Good Deeds Guaranteed
Celebrating Sam Lefevre - 1500 good deeds
December 05, 2025
Those that know Sam, will know that he loves his GoodGym stats. On any day, he knows exactly how many good deeds he’s done, and how many good deeds he’d like to get to. He’s known for a while that he’d hit his 1500th good deed this side of Christmas. And indeed he smashed it last Sunday at Under Sky One on Tuesday.
Despite what he’d like you to believe, he is more than just a number. Sam’s impact on GoodGym Southwark has been immeasurable and it’s hard to know where to start…
Sam knows that Goodgym is all about showing up. Once when the Friends of Burgess park cancelled a litter pick due to bad weather, I was secretly pleased to have a night off. So, it was very surprising to get a phone call from Sam saying that he was already there, that we should do the litter pick anyway, and what time would I get there! On that note, bad weather never puts Sam off - Folarin and I vividly remember that time when we were moving soil for Aylesbury TRA and it was raining so much that we weren’t sure if we were running or swimming anymore.
Sam brings out the best in others. Not only does he know his own good deed count, he probably knows yours too. He sets targets and holds us accountable. Daryl and Lindy’s competition for top good deeds last year became so fierce that they had to call a truce and go to the pub instead. On runs, Sam would lead us to Thorlands via Champion hill, even though it’s not strictly on the way. Sam’s route back from Old Alleynian Rugby club stops at Dawsons Heights “for the view” but really it’s because hills are good for us. We are fitter and do more good because of Sam.
Sam’s group runs had a routine and rhythm to them. It’s not just his routes that became familiar. Even though he’s no longer a run leader, we’re still using his group run template, the one that starts with “It's Wednesday night and we're doing it right...it's also our group run night!”. And Sam always had a new unique ice-breaker question to the point of infamy. For Earth day on 22nd April, he asked us “If you had to go with one policy: clean the ocean of plastics, stop deforestation or embrace cleaner and sustainable energy, which one would you go for?”.
Despite his unconventional ice breaker questions, Sam really cares. He doesn’t just make small talk during a run for the sake of it, he remembers to ask about that birthday party that you were going to go to last week, or how your mum’s visit went. He brings ginger cake. Every Christmas party he dons his sparkly jacket and puts on a quiz. Everyone loved the blindfolded biscuit tasting for his “senses” round. When Kennington Park Road TRA invited him to their annual summer barbecue, of course he went.
GoodGym Southwark wouldn’t be where it is now without him. Sam shows that hard work and dedication pays off. Out of Sam, grew a committed taskforce, a solid set of task owners with recurring tasks, regular runners. A community.
Written by Paulin Shek
Join Sam at a session in Southwark