Most people think that Bath is fairly affluent- not all of it is. It’s said that a third of children in Twerton live below the poverty line. It’s organisations like Twerton and Whiteway Community Network that work to combat this. It brings people together to strengthen the community by putting on events like a flower show, fun days and free community breakfasts. It also looks after shared spaces in the area like Twerton Village Hall as well as encouraging interest in the natural environment.

When Sally asked GoodGym Bath to come and tidy up the area outside the village hall we were delighted- especially when we found out we could tuck into a free breakfast too. The space was badly overgrown and the group wanted it cleared so that they could make it a welcoming place and use it for seating and perhaps even growing food or flowers.

They weren’t expecting us to finish the job in one go but, perhaps motivated by the prospect of bacon and eggs, we did just that.

Tanya, Emily, and Robin all did their bit while Daniel gets a particular shout out - he was a powerhouse. Oh and Ted the dog was there for moral support. A shout out too for the volunteers who put on the breakfast - they were incredibly welcoming and it was delicious.

if there's any truth at all in this well known saying then 5 Bath Goodgymmers will be feeling very good indeed after helping out at Grow for Life's annual Apple Day. Apples were washed, chopped, mashed and juiced ready for pasteurising, compost was turned, music was enjoyed and crafts admired. At the end of the event we helped to clean up and pack everything away, a great couple of hours with lovely people.

Due to high inflation and expensive oven-cooking bills, roughly half of UK adults report cooking fewer roasts or skipping the tradition. Not St Philip’s Church in Odd Down, Bath, which lays on a roast dinner once a month for people who would otherwise be on their own. One-2-One brings people together with the aim of tackling loneliness in the community.

It also aims to serve those in the community who can’t make it to the church by providing them with a takeaway version. It makes its more vulnerable members feel that they are still part of the group. That’s where GoodGym Bath comes in - we deliver the meals to people’s homes across Odd Down, hoping that they’ll still be hot!

It was a real case of #dogoodgetfit - a three and a half mile trek across Odd Down distributing portions of roast pork and pear and apple crumble to four very grateful customers. I believe it’s turkey next month.

I’ve been helping out with GoodGym at Odd Down Junior Parkrun for more than five years now and you’d have thought I’d have got the hang of it by now. But it seems there is still more to learn. In a good way!

It’s great to encourage the young runners as they make their way round the cycle track with a high five. We celebrate their achievement so far and encourage them on their challenge but, until Sunday, I had no idea that there is so much more to a foam hand. By that I mean the magic of the “power-up”. Just like in a computer game, a touch of the marshal’s hand can give a welcome energy boost and see the athletes onto personal bests. How good is that?

Thanks to Tanya for joining me in the magic of marshalling. Together with the other Parkrun volunteers we saw 127 children meet their 2km target - with the odd power-up helping them on their way.

Goodgymmers were welcomed by blue sky and a spitfire flypast at Brickfields parkrun so it was already a great day before we'd even got going! Having been assigned our marshaling points the run director gave us brief instructions, all while an inflatable birthday cake was getting ready in the background - a bit surreal for a Saturday morning. Out on the course we cheered a record number of participants along their way, including the aforementioned cake which arrived at the finish line to much applause. A happy couple of hours well spent in great company helping a wonderful health initiative. Volunteering at parkrun is very easy and everyone is welcoming and supportive, so why not give it a try next time, it's a piece of cake!

Many hands made light work at Grow for Life's Walled Garden when 6 Bath Goodgymmers arrived to help tackle various jobs in this wonderful walled garden used for therapeutic horticulture sessions. The hedge line was cleared of weeds ready for trimming, compost was turned, a mountain of woodchip was tamed and there were many trips to the dead hedge across the lane in the orchard with all of the debris created! Thanks to all and congratulations to Daniel on your first official Goodgym task too!