This week took us back to OXRAD for a very welcome winter indoor task. Our mission was to continue the centre’s painting refresh, this time focusing on the studio.

A few of the group kicked things off with a one‑mile jog from the Up in Arms before we all met up and got painting. After an encounter with some mouldy paint and a handful of brushes that seemed permanently welded together, we got stuck in.

By the end of the evening, the studio was looking brighter with its first coat of white paint complete, ready for us to build on in a couple of weeks. We were kept entertained by the upbeat circuits playlist from the neighbouring class, along with visits from a GoodGym favourite—Nelson the dog. Ellie inevitably ended up covered in paint again and attempted to rescue her jumper in the sink to limit the damage.

As always, the painting came with plenty of chatting about running plans, adventures, and, of course, cats.

This evening we returned to Oxsrad! This time no painting was done - the reception area is looking SPLENDID, if we do say so ourselves.....

Today we were based outside clearing and widening some of their pathways which were becoming rather weedy and therefore not particularly safe for wheelchair users.

After an hour and a bit and some inventive tool use - (who knew tent pegs were so good for removing pesky weed roots?!?) we left the area looking much neater and clearer.

Well done team!! And thanks for the company on the run!

The hayfever was RAGING this evening but we are STRONG!!

This evening we headed back to OXSRAD, but this time for an outside task. As part of their general spruce up, attention has now turned to the garden and access paths. The wheelchair access paths were getting quite overgrown and picnic tables in the community garden needed sanding ready for repainting.

Armed with shovels, trowels, a broom and an electric sander we made short work of our tasks and left the area looking a lot tidier than when we arrived. GREAT WORK TEAM!!

Some of us then headed into the evening for a magical mystery exploration of Oxford's footpaths and nature reserves.

Welcome to Goodgym Maruf, we hope to see you again soon!

On Wednesday we returned to Oxsrad to put the finishing touches to the paint job we've been working on all winter: 2nd coats, infilling, and skirting boards and doorways were our main jobs.

Whilst we are far from pros, we're really proud of our contribution to the redecoration effort at Oxsrad.

Thank you for the flapjacks Bethan and Isla!

The task: finishing painting the walls at Oxsrad.
The complication: all the blue paint had dried up, and the white paint had been speckled with blue, making it a delightful pale sky blue.
The next step: stand around eating birthday cake for Vicky's birthday while we see if there's a solution.
The solution: give up on the idea of painting, layer up, and go and do a litter pick instead.

Thank you everyone for being adaptable!

We know the redecorating task pretty well at OXSRAD now, with several sessions under our belts this autumn. Between us, centre staff, and a few other volunteers, we've managed to get at least 1 coat of paint on nearly every wall, and it's already looking much smarter around the place. This week we had less blue to do, and mostly focused on white paint. Christmas decorations were up, so we also had to make sure not to splatter the tinsel - although maybe the odd splash of white paint on the Christmas tree would serve as a snow sprinkle?! With tea and cake at the end (thank you Alice), this was a great task for a cold and icy evening.

Maybe we'll be back to finish up in 2025, who can tell?!