There was a fantastic turn out this morning for a gardening task with Urban Green in Exhibition Park. Ranger Rhian had two large flowerbeds near Wylam brewery that needed weeding ready for some new plants.

We split in to two groups and quickly began to tackle the weeds. Liz, Debbie, Sam and I attacked the thistles and weeds. Red stalks out, wood stalks stay!

Louise, Dan, Ellie, Tom and newcomer Matt took on the bigger bed supervised by one of the resident swans.

The two hours flew by and the flower beds looked fantastic. Check out the pictures to see the difference.

The morning ended with an impromptu social in Urban Green Cafe.

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.

After a last minute SOS from Earthwatch, we found ourselves back at the Tiny Forest site in Bensham to help spread a big pile of mulch over the clay and soil where all the little trees were planted. It was great to see the progress of the trees in such a relative short space of time.

A massive shout out to Sam and Thomas for the shift they put in after only just returning from their honeymoon (CONGRATULATIONS!!) just a few hours before (a 48 hr journey home at that!), and being fuelled on Easter Egg breakfasts.

I feel at one with the mulch Thomas, Goodgym

With the sun shining, we got stuck in straightaway, with the mountainous pile looking a bit of a daunting task. But we quickly got into a rhythm, and what once looked mulch too mulch, we realised that the mulch gang were going to be winners.

It kind of looks like lava slowing flowing towards us Lorna, Living Woods

In just over two hours, we emptied the last bucket, and the area had been transformed. Not only does it now look mulch nicer, it also gives the trees a mulch better chance of thriving, by keeping weeds away and retaining all the lovely moisture.