Three GoodGymers helped out at Stepney Bank Stables on a very pleasant Monday evening. The tasks tonight involved unloading hay bales from the horse box and then sweeping it out, before trying to remove the weeds from between the cobbles in the yard. A random oasser-by even offered to assist at one point!

Three GoodGymers litter picked in the Ouseburn valley on a spring evening. The plan had been to go litter pick down towards the quayside but when we picked up the litter pickers from Stepney Bank Stables Sara informed us that there had been a market in the Ouseburn at the weekend which had been great for the area but resulted in a lot of litter. So we set off up the valley found plenty of cans, drink cups and a lot of newspapers some of which had been frustratingly ripped into little pieces! It was very satisfying clearing up the area post market and we really felt like we made a difference.

It was a gorgeous day for our second visit to Magret’s plot and our link up with Newcastle Parks and Allotments. We made a start on clearing the plot a couple of weeks ago. Sadly there were already some weeds flourishing in the area we had cleared so we spent some time clearing that area, before moving on to the next section.

It seems like our memo about axes from a different task this week has filtered through and Aimee in particular was delighted to see the presence of an axe today! Max put it to good use, breaking up the ground, which seemed harder this time than last time, probably due to the warm sunshine we’ve had lately! Tanya, on the other hand, was less successful with the tools, choosing a spade with the diggy bit (that’s a technical term!) coming off the handle as soon as she tried digging!

There was a spell during the task when we felt like we weren’t getting anywhere, but then it all came together. You can definitely see that we made progress today! And it was lovely to be joined by some local wildlife, although we’re not sure how healthy the bee was! The cat, however, seemed very content basking in the sunshine!

There’s still a way to go though. Fortunately, we’re back again next Saturday. There’s rain forecast for this week so the ground should be a bit softer. We’d love to see you there!

Special announcement: change to GoodGym rules - all tasks must now include an axe!.

That’s a joke of course, and we take health and safety very seriously, but it certainly felt good to release some energy with the axe on some very overgrown and stubborn ivy today!

We were back at the Home Group supported living centre today where we’ve recently done a couple of tasks cleaning windows for residents. Home Group is a charity linked to Gateshead Council that offers accommodation to people over 55 with health issues. As you can see from the photos, today we were in the garden clearing away lots of ivy.

We were well-equipped with various tools, but for most of the time it seemed like hands and brute force were most effective! The two hours flew by, aided by conversations including the safety of vaccines and different types of microorganisms! I think the topic was triggered by coughing caused by the spores coming off the ivy. Although I’m no botanist so feel free to correct me!

I think it’s fair to say we made quite a difference. We filled twelve bin bags (including about twelve years worth of cigarette butts - ugh) but the before and after pics tell the story! More work will be needed before the residents can sit in the garden - perhaps another task for GoodGym!

It was great to see Marie back for her second task - you’re a regular now Marie!

Another gardening task on Saturday when we’re back at the Greenhill allotment clearing Magret’s plot. See you then!

Five GoodGymers leafleted for FoodCycle in the westend of Newcastle. Scott, Lucy and I walked from our one strawberry lane base and met Louise and Damu outside Westgate Baptist Church, one of FoodCycles locations.

FoodCycle is a charity that works to reduce food poverty and social isolation by serving free, community meals made from surplus food, they have a number of locations locally.

We all agreed the streets near by were the perfect place to leaflet with long streets of terraces allowing us to post over 200 leaflets in half an hour! The weather was also on our side with some glorious evening sunshine.

A number of the houses had bricked up doors where I am assuming two Tyneside flats have been converted into one house, thus no longer needing the second front door. It was giving Edgar Allen Poe vibes and I couldn't help but imagine a person being bricked in behind the bricked up door. We didn't see any ravens just some magpies and a couple of Cats!

If you want to get involved we have two community missions this week some ivy cutting on Wednesday lunchtime and helping in an allotment on Saturday morning!

Pun disclaimer: Not original material.

I love reading other Goodgym reports, however whenever I sit down to write one it doesn’t always flow how I want it to.

The Goodgym mission of today involved helping Newcastle parks to litter pick in Nunsmoor park. Adam, Aimee, Sam, Tom, and I helped Newcastle parks rangers and local volunteers in their mission to tidy up the park. A lot of bin bags were collected. The most common item I found were plastic straw wrappers. We were in various locations in the park, all doing our role of litter picking. Amongst the litter a guitar was discovered. It has been gifted to a new owner. One volunteer sang and played Jolene by Dolly Parton which was very wholesome. Aimee and I paired up and encouraged each other to retrieve water bottles from the tennis courts mesh. I always feel I have more confidence at Goodgym and cheering on runners at parkrun. I call it the Goodgym and parkrun enthusiasm.

Conversations included a range of topics, including tying shoelaces, happiness, and words. My favourite word in German is Übermorgen which means the day after tomorrow. In old English we used to have the word overmorrow. One of Aimee’s favourite words is Pandemonium. Aimee’s alternative definition is panda’s having a party.

As Sam and Tom mentioned FAB, I thought that I would venture there. FAB is a bakery in the West End of Newcastle. (Other bakeries are available). It used to be home to a butchers/sort of bakery. They sold six bread buns for £1.20. They were soft and doughy. I recently discovered some similar ones from the Grainger market. They are not quite the same, however they are similar. Today, I picked up some hot cross buns. Do you have yours toasted or not? With cheese or not?

The next Goodgym mission is on Monday at 18:15 meeting at One Strawberry Lane. https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/deliver-leaflets-for-foodcycle

Enjoy your weekend everyone.