“This turnout is massive!”

I’d had some warning last week that our group run this week would be big, and big it was, closing in on pre-Covid numbers for the first time in a while. We welcomed a massive 12 new GoodGymers from Newcastle University along to give us a go for hopefully the first time of many!

With less than perfect weather Stepney Bank Stables was a perfect setting for a big session and a great chance to show off our base to those who will be hopefully back to another session in the future. A quick recap on the weekend’s fun and sharing the plans for the sessions ahead done, it was into teams and off to work.

It’s always a varied evening with Stepney Bank Stables and tonight there was a heavy cobweb theme... we were:

Brushing and de-cobwebbing the arena

Brushing, dusting and de-cobwebbing the stable walls and doors

Carrying many many rugs from downstairs to upstairs (see photo evidence- aching arms expected tomorrow!)

Litter picking the area between the top yard, stables and car park.

Cuddling horses.

It was such a top workout for everyone tonight with everyone getting stuck in and truly making a difference you could see right before your eyes, with Task Owner Sara telling us at the end how much this session had helped to get on top of things.

Not sufficiently worn out, everyone opted IN to the fitness session which was a big team game of dishes and domes with a hill sprint forfeit. Everyone took this in very good sprits including Damu who we accidentally left standing at the top of the hill. In a tshirt. In February.
Sorrrryyyyyyyyyy!!

Loads of other good stuff this week ahead:

Leaflet dropping for FoodCycle Benwell on Wednesday Help out at South Shields parkrun on Saturday or with Urban Green Newcastle at Elswick Park Then on Sunday we are selling daffodils for Marie Curie in Byker As well as another Urban Green mission at Hodgkin Park .. phew !!! It is possible to do all four of the weekend community missions with a bit of careful planning but as ever even a little bit of your time can make a massive difference.

Thanks all for a brilliant start to the week. See you next week for a Plog on the Tyne followed by drinks at The Ship Inn!

I was delighted earlier today to see the weather forecast showing that the wind would drop in time for our task tonight - it wouldn't have been great if the leaflets had blown away! I was less delighted when it started to rain! I came prepared with plastic bags to avoid soggy leaflets but fortunately we were blessed with a dry, if slightly chilly and breezy evening for our task helping out the lovely people at the Guide Dogs charity.

When I arrived, two members of the group were taking advantage of our meeting point outside Greggs and were savouring that great Geordie export, the Greggs pasty - perfect sustenance for a cold dark Newcastle night!

Tummies filled, we set to work. Although I was the task force rep tonight and so perhaps could be considered the group's guide, it was very helpful to have the street layout knowledge of former local resident Elliot to guide the guide for guide dogs! With Elliot's expertise, we delivered the whole batch of leaflets, covering the streets suggested by the task owner, in under an hour - almost as satisfying as a Greggs pasty and a great end to GoodGym Newcastle's bumper January!

What a brilliant turnout on a very wet wet wet night on the eleventy ninth day of January. A big welcome to newcomers Florence and Nok on a very impressive first session in the elements!

We warmed up with a game of copy cats while we let the walking group led by Lucy and Elliott head off ahead of us. Off we went for my first run-lead in a very long long time... three years and eleven months to be exact! Our session this evening was at the fabulous Recyke Y Bike where we are proud to have helped for over five and a half years now. This fabulous local charity does so much to support movement in local communities with workshops, donations of bikes to kids and much more. Every session here is something different and fab new volunteer coordinator Jen had a list of jobs for us including - drumroll please - the use of the power washer. A very good micro bribe for being out in the rain. Damu and Aimee jumped at the chance to do this despite the rain.

The rest of the group were on polystyrene ball duty, with the workshop full of them we were tasked with sweeping and hoovering them out from every possible corner of the enormous workshop. Aimee also managed to unclog a blocked drain despite this mot being on the to do list.

While most of the group felt they’d had a very good upper body workout we finished off with a game of pairs before heading back (still raining!) to base to call it a night.

It’s been a an enormous January for us and there’s one more chance to log a good deed this January with a leaflet drop for Guide Dogs this Wednesday in Longbenton so come along to that if you can.

“You are the hardcore ones!”

Task owner Sara was mega impressed by our turnout on a deep freeze of a night in Newcastle, most impressive I felt was seeing new GoodGymers Zoe and Roisin for the very first time. I must also give a special mention to Seb for his first good deed in 15 months! The door is always open no matter how long between tasks.

Being mega-organised as ever, Sara had a list of jobs prepared for us tonight and gave a quick run down of what needed doing. Optional in addition to the list was stroking the horses, of course.

Zoe and Seb got straight on with sweeping the outdoor ramp while I took the baton in the January litter pick relay with a quick litter pick around the car park- these were the coldest jobs and we completed them as quickly as possible. Adam, Elliott, Aimee and Roisin were in the arena sweeping away massive cobwebs, cleaning the boards around the side and edging the arena floor. These are all physical tasks that needed a bit of welly and will definitely result in a few aching arms and shoulders tomorrow. As a side note I definitely think Adam has a career as a chimney sweep waiting as he was able to get even the highest cobwebs and didn’t stop until they were all done. We then had a brief visit to the horses and I showed everyone how ridiculously scared I am of them for no reason at all.

Continuing the “let’s stay warm” theme we opted for an indoor fitness session tonight to finish off and I led everyone through a stretch session to iron out arms, hamstrings and backs after a very physical task. A very good start to the week.

We’ve got a midweek task helping FoodCycle to deep clean their Westgate kitchen, and three community missions over the weekend! Get involved if you can.