After meeting new member Nicola and a mini litter pick around Marston we descended upon the Up in Arms to say farewell and bon voyage to Anwen.

This is the speech that I MEANT to give before I became a blubbering mess......

After 7 years and an amazing 665 good deeds the Queen of Goodgym Oxford is departing for a new European adventure.

The impact that Anwen has had on Oxford cannot be underestimated. She has gathered us to clean food banks, create green spaces, look after community gardens, remove brambles, weed walls, clear litter and even move an organ over a railway bridge.

As I was making my way to the task this evening I passed all the beautiful daffodils that we've planted - a cheerful reminder that Goodgym was here!

We have had many running adventures too - parkruns, races, our View Cones run in memory of our lovely Tim, and marathons in fun places. If Anwen sends you a link to a races and says "fancy it?" you should ALWAYS say yes!!

Anwen you kept us going through Covid (with Trev's help) providing essential food packages and prescriptions for the community and much needed social contact for us too. You have literally supported us through births, deaths and marriages and everything in between.

A thank you should also be said on behalf of the stray and feral cats of Oxfordshire - another example of your capacity to nurture and care.

Oxford's loss is very definitely France's gain and we will miss you. Please raise your glasses to Anwen!!

GoodGym made a return to Meadow Lane this week, supporting a brilliant volunteer‑run project that’s transforming a local playground into a nature‑inspired space for children and the wider community. The aim is to encourage active outdoor play, whilst protecting the local wildlife and promoting biodiversity. We split into two teams to help move the project forward. One group got stuck into cutting back ivy and removing old wire fencing, using hammers to flatten any sharp ends. Clearing this area will open up a new area for children to explore safely. The second team focused on moving logs & branches to build an exciting new den and hideout space for children. We also had a very special guest GoodGymer - Isabella the dog. Isabella took on branch-moving responsibilities and kept morale high!
We’re looking forward to returning next month to continue the transformation, and build more dens!

Anwen was quick to react to the last minute cancellation of our planned session and conjure a friendly 5-a-side scavenger hunt in central Oxford. Runners v Walkers with no cup for the winners, except for the coffee cup on Anwen's list.

Walkers took an early lead through a great Stephen pun (a fork in the road). Runners struck back thanks to in depth knowledge of GoodGym venues. A masquerade mask was the best very random item and Walkers increased their lead when they bumped into Emma for the "street with a fellow GoodGymer's name". Mr. Tumnus was worth a point for Runners, and after a tense count back at Central Library, Anwen declared a draw.
One team could have snatched victory if only they had picked up a ....Walker's crisp packet.

Yaaaay for the longer evenings and GoodGymming in daylight.

Today was a milestone in my life: my first Goodgym task as leader! We were at Boundary Brook Nature Reserve to dig up bramble roots and clean up litter.

Taking charge like a born leader, I said to the team: "Helen from the Nature Reserve knows what needs doing. Do what she says."

What needed doing was to dig up all the plant roots from the plot the Nature Reserve staff are preparing. In a pleasant surprise, the area had already been dug nicely with a rotavator and the expected bramble roots were almost all gone. This made life a lot easier for Anja, Steve and Joe, although Joe still got to show off with a mattock.

Less pleasant and not at all surprising was the amount of litter people had thrown over the fence, which Muireann and I picked out of the brambles. There were also a wheel and a saddle from a bicycle embedded in the mud- I am starting to believe that this is where bikes come from, and that they grow out of the ground like potatoes.

The most surprising thing was... the giant moth. You weren't expecting that were you? Neither were we, but local artist Mani had constructed one to hang in the trees. So Muireann and I, along with non-Goodgym volunteer Fred, helped Mani to assemble and position the moth in a flying pose. Eventually the tree branches and Ivy will grow through the frame to create a seamless moth-shaped part of the landscape.

All in all, a productive morning:

Roots dug up: lots Rubbish collected: loads Giant moths assembled: 1

A balmy spring (yay!) evening saw us back at Rose Hill Junior Youth Club, picking up our help with their preparations for new planters, to make the site just that little bit brighter.

Standing on the ground we'd previously cleared of shrubs, Meg ran us all through what was needed - part filling the newly delivered planters with small pieces of wood and topping up with compost from a GIGANTIC compost sack - a great arm and abs workout.

With so many of us, we even managed to form a splinter group to pick up some of the litter both on- site and in the surrounding streets - featuring chat about what makes a good litter picker (good grippy prongs) and multiple fun running and cycling escapades.

Looking forward to seeing the planters in all their glory!

Welcome to the group, Elsa!