OxGrow is a gorgeous community garden nestled in the Hogacre Eco Space. Access to said garden is over a VERRRRRY tall railway bridge. Any deliveries for the garden, and any bulky rubbish leaving the garden can only go one way, up and over the bridge.

Over the years we have carried woodchip, manure, a sofa and even a very delapidated organ over the bridge and today it was the turn of bricks.........

Fortunately many hands make light(ish) work and we only carried what we could manage - LIFT WITH THE KNEES!! After a bit of puffing and panting, some excellent team work and canine encouragement from our beloved Jango we managed to get them all moved and in position for their new life as a border for some herb beds. A quick spot of bramble management and we headed off into the evening sun.

GREAT work team.

This evening we returned to the Meadow Lane playground project. Headed up by the amazing Usha, the project aims to transform the current playground into a more vibrate open and green play space for the community, encouraging children to make dens, explore nature and run free!

We have visited the playground a couple of times before and it is quickly becoming a favorite because we get to revisit our childhoods and BUILD DENS!!!!!

Today's structure was nothing short of amazing - surely classes as a one bed in a central location with good transport links to the city centre.......

A group of us also tackled the pesky metal fencing which is getting trickier to remove as we get to the parts where the trees have claimed the fence as their own. With bolt cutters,saws and determination we managed to clear another huge section.

Last but not least, grass was cleared and soil turned over for an incoming wild flower patch. Everything is beginning to take shape wonderfully!!

Welcome Goodgym Miguel, Nathanail and Genevieve. Thank you for coming and I'm really sorry about the map confusion!!

After meeting new member Nicola and a mini litter pick around Marston we descended upon the Up in Arms to say farewell and bon voyage to Anwen.

This is the speech that I MEANT to give before I became a blubbering mess......

After 7 years and an amazing 665 good deeds the Queen of Goodgym Oxford is departing for a new European adventure.

The impact that Anwen has had on Oxford cannot be underestimated. She has gathered us to clean food banks, create green spaces, look after community gardens, remove brambles, weed walls, clear litter and even move an organ over a railway bridge.

As I was making my way to the task this evening I passed all the beautiful daffodils that we've planted - a cheerful reminder that Goodgym was here!

We have had many running adventures too - parkruns, races, our View Cones run in memory of our lovely Tim, and marathons in fun places. If Anwen sends you a link to a races and says "fancy it?" you should ALWAYS say yes!!

Anwen you kept us going through Covid (with Trev's help) providing essential food packages and prescriptions for the community and much needed social contact for us too. You have literally supported us through births, deaths and marriages and everything in between.

A thank you should also be said on behalf of the stray and feral cats of Oxfordshire - another example of your capacity to nurture and care.

Oxford's loss is very definitely France's gain and we will miss you. Please raise your glasses to Anwen!!

What's your favorite dinosaur?? This is surely how all Goodgym tasks should start!

This evening we shouldered our litter pickers and bags and headed to one of our most notorious grot spots to give it a flash-mob tidy.

Notable finds this week include a mini neon coloured litter picker, garden rubble (reported to the council), a teeny tiny toothbrush and a pair of insoles. Chat ranged from favorite old school snacks (Sunmaid raisins and club chocolate bars) and what classic novels/plays should be adapted for TV/film next.

It was a hard task to leave litter which we could see through the Nature Reserve fence but we'll be back there in about 10 days time to help tidy up the other side of the fence!

Good work team!