GoodGym Newcastle is five years old this week and what a brilliant way to celebrate with a huge Stepney Bank Stables task tonight.

It was great to welcome new GoodGymer Mina and he really got stuck in! It was great having you along Mina and we can't wait to get to know you.

A big group gathered to do three brush-related jobs for Stepney Bank Stables, but when we arrived at the top yard there was an extra job waiting for us as a delivery of hay was waiting to be shifted into the barn. Sleeves were quickly rolled up to get that job done first. Following that, we broke into three groups: painting in stable walls, sweeping and cobble clearing- something Tom got really stuck into and will undoubtedly leave him with a few aching muscles tomorrow!

This task really showed the difference we can make in a short space of time and task owner Sara was really grateful, so grateful in fact that she brought us a horse to star in our birthday group photo!

Session done and it was off to the pub for home made tiffin and asda made muffins with The Ship Inn's finest pints. I was given a lovely surprise of flowers and a fancy bottle of gin. Thank you! I will stay another five years for treats like these!

Our session next week is on as normal despite the Bank Holiday, so we hope to see you then.

How did you spend Earth Day 2023? Four goodgymers spent the morning helping out Urban Green in Paddy Freeman's Park. If you haven't heard of it Earth Day is celebrated each year on the 22nd of April and is to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

We regularly help out Urban Green with a variety of tasks across the cities parks. Our task this time was edging the sides of the path around the play area to stop them becoming overgrown and putting back any rouge wood chip which had escaped the play area, making the paths look tidier.

This was a fitting task for Earth Day as Urban Green aim to help fight climate change by managing their parks in way which supports nature and reduces pollution. Park ranger Mike explained that in the past (pre Urban Green) the area we were working on would have been kept tidy using strong weed killers which can be detrimental to wildlife. Digging the weeds and over grown grass out of the path edges is harder work and takes more time but doesn't pollute the environment. We found many worms and some moth larvae which might have been harmed by harsh chemicals in weed killers or then ingested by birds which could feel the effects of chemicals increasing through the food chain.

We had a tea break half way through which give us the extra energy to finsh off the second side of the playarea. Me and Tom also had a play on a musical square in the playarea which rings different size bells when you step on each section allowing you to play a tune. Who says you can't have fun while helping the parks. Luckily we managed to finish in time as we all agreed we hate to leave a job unfinished. The task was very satisfying to see the difference we have made.

If you are inspired by Earth Day to volunteer in the Newcastle parks there are a number of goodgym sessions coming up soon. There is one more tomorrow with Urban Green in Hodgkin Park. You could also join us to support the Bike Gardern next Saturday in Nunsmoor Park. Then there are two more Urban Green sessions in three weeks time, the first one at Kenton park on Saturday 13th of May and the second at Hodgkin Park on Sunday the 14th of May. Find upcoming sessions here.

Wow! What a busy morning at our big beginners session with Ouseburn Trust. We welcomed FOUR new GoodGymers to our Saturday bonanza and the sun came out too- eventually!

I did a quick round up and hello to Oliver, Briony, Sam and Suze who joined us for their first good deed before heading off to meet Dave and Dale from Ouseburn Trust. The sun came out as we were given our jobs: path clearing and litter picking around the network of paths around Ouseburn.

It was a real workout today and I bet there will be some aching arms tomorrow as we scraped and cleared the paths and cobbles to make them safe and accessible for the many users who pass through every day. The local humans and animals popped by as you can see from the photos!

Wrapping up the session we finished with a three station fitness session and I treated everyone to my annoying bleepy timer for the running, tricep dipping and star jumping. You are welcome! What a huge effort from everyone today.

There is no Monday session this week but we are back with a brilliant new Community Mission at Summerhill Park next Sunday. See you then!