Pun disclaimer: Not original material.

I love reading other Goodgym reports, however whenever I sit down to write one it doesn’t always flow how I want it to.

The Goodgym mission of today involved helping Newcastle parks to litter pick in Nunsmoor park. Adam, Aimee, Sam, Tom, and I helped Newcastle parks rangers and local volunteers in their mission to tidy up the park. A lot of bin bags were collected. The most common item I found were plastic straw wrappers. We were in various locations in the park, all doing our role of litter picking. Amongst the litter a guitar was discovered. It has been gifted to a new owner. One volunteer sang and played Jolene by Dolly Parton which was very wholesome. Aimee and I paired up and encouraged each other to retrieve water bottles from the tennis courts mesh. I always feel I have more confidence at Goodgym and cheering on runners at parkrun. I call it the Goodgym and parkrun enthusiasm.

Conversations included a range of topics, including tying shoelaces, happiness, and words. My favourite word in German is Übermorgen which means the day after tomorrow. In old English we used to have the word overmorrow. One of Aimee’s favourite words is Pandemonium. Aimee’s alternative definition is panda’s having a party.

As Sam and Tom mentioned FAB, I thought that I would venture there. FAB is a bakery in the West End of Newcastle. (Other bakeries are available). It used to be home to a butchers/sort of bakery. They sold six bread buns for £1.20. They were soft and doughy. I recently discovered some similar ones from the Grainger market. They are not quite the same, however they are similar. Today, I picked up some hot cross buns. Do you have yours toasted or not? With cheese or not?

The next Goodgym mission is on Monday at 18:15 meeting at One Strawberry Lane. https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/deliver-leaflets-for-foodcycle

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

Six GoodGymers helped Urban Green in Elswick Park on a surprising mild and sunny autumn morning. We arrived at the park and couldn't find Urban Green after Chris cycled cycled round the entire park and still couldn't find the van we were a bit stumped. Luckily Tomsaved the day by nipping home picking up some litter pickers, bin bags and a sweeping brush.

Chris had to head off shortly after with no we where to leave his bike. The rest of us littered picked for an hour in the park and along the road at the top, collecting 8 bags of litter between us with me and Jack emptying our bags into the bins and and continuing on.

Tom got really into sweeping leaves off the path at the top of the park and made a friend who helped him push the leaves out of the path and was shocked that he was helping out despite not living on that road.

Even thought the task didn't go according to plan we were pleased with out litter picking efforts and the difference we had made. Well done Ellie on her first good deed with GoodGym! Ellie also found the most random litter of the day a random plastic bag of lentils!

Sam and Tom had been singing praises of FAB bakery last week and this week and as it wasn't too far away most of us ended up pop there afterwards to stock up on sour dough bread (which they slice for you) and enjoy sweet treats.

Seven goodgymers helped Urban Green with bulb planting in St Lawrence Park on a crisp and damp autumn morning.

Urban Green supplied a massive bag of daffodil bulbs which when thrown over a shoulder the wearer looked a lot like an economical santa delivering the present of future flowers.

The actual task was pretty simple anyone taking a channel of a grass slope each and dig a hole for the bulb and then cover it back over. After a tea break half way though we moved on to another grass area in the park where we all took a a section and planned a strip of bulbs.

Unfortunately no before and after pictures as the daffodils will flower in the spring or possibly the one after if deep enough! Hopefully we will get to see the fruits, or flowers, of our labour then.

We are back helping Urban Green in Elswick Park the 16th of November if you want to come along and get involved!

It's the end of an era! Today a superb task owner led his final community mission with GoodGym and what a task it was!

A big group of us gathered in St Lawrence Park in Byker, the group including many regular faces and a few we were welcoming back- hey Emma and Charlotte ! There was also a triple celebration going on today as both Tanya and Damu celebrated 100 good deeds and gained their wings, while Sam gained the cloak of goodness for her 50 milestone. Give them all a cheer for so many days of dedication to GoodGym!

Mike has orchestrated and led over 100 sessions for us and they are always a real treat in hidden gems of parks. There was a lot of reminiscing today about tasks gone by (if you don't know about the rocks in Kenton Park, ask anyone there that day as it's forever etched in memories!) and there were so many great days to reflect on as we've worked with Urban Green Newcastle to make our city parks safer places to be. Today's mammoth hedge cutting task was another example of how we can work together to do a big job in a short space of time. The before and after is quite astounding!

Mike's tasks always end with tea and biscuits but today it was with a twist as we had Louise and Sam's amazing baking, as well as no-alcohol prosecco to toast with. We also gave Mike his very own GoodGym tshirt to remember us by... he has certainly earned it.

Good luck and thank you Mike, we will really miss you.

Leazes Park is a serene escape nestled on the heart of Newcastle, offering a peaceful retreat with its scenic lake, lush greenery and historic surroundings.

Today we tackled the recurring issue of weeds and bushes over growing the pathways around the lake. Not only does this keep the pathways a safe space for the community to enjoy, it protects the historic paving.

It was lovely to have a large group of volunteers, and we quickly split into two groups to work opposite ways around the lake. There is a knack to getting the weeds out from between the paving stones and despite how easy Mike makes it look it’s definitely a good upper body work out!

With so many pairs of hands, the weeds stood no chance! Our newcomers were a delightful addition and conversations centred around taking the leap to try something new - like a new city to live in or new hobbies and meeting new people.

By the end of the session, we’d made the park a welcoming space for everyone to feel at home in. Check out the before and after photos.