Happy Birthday to us!

Our Bank Holiday Birthday Bonanza actually started this morning with a social trip to Tynemouth beach in which frisbee was played, fish and chips were eaten and generally everyone pretended not to freeze on the North East coast for our first birthday celebration. We shared our birthday with our brilliant Task Force head of all things social, Evan aka Evan Eleven.. Happy Birthday Evan!... and he made an amazing*** birthday trifle*** for everyone to share- check out the photo and marvel over the beauty of it. A big thank you to everyone who's been part of GoodGym Newcastle in our first year. You've all played a very important part in making it special, and the best part of everyone's week.

We started the night with a celebration of three great Community Missions over the weekend, with a special nod to Andrew who completed the Treble. Kudos to that! Community Missions are completely managed by the brilliant Task Force now and they always manage to do a fantastic job, so again a huge well done to all who takes part. It was another celebration too in the form of the GEORDIE CLOAK OF GOOD DEEDS which tonight found its way to everyone's favourite Aussie, Rachel. We oohed and ahhhed and applauded her 50th Good Deed which took place on Easter Monday and she took the time to do lots of excellent swishing in black and white.

It was a new task for us for Bank Holiday, organised by Andrew. We were doing a leaflet drop for Youth Homeless North East an organisation based in the city centre that helps young vulnerable people affected by homelessness by giving them a a real voice and a space where they are heard. We were off to Jesmond to drop off some donation envelopes that Andrew had organised brilliantly for us so we could get stuck straight in. There was a walking group as well as runners tonight and as always excellent conversation was had by all on the way there, if you count me just droning on and on about the London Marathon as excellent conversation.

We managed to split off and cover a huge area in pairs and small groups to hopefully generate some new donations for YHNE.

This is the most I have laughed in ages

Job done and it was fitness session time! We started off doing running drills in the bandstand in Exhibition Park which ended up looking like some really bizarre morris dancing but was ideal in warming up our legs ready to smash a Paarlauf session. Paarlauf means doing super fitness things in pairs, those super things being hard running loops followed by tricep dips and step ups on the benches to create a quick full body workout. It finished with much sweating, smiling faces and a special guard of honour for Charlotte after she smashed her final lap.

Don't say time's up, I want to do one more!

We are back to Changing Lives next week where we are going to be joined by some GoodGym running royalty, further details on which will only be revealed on the night. You can sign up for that here

Have a brilliant week, with lots of good running and walking.

Anji x