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!!

GoodGym made a return to Meadow Lane this week, supporting a brilliant volunteer‑run project that’s transforming a local playground into a nature‑inspired space for children and the wider community. The aim is to encourage active outdoor play, whilst protecting the local wildlife and promoting biodiversity. We split into two teams to help move the project forward. One group got stuck into cutting back ivy and removing old wire fencing, using hammers to flatten any sharp ends. Clearing this area will open up a new area for children to explore safely. The second team focused on moving logs & branches to build an exciting new den and hideout space for children. We also had a very special guest GoodGymer - Isabella the dog. Isabella took on branch-moving responsibilities and kept morale high!
We’re looking forward to returning next month to continue the transformation, and build more dens!

Anwen was quick to react to the last minute cancellation of our planned session and conjure a friendly 5-a-side scavenger hunt in central Oxford. Runners v Walkers with no cup for the winners, except for the coffee cup on Anwen's list.

Walkers took an early lead through a great Stephen pun (a fork in the road). Runners struck back thanks to in depth knowledge of GoodGym venues. A masquerade mask was the best very random item and Walkers increased their lead when they bumped into Emma for the "street with a fellow GoodGymer's name". Mr. Tumnus was worth a point for Runners, and after a tense count back at Central Library, Anwen declared a draw.
One team could have snatched victory if only they had picked up a ....Walker's crisp packet.

Yaaaay for the longer evenings and GoodGymming in daylight.

After a couple of months of cancellations due to the RIDICULOUS amounts of rain we've had this winter, we finally made it to the new Oxfordshire parkrun!

Kilkenny Lane County parkrun takes place in a gorgeous park, complete with a fabulous adventure playground, beautiful hedgerows and a decent amount of mud! We also enjoyed the (quite sassy) horse sculptures.

After a thorough briefing we completed our 2 laps, posed for the all important sign photo (because otherwise DID IT HAPPEN?!?) and set off for coffee, breakfasts and an awesome pancake stack!

Oh we DO love parkrun!