Four GoodGymers visited Jesmond Community Orchard on a very pleasant Sunday. The tasks ranged from weeding around the base of trees and watering a new hedge to digging out three well-entrenched fence posts.

This was GoodGym Newcastle's first visit to the orchard for almost six years. We certainly won't be waiting as long before returning!

Two goodgymers helped whitley bay junior parkrun on a sunny Sunday morning. I was tailwalker and Richard was a marshal. Nearly 200 young runner completed the parkrun! It's always lonely to see the young runners enjoying themselves!

In eight years of GoodGym Newcastle we have used wheelbarrows before, but (correct me if anyone knows better) I don't think we have moved mountains of sand with them. Tonight's task was to move the sand from Stepney Bank Stables' bottom yard up to their outdoor arena, to be used to create enrichment activities for the horses.

Stepney Bank is an actual bank with some decent inclines, as is Stepney Road, which leads up to the outdoor arena. With some encouragement from some slightly tipsy pub goers, five trips involving ten wheelbarrows full of sand were made. The tyres in the centre of the outdoor arena took quite a lot of filling, but we got there in the end. Given the highly physical nature of the task, this was a unique Monday with no run offered. This proved to be a good decision as we had a later than usual finish in order to complete the task. Many calories were burned by all involved.

The final throws of the task were distracted by a game of cat and mouse with an actual cat and mouse. After a lengthy chase in the dark, it wasn't a happy ending for the mouse. Hopefully the horses fare better with their enrichment activities.

On a very pleasant Sunday, three GoodGymers cleared most of a plot at Greenhill Allotments. The upcoming end of the financial year, and the allotment rental year, has seen plots vacated. GoodGym Newcastle was asked to help make the plots look a bit more desirable for potential new tenants.

As ever, gregarious task owner Sue met us at the allotments to describe what needed doing. We had some challenging visits to Greenhill Allotments last summer when it had been very dry, meaning the ground was extremely hard. This time the garden tools broke the ground much more easily and allowed us to get quite a lot done.

We'll be back at Greenhill Allotments in three weeks, please join us if you can!

I was the run director at whitley bay junior parkrun on a very windy mother's day! The young runner weren't put of my the strong winds with a quarter of the young runners achieved a person best! A great time was had by all!