This week we walked and ran from the town centre to the Ferndale allotment on Dallow Downs.

Many of the plots have been out of use for some time and needed a clean up to remove all the old debris, bits of old wood, plastic and metal littered the site but we gathered it all up, sorted it into piles for later collection by the council. We may have munched a few ripe blackberries and raspberries while we were there!

With a big team combing the site we got it all clean and tidy in just a single session, leaving the place looking much more attractive and less like a rubbish tip (or will do when our pile is collected and disposed of! Now its clear and clean the council will be able to advertise the vacant plots to people wanting to grow their own vegetables! 🍆 🥒🥦🌽🥬🧅🥕🫛🫑🧄🥔

This week we were massively boosted in number as newbie Reza brought loads of friends along to try out their first GoodGym session!

With expected numbers doubled we had an army of people heading across town to help the 61 Football Club get their clubhouse and grounds ready for the start of the new season.

Runners arriving first got started on the first task, raking up the fresh cut grass, while later arrivals were issues with gloves and paint brushes to paint the stand walls red, then we had a team painting the posts around the pitch bright white, and finally our man Musa was given the job of blue gloss on the new railings.

With so many people going at the tasks they were getting done super quick and we could move them on to new areas to get even more good stuff done.

When our time was up the place was visibly much cleaner and brighter and Cliff and Richard were as grateful as ever, offering much welcome crisps and drinks around before the return leg of the journey back into town.

We had a great team supporting Foodcycle tonight, and it was lovely to have two of our regular GoodGymers making their debut at FoodCycle. Musa joined Gill and Martin in the kitchen and was soon stuck into preparing peppers and other veg for the stir fry. Gill and Martin meanwhile got working in a delicious apple and pear Charlotte for dessert. When the hosting team arrive it was great to welcome Yasin for his first FoodCycle session and Derrick was soon showing him the ropes. He even hot him writing out the menu! It was FoodCycle's 2nd birthday so after the guests had gone all the volunteers were celebrated with cake and kind words from the manager. There were special mentions of GoodGym as Nisa recognised the great support that GoodGym has given to this project to keep it going each week. We were also pleased to meet a new volunteer who had signed up to Foodcycle after receiving a flyer through her door from one of our flyering tasks.

Well done to all Goodgym members who have volunteered at FoodCycle over the past year. Your support has been greatly appreciated.

Tigger took a leisurely stroll from home, Gill a brisk trot from Church as she was concerned that she might be late, but wasn't. Musa marched up the hill from town, and Derrick and Yasin made their way to meet up with the team on route.

A pleasant walk awaited us, because Gill had planned our task around some well appointed residential roads with manicured gardens which we admired. Ludlow Avenue, Cutenhoe Road south side (even numbers) and back up Cutenhoe north side up to number 119.

It's always great to have a number of willing walkers for leaflet distribution as we make progress swiftly, have a visual Goodgym presence in the street, and have time to chat, and in the case of Cutenhoe Road, catch our breath. Gill had run up the Cutenhoe climb earlier in the morning and was treating herself to a recovery walk 😆

In just under 45 minutes we'd run out of leaflets before running out of road, and headed home for some well earned lunch