8 determined GoodGymers met at one of our favourite venues, Nature's Haven to see what our taskowners Claire and Aleks had in store for us. While they borrowed Tony to consult on greenhouse construction, the others set to work on tidying up the shrubs at the back of the Community Centre. With forks, secateurs, spades and loppers we set about removing the Sycamore saplings, bindweed and snowberry bushes. We amassed a huge amount of green waste which we managed to stuff into the Green Bin with the aid of some special trampling by Tony. We were kindly treated to tea and biscuits afterwards, and we look forward to another visit soon!

Due to the clocks springing forward at the weekend we enjoyed one of our first evening sessions of the year where head torches weren't required! A chatty hour of clearing ivy, brambles and other weeds from around the gravestones while the sun set behind us. Thanks to everyone (including Amanda from the Church) for coming along!

What a night! A fantastic 20 Goodgymmers turned out to support Alexander Devine and their Easter Fundraising campaign and to celebrate 5 years of Goodgym Windsor & Maidenhead!

The evening was split into two parts…….our task and our party!

Part 1: Chick-stuffing! Hannah and Nicole from Alexander Devine provided us with stacks of chocolate eggs and knitted chicks! We had to stuff the chicks with the eggs and then add little tags so people knew who the chicks were supporting. There was a wide variety of chicks with added hats, bows and even bells! Each group found their own way of getting through the stacks of chicks and there was a whole variety of ideas to ensure the labels stayed round the chicks necks securely.

We managed to stuff and label ~550 chicks, smashing last years numbers! These chicks will be distributed to local schools, shops and businesses where they will be sold and the money will go to the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service. This is a crucial resource for families with children who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. They provide support during the hardest times and ensure parents and siblings can make precious memories.

Part 2: Party time! Once we had got our fill of chick-stuffing it was time to celebrate 5 years of Goodgym in Windsor & Maidenhead! Everyone was given a coloured medal indicating their team and they gathered together the items beginning with G they had brought with them, and had to come up with a team name and a story about their mascot. We had Green-hatted, disco loving Gizmo, a couple of galivanting Gary’s, Goodie who enjoyed Grapefruits and golf ball collecting and Georgetta the gardening goddess!

It was then on to the games! Each one tenuously themed around our Goodgym tasks! First up was our love of the community allotment represented by potatoes in tights thrust at small posts, a game of skill and accuracy! Next we celebrated the Goodgymmers themselves, with ‘Pin’ the medal on the Goodgymmer, this involved blindfolds and mini mascots and a lot of loud encouragement! Of course we could not leave out our most dependable task; litter picking! As if by magic a heap of litter swept into the room and needed clearing, involving mini high-vis and litter pickers! Our final game was a well contested round of musical chairs….and we know about sturdy chairs as we have mended many at the community centre.

A party is not complete without cake, and we are lucky to have some great bakers in our group! Whilst we tucked in Amy encouraged us to think about our goals for the next Goodgym year….maybe a milestone to reach, a distance to run or trying our hand at social visits. An opportunity for us to step outside our comfort zone knowing our fellow Goodgymmers are backing us all the way!
We also took the opportunity to celebrate our combined and some individual achievements from the last 5 years and Amy gave us some incredible stats for the last 5 years: - 7267 Good Deeds completed by 438 Goodgymmers! - 1674 group sessions and 184 social visits! - Travelled 56,744kms! - Cheered each other 34,795 times!

We should all be really proud of ourselves, whether we were there on task 1 or tonight was the first, the difference we have made, and will continue to make in our community is incredible. 😊

Well Done Team! Here’s to the next 5 years!

Another fun evening helping at Nature's Haven. More door sanding, followed by hot drinks and marshmallows around the firepit. Thanks everyone!

Nine Goodgymers turned up at Nature's Haven to up-cycle some old doors into a greenhouse. Plenty of sandpaper was used to smooth the edges and remove the old varnish. Door furniture was removed and dusted down.The spider living in the key hole didn't look too healthy so was rehoused under some leaves! There was plenty of teamwork making the dream work! The evening was rounded off with some very welcome hot drinks and toasted marshmallows around the fire pit. We look forward to returning next week for part 2!