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?!

Last night was our third painting session at OXSRAD disability and sports hub. The whole centre is getting a refresh inside, which is a mammoth task for just the staff to take on!

We've helped repaint the studio, corridor and around the reception area previously, and last night we moved to the entrance lobby and the other side of the corridor. Lucky for us the painting has coincided with the clock change, so it's been a treat to have a regular indoor task. It's also surprisingly satisfying seeing the progress from aging cream walls to smart new blue and white.

This week we had the joy of Nelson the bulldog-beagle mix along for the session - we always enjoy a dog at a GoodGym task! With one more painting session scheduled this year we're determined to have OXSRAD spruced up and looking fabulous in time for Christmas.

Thank you for bringing the delicious waffles Shati!

With the clocks changing last weekend we're into dark evenings for the next few months. Sport England's This Girl Can campaign is continuing the "Let’s Lift The Curfew" campaign, launched in 2023, to showcase women’s stories and concerns around getting active outdoors in the darker months, as well as calling on wider society to acknowledge their role in making getting active outdoors safer for women.

This year, This Girl Can is looking to go bolder and bigger, so they are partnering with GoodGym to help transform the campaign into a nationwide movement that can raise awareness and take critical steps towards making outdoor exercise safer for women.

This week we met for a 1 mile run to our task location, with 5 of us trotting and chatting in the dark. Head and chest torches definitely help us feel safer in the dark, and group exercise is always more fun than solo running.

Once we got to OXSRAD and met the rest of the group we picked up where we left off a few weeks ago - painting the reception areas, corridor and studio to refresh the Disability Hub & Sports Centre. Some of our painting from last time got high praise, so we all tried to "Be More Bethan and Katie" this time round. Painting and chatting is a lovely mindful task, so we're looking forward to another session here in 2 weeks time.

Welcome to GoodGym Helen and Isobel - lovely to meet you both.