If you go down to the woods today be careful of what you may find; from sofa cushions and mugs to old record players and once loved plastic Christmas trees, our trusty litter pickers won’t leave much behind (Except perhaps Fred – who for a short time we did think had been traded in for our litter-y haul!)!

Between the picking there was chatter aplenty, floral celebrations for Joe’s 50th good deed (in record time too!), a team attempt for a baby squirrel rescue and much enjoyment of the sunshine.

As the task ended we collected & admired our haul, and noted where to come back for another go (or three) – keeping our green spaces enjoyable and litter free as we can.

And as the sun was starting to set a mob of red T’s could be seen disappearing off into the distance, after deeding well, time to get fit and check on the goodness seeded around the city!

Today's mission was an Odyssey to a new GoodGym venue at Denny Gardens in the shadow of the Kassam Stadium. Meg set the scene for us - an unloved patch of land was to be transformed into a community allotment. The brambles had been cleared from head high down to ground level. Our tasks were flyering, litter picking and digging.

Fred and Angus set about collecting 6 years' worth of litter. Bethan and Muireann made short work of the leaflet deliveries and joined Alice, Meg and Joe on the dig. Meg's plan was to demonstrate that the ground could become productive. With a 6 year head start, the brambles are dug in for the battle ahead. Ninety minutes of hard work created a satisfying pile of roots and a decent area of turned over soil.

Task completed without head torches, 3 of us set off by bike and 4 on foot.

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!