This evening, 7 GoodGymers met at Stepney Bank Stables on a cold but dry Monday evening for a jog up to The Lighthouse Project in Byker where we were back after nearly 2 months! We welcomed Holly, another Newcastle medical student on her first (hopefully of many) GoodGym mission as well as Selim, a PhD student from the University too on his second GoodGym mission, proudly sporting his new GoodGym t-shirt, Ewan and Ruby, another two medical students who have now become regulars already, Scott, Richard, Elena (myself, writing my first ever report stepping up to my new TaskForce role!) and last but not least, Zach, GoodGymer number 8, joined us a bit later after circling round the centre until he found the one unlocked access to it!

This was our first group mission there since the clock changed back to GMT time and we’d underestimated how well lit the youth centre was. Before we knew it, we’d filled up 4 large bags with dry leaves and weeds from the surrounding green area we had trimmed significantly last time - it is rewarding for us to see this place improve so much every time we go! Finally, we all jogged back to the Stables via a questionable ‘shortcut’ that felt if anything longer than the usual route but a perfect excuse to start the week with some miles in the bag!

Please join us for another visit to The Lighthouse Project next week!

Nine GoodGymers made their way to St James' Park on a cold but dry Monday evening for the Newcastle United v Everton match, to raise money for the Newcastle Foodbank.

For almost all of us it was the first time volunteering at the stadium in this way and everyone seemed to enjoy their time raising money. Welcome to Ewan and well done on your first GoodGym good deed. Admirable dedication having recently suffered a dislocated shoulder. Kudos to Elena for coming along to volunteer before a long shift at work, and for her photography skills!

Lots of generous football fans donated lots of money, £10 and £20 notes were not uncommon, which should make a big difference to the foodbank.

Another worthwhile evening was spent at Stepney Bank Stables painting the fence at the arena. This was the third and final time doing this and we managed to finish the job (and all of the paint).

We welcomed Leo, Ruby, Kanishk and Selim for their first GoodGym good deeds. Hopefully the first of many! We also look forward to seeing you all in the GoodGym red t-shirts soon.

As was the case last week, the darkness rapidly crept in once we got started painting. This time we were better prepared, with spotlights, a head torch, a chest torch and a hand held torch. We managed to illuminate the fence pretty well (unlike some of the photographs) as we applied the paint. A good level of effort was put in by everyone! We ran out of paint marginally before we ran out of time, but the fence was looking much better at the end of the session.

Ten GoodGymers paid a visit to Jesmond Library to rid the exterior of weeds, moss and other detritus. It was great to return to a place we haven't volunteered at for over seven years.

Some of the group either got delayed or live near the library, but for everyone else we enjoyed a 1.6 mile, or 2.6 kilometre if you prefer, run from Stepney Bank Stables. The outbound run was largely uphill, so we were looking forward to having an easier run on the way back.

Welcome to Ruth, completing her first GoodGym good deed, despite being aware of us for ten years! We hope you don't deliberate over your second visit for quite so long.

Welcome back to Anthony for the first time in a while, to Max on your first Monday group run in a while, to Joanna and Elena coming back after their first GoodGym Newcastle session last week and to Zachary for joining us at GoodGym Newcastle for the first time.

We worked hard removing weeds and soil from between the cobbles, cutting back some overgrown areas and tidying up some planters. The before and after photographs show quite a difference!

We're back at The Lighthouse Project next week for a bit more gardening. Please join us if you can!