social interaction and it’s incredibly important for physical and mental health. My run was providing connection and purpose and that’s something we all need,” he says.
Building a community Once Ivo realised the beauty of the situation, and how it was mutually beneficial, he persuaded a few friends to do similar, and then, in 2011, he started up some local group sessions.
He explains: “Instead of going to visit someone in their home, we’d do something for the good of the local community in Bethnal Green where I lived. We’d run and shift woodchip for local paths or we’d go and help sort the food at foodbanks. Any sort of unskilled work that benefited the community… we’d do it.”