Welcome to our new runners Henry Ellie.

Another well sized group of 17 GoodGymers came to finish our January 2020 challenges! over all the GoodGyms we beat our target of 8,000 Good Deeds this month :)

..so many in fact we split into a whole collection of bike related tasks, breaking spokes, painting signs, testing handlebars with magnets! cleaning grease and grime with cloths... making new cloths to clean grease and grime...

We ran past the oldest pub in Oxford and through the newest shopping center..

We did star jumps and stretches and Trev and Henry went to the Mad Hatter afterwards to continue the GG post run pub crawl..

Well done to Angus who wore his Garland of Joy with pride through the whole session! He can now join Taskforce and join the growing team of GGers who do more.. want to join up? do 10 runs and just read the online training doc.. easy!

Much fun was had, enjoy you bikes! see you next week

This task was a good one for beginners A warm welcome to Jessy, and Ellie our new Goodgymers!

The garland of joy went to Lorenzo – of course! With 10 good deeds he can join Task Force!

Larkrise school needed a hand
With some tasks that they had planned.
One group had to smash up a fence
For a bonfire, which was intense!
A second group helped plant some trees
In record time, and with utmost ease.
The third group helped out inside
And easily took it in their stride.
Recycling old books and shelves
Was no sweat for Goodgymers like ourselves.

Next, instead of heading back,
We went down to the Bannister track.
We did some speed work for a while
To see if we could match Roger’s mile.*
Lastly we headed back to base;
Thanks everyone, this task was ace!

Roger Bannister was the first athlete to run a mile in under 4 minutes, which he did at the Iffley Road track. * Julia's Granny once dated Roger!! (her Grandpa hated him!) ;) <3

Help! I need some GoodGym! I need Oxford GoodGym.. won't you please please Help me!

ok I'll stop ;) 7 Winter Warriors went to Help Citizen's Advice Bureau.. who's job it is normally to help others.. "We help people find a way forward, We can all face problems that seem complicated or intimidating. At Citizens Advice we believe no one should have to face these problems without good quality, independent advice." <3 <3

Leo and Angus harnessed their DIY skills and took down shelves; sarah and isabella got their fine brushwork to use painting between pipes and pinboards.. While Ben and Lorenzo were roller kings covering the most ground on the walls!

Trev took photos, and tried not to trip people up while moving paint and washing the floor.. he reminded people about H&S and got worried if anyone was going to fall in the sink!!

Congrats to Lorenzo for getting to his 10 Good Deed mark!! Chrismas hats replaced the garland of joy, but I'll give you one to wear next time you run!! ;)

We wore Jingle Bells, and hats for the last run before Chrismas, cheering up passers by on the high street who started singing Jingle Bells, and a couple by The Bear pub (the oldest pub in Oxford) who started reciting the names of all the Reindeer. .. ... .. You know? .. Dasher and Dancer.. And Prancer and Vixen... Comet and Cupid And Donner and Blitzen?...

anyway.. It was a cold wet day so a slightly smaller group but perfectly formed for the small rooms we were painting in, and thank you all for coming out for our final task of 2019!

Happy Christmas

Welcome to Grace and Leo Jay who joined us for the first time.. you are very welcome!

So 13 of us went to Pack more Christmas boxes for Project Shoebox!

the focus this time was for boys, teenage girls and men. We knew what we were doing this time so some speeeedy boxing up occured :).

Trev forced us to wear jingle bells, santa hats, beards and Chrismas jumpers.. which I personally feel added a lot to the run up to headington. We made a sleigh like sound as we passed by the houses of people trying to forget that Boris Johnson has stollen all of their Christmas cheer.. not yet we say.. NOT YET!! and as the full moon peaks as i type this there is an optimism that maybe, just maybe, this Christmas will be a GoodGym one!.. yes, yes it will!

Thanks to Rachael who organised a fab Christmas meal for us at the Oxford Blue!

We ate all manor of rich food, shrimps in a fancy butter, pots of turkey, home baked Pizza and Baklava.. I'll let people comment if they have more food info!! We had crackers, Trev tangled up the yoyo and got told off for threatening to use the Water pistol. Stu made an overdue and welcome return and we talked about dating and politics, amongst other things! There were about 2 cracker jokes which I wont repeat here.. (There is still time, the whatsapp group joke book is now...OPEN!).

Angus reminded people that we needed to vote tomorrow as we paid the bill.. and we all laughed because like no-one would forget that.. right?!..