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!

I’m making a weather reference in my pun tonight because it was unseasonably warm as the weather people say, and there were definite “calm before the storm” vibes as Agnes heads our way.

We had a very wholesome catch up as Richard told us all about a gorgeous social visit he had in York on Saturday night with an isolated older person that truly made a difference. It was then off to the quayside to litter pick in an even split group- three runners and three hobblers, sorry, I mean walkers (with varying degrees of injury).

My only challenge this evening was to find items of litter that truly reflected Newcastle or the Tyne. Richard and Charlotte won this challenge by finding a brown ale bottle and a pint glass. Overall we collected five bags of rubbish from a few locations along the quayside, a very satisfying start to the week.

After 40 minutes we met back up for the fitness session, definitely in the most scenic of fitness locations as you can see from the photos. A heart-pumping game of dishes, domes and heads followed, with the extra challenge of the cones blowing away completely on more than one occasion.

There’s just one space left on tomorrow’s community mission at The Chev where we are helping with some gardening jobs, but there are loads of spaces to support Nuns Moor Park volunteer morning on Saturday. If you’re parkrunning first, Charlotte will be at Town Moor parkrun and heading to Nuns Moor afterwards.

We are back with a social walk next Monday, hope you can make it along.

The Comfrey Project is hidden gem nestled in the heart of Bensham. Step through the main building and experience a beautiful community garden where you can meander through the fruit and vegetable patches to find a pond, fire pit, beehives and plenty of places to sit and appreciate nature. The site is home to 90 different varieties of bees with the hives tended to by North East Young Lads and Dads.

This garden provides a place for the community to meet and take part in many activities to improve their heath and wellbeing.

Following a warm welcome and tour of the garden, we were tasked with weeding the raspberry patches. Armed with our weed cheat sheet and tools we quickly got to work. Debbie leading the way with a rousing shout:

"If your names not down you’re not coming out!"

The piles of weeds and grass soon began to grow and the garden quickly filled with more members of the community. Louise, Dan and Eleanor found Gooseberries among their Raspberries.

Over a quick coffee break Louise shared the memories of the Two Ronnie Phantom Raspberry Blower sketch as she admitted to an accidentally removing a raspberry bush! Thankfully spotted by the an eagle eyed Comfrey project volunteer and re-planted.

Once the raspberry patches were complete we moved onto a flower bed and conversations about what we do to protect our mental health at work. We all agreed we needed a garden like this in walking distance of the office!

The morning soon disappeared but the day wasn’t over in the garden. While we were weeding the kitchen had been a hive of activity preparing lunch for all the volunteers. Regrettably only Kristi and Anthony were able to stay and join the meal. We’ll know better next time!

Hello Monday and hello summer nights!

It was so lovely to meet up on a warm and sunny evening albeit in a small group this evening, I’m guessing due to there being a very important football match taking place at the same time up the road! We had a catch up then headed to the Cycle Hub to meet up with Anthony who was running late. We talked about how good it was to have runners, walkers and cyclists along for the session for the first time in a while. Conversation then turned to swimming and whether or not swimming along from Ouseburn would be in any way good for your health.

We followed the GoodGym Litter Pick Bingo grid again tonight, splitting into two groups of running and walking and ticking off pretty much everything except nappies, Nestle chocolate wrappers and beer bottles - in Newcastle- I know, we were stunned too!

I set up a mini running workout circuit to finish off, switching between shuttle runs, step ups and ladder drills to get the legs burning! The backdrop of the Tyne on a clear evening made it the most scenic fitness session we’ve ever done.

It was a great start to the week and collecting five bags of rubbish shows we really made a difference.

We are back tomorrow with a rare Tuesday session as we help out Newcastle Eagles foundation with some gardening. Hope you can join us for that one too.