3 GoodGymers - Dave, Freya and Jason helped with preparations to get the Bristol Churches Shelter ready to welcome 9 guests from 3 November.

We shifted 2 tumble dryers (avoiding any tumbles up / down the stairs!), moved items into storage, prepared and put up signs, delivered laundry bags and torches.

It was great to support the project and learn more about how they support guests out of homelessness into other accommodation. They support many people between November and March each year.

You put your trowel in, your trowel out.
Pull, out, pull, out, you shake it all about.
You do the Oaky Pokey and you turn around (and have tea and biscuits).
That's what it's all about.

Whoa-o the Oaky Pokey.
Whoa-o the Oaky Pokey.
Whoa-o the Oaky Pokey.
Knees bent, arms stretched.
Rah! Rah! Rah!

(pictures as evidence of holm oak extraction - 13 in total, unlucky for them)

Until next time…

A dry morning 🌄 met the GG folk. With racks and barrows in arms and being cheered on by the feeding sheep we cleared a large section of path. Depositing the leaves to create a mulchy pile. A final photo with a goaty backdrop and we departed without slipping on any leaves. 👏

We know it's great to get out running and walking when the nights are drawing in and its dark so early - we're proud to support This Girl Can's campaign to make sure women and girls can get out and run (or walk) no matter if its light or dark. Let's keep getting out there.

So off to the Children's Scrapstore for whatever Hallowe'en adventures they had in store for us.

Phones, mops, brushes (but no witches broom) and a vacuum cleaner that you could live in. That was the order of things this evening. Now for a short poem:

A tangled web of wire.
Handset matching causing ire.
A mop to clean.
So mighty, yet so lean.
A brush in a rush.
And a vaccum.
So big it doth loom.

An evening full of fun.
Looking forward to another one.

Melanie was BACK, armed with a crutch and with Redcliffe Nursery School but a stone's throw from our meet-up point.

The runners took in a bridge on their route whilst the walkers (and hobbler) headed straight to the Nursery School, all arriving together in a way we probably won't ever replicate.

Laura let us in - she'd snuck out of the governors' meeting, and we were let loose on the playground with oodles of leaves to sweep up and sand to refill the sandpit - much sweeping, shovelling and bag emptying/filling as appropriate. It was a top evening for teamwork with bag holders, sweepers and scoopers working together, except for Dave's habit of premature evacuation of his scoop before the bag holder was ready, so some leaves got to be scooped twice (or more).

The leaves get everywhere, so up on the climbing frame it was for Richard G, Vaguely Northern Darren made the leaf blower power lead stretch much further than anyone thought possible (and blowing somewhat aggressively). Matt moved the sand almost single-handedly until it was considered the dumpy sack was light enough to be lifted/dragged by some helpers, who made it look easy.

The rest of us scampered (hobbled) around as the leafage on the ground diminished and the pile of black bags grew - someone's going to be making a LOT of leaf mulch, which bodes well for the school's garden.

And there were still LOADS of leaves on the trees, so hopefully we get to do all this again in another month or so!

The rain kept off as we raked up a large leafy section near the compost bins. We were greeted by a lovely robin and moos of the 2 lovely cows. Leafing no leaf unturned we depoaited them in the compost and a final photo before trotting off.