North Marine Park in South Shields is in full bloom and so was the junior parkrun this morning with another fabulous turn out.

Paul and I helped out at two marshal points, cheering on the mini runners and walkers around the 2k course. A lovely way to start Sunday.

Lightning is not a weather reference rather a big cheer for the first place runner at North Marine Junior parkrun this morning who came in a little over seven minutes!

Three GoodGymers rocked up in matching sunglasses (by accident, this was not part of the task) on a gorgeous morning at North Marine Junior parkrun, where all three of us were marshalling. It was a great turnout this morning with loads of happy kids walking, jogging, running, skipping and sprinting their way around this lovely run by the sea.

Damu had perhaps the best spot in glorious sunshine by the finish while Paul and I toughed it out in the shade. A lovely way to start a Sunday.

On a sunny Saturday morning four GoodGymers finished the leafleting for FoodCycle Felling. Anji, Paul and me came straight from Fulwell Quarry parkrun and we're slightly late meeting Max.

The weather was lovely and sunny - the complete opposite of the wet Wednesday evening when me and Liz completed the first half! Perhaps due to this good weather we saw plenty of puppies and dogs, including a cute German Shepherd puppy and an adorable 11 week old labrador we all had to go over and meet!

We delivered at least 250 leaflets in an hour. At one point we didn't think we would be able to deliver them all but we did and also managed to time it perfecy to loop back round to Felling Community Centre right as we posted our last leaflets. A satisfing morning task!

Many thanks to Anji for taking pictures and thinking of the pun!

Six years of GoodGym Newcastle!

In some ways this birthday milestone feels like it should be much higher, I don’t know about you but I struggle to remember a time before GoodGym was in my life. In other ways six years has gone by in the blink of an eye. Prior to tonight’s group session we had done 5092 good deeds, which given the monumental pause we had in the middle of this is pretty remarkable. Pats on all of the backs for this - 397 backs to be precise, as that’s how many people have done a good deed with us now. No wonder I struggle to remember names at times!

It was fitting that we were back to base for the session tonight for the first time in a few months to help our friends and hooved heroes at Stepney Bank Stables. It may have been the promise of drinks at The Ship Inn afterwards, but we also had a great attendance tonight when we were joined by nine people including one for the first time. We did a quick catch up on the weekend’s session that was a very last minute mulch request from our friends at EarthWatch, and brought Tom back from honeymoon with a bang! We loved welcoming Rob to his first ever session with us tonight and while it wasn’t a standard group run we hope it was a suitable initiation to the group.

Stepney Bank stables is a charity and community out project that works with young people to improve wellbeing through working with horses, and we are really proud to be able to help them regularly including for tonight’s session. A banquet of jobs is always on order and tonight was no different as we were sweeping and clearing in the arena, vacuuming the entrance, sweeping the outdoor ramp, chopping back nettles and collecting sticky weeds as a special foodie treat for the horses- this one came complete with feeding! To finish off, Rob got the best ever job for a GoodGym debutant - riding the quad to sweep the arena floor! Lucky or what?!

It was a shorter task this evening as we were eager to head over to The Ship Inn for celebratory birthday drinks and a superb homemade cake from Anna. Big thanks also to GoodGym HQ for sending us a crate of Athletic Brewing Company beers for the session- Tom had cracked his open before we’d even left the stables! It was so great to see Tanya and Debbie at the pub too who had come across in time after work.

Pints were drank, cake was slapped into open palms (no, really), a great end to a good start to the week.

As yet we don’t have a task for next Monday (sob!) so please send one my way if you know of a charity that could use our help. To ensure a GoodGym fix, there is a junior parkrun opportunity at Mowbray Juniors this Sunday so do help out if you can.

Thanks once again to everyone who’s been part of GoodGym Newcastle especially those run leaders and task force who help me to keep the cogs turning. You’re all brilliant.

It was one of those deceptively sunny days where as soon as you step out of the sun you step into a fridge for our visit to help at North Marine Junior parkrun in South Shields.

Let's get a huge round of applause for Aimee who completed her 50th parkrun volunteer today and earned herself the red V50 tshirt. The bulk of Aimee's volunteer points are at junior events so it was fitting that she earned this today.

We covered three roles at North Marine Juniors today: Paul and I timekeeping and Aimee marshalling. 52 brilliant kids ran, walked, skipped and hopped to the finish today and the finish line was the happiest place to be as always. A lovely blue sky start to Sunday all round.