GoodGymmer Tony Ward became Captain Jack Sparrow for the day as he took the helm for boat rides at Friends of Maidenhead Waterways' Fun Day on Saturday. It was all hands on deck as Friends of Maidenhead Waterways volunteers press ganged more than 100 landlubbers into life jackets for boat rides throughout the day. No pieces of eight were needed as Tony's new shipmates clambered aboard the good ship Yorkie. The public boat rides along York Stream were all free. Luckily thanks to Pirate Tony's boat skipper skills there were no men or women overboard and no-one ended up in Davy Jones' locker. Meanwhile across the choppy waves of Chapel Arches, GoodGymmer Dominic Hurst (a newly qualified canoe and kayak instructor) was busy heaving ho, taking people on free kayak and canoe taster sessions in the shark infested waters of York Stream. More than 40 people said Aye Aye and walked the plank into canoes for Dominic's watery trips, shouting "avast ye" whenever they saw Pirate Tony's boat pass.
At the end of a busy day it was time for GoodGymmers Tony and Dominic to enjoy a good Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum.

Tonight’s GoodGym mission in Maidenhead was a sandy one! While beach cleans aren’t exactly common around here, this one came with a twist—we weren’t cleaning the beach, we were removing it.

A couple of months ago, we helped create the pop-up beach for Norden Farm’s summer festivities. But with autumn creeping in and flip-flops firmly back in storage, it was time to bid farewell to the sandpit!

Shifting 13 tonnes of sand is no small feat—and definitely tougher than laying it out in the first place! But the GoodGym crew rose to the challenge. With teamwork, grit, and sandy socks, we helped the Norden Farm staff make a serious dent in the dunes. There’s still a bit left to tackle, but the bulk of the beach has officially been packed away.

🦸‍♀️ Six litter-picking superheroes assembled at the community centre, ready to take on the challenge of tidying up the streets and parks of Maidenhead.

Armed with picks and hoops, we set off towards the station—a gentle stroll to warm up our eyes for the litter lurking ahead. From the station, we swooped into the High Street, scooping up mountains of cigarette butts and rogue takeaway cups.

Tony and Mike veered off down a side-street, while Sheila, Sarah, Jess, and Viv took the more direct route. Everyone found a few treasures, but the general consensus? The town centre was looking far tidier than on previous missions.

We were met with cheerful “Thank you!”s from passers-by, and even roped in a spontaneous participant for a race to a paper cup. He won—and his prize? The honour of binning it himself!

With the town centre sparkling, we ventured into Kidwells Park. Here, the litter was more plentiful, and our bags filled up fast. After an hour of heroic effort, we regrouped at the community centre to compare hauls and swap stories.

A job well done—and a wonderfully chatty, cheerful task to boot!

Lovely to see so many people turn out for another Himalayan Balsam-bashing task at Ockwells - and a big welcome to Jane who joined us for the first time!

Twelve goodgymers delved through nettles and thistles to reach the pesky balsam and remove it before it self seeded. Will and Victoria joined in the work like seasoned pros plucking, snapping and making piles of the unwanted plant. Everyone worked hard together to explore the undergrowth and weed those hard to reach areas. A satisfying task and great teamwork! Flora the dog created some much needed entertainment and distraction!