It was a little rainy for our task tonight but since most of us had been caught in never-before-seen-in-this-country levels of torrential rain yesterday, whether as runners or supporters at the Great North Run, it was like water off a duck's back!

It was great to welcome back Matt and Alfie to their second tasks - I think that makes them regulars now!

We had a short stroll into the Ouseburn Valley to meet task owner Dave from the Ouseburn Trust and his colleague Chris. The Ouseburn Valley is a buzzing green space on the edge of the city and it's a favourite task of ours to help keep the space safe, accessible and looking good for people passing through. As always, Dave was ready for us with two tasks and the tools to complete them. The valley didn't escape the effects of the storms yesterday and mud had been swept onto some paths and steps, making them slippery. Michael, Matt and Alfie got to work with Dave, using shovels and brooms to clear the mud, making the paths and steps much safer. Meanwhile, Aimee, Elliot, Dan, Chris and I got to work with loppers, cutting back some overgrown hedges, including some rather vicious brambles, which have the ability to penetrate gloves, sleeves and leggings! Check out the photos of beautifully clear paths!

At this point we should address the elephant in the room! We were joined tonight by a BBC film crew making a piece for the Morning Live program on the theme of Running for Good. It was great to be able to talk about what a fantastic organisation GoodGym is and the different ways we can use fitness sessions to benefit the community, and vice versa, to use volunteering to help motivate us to keep fit. Hopefully it'll lead to a few new members joining us. Coming to a TV screen near you very soon!

We have a busy weekend coming up with Urban Green tasks on Saturday and Sunday, quickly followed by a litter pick in the Ouseburn Valley in Monday - at least we know the paths will be clear for that one - unless the storms come back! Check out the website to sign up!

(Kudos to Dan for pun and pics!)

It was a night of fours tonight. Firstly, we welcomed our fourth new member of the week! Welcome Matt and congratulations on your first GoodGym mission - hopefully the first of many!

So that meant four fabulous GoodGymers for our mission - to deliver four hundred leaflets for our friends at Food Cycle. Food Cycle take donated food and prepare three course meals for anyone who needs or wants one. They have four centres in Newcastle (and one in Gateshead) and tonight we were spreading the word about their new centre in Benwell. The streets of Benwell were lively tonight! You might almost say that the residents were out in fource!

I will admit that when I saw the pile of leaflets I doubted whether we would manage to deliver them all. I should've known better! I mean, we're expert leaflet deliverers right?! Would you believe me if I told you we finished the task in forty four minutes? Well Ok, I might've used a little poetic license there, but it was definitely in the forties!

We had a full leg work out tonight too - it's not called GoodGym for nothing! There were squats to the ankle height letterboxes in one estate, step challenges up to the houses in other streets and hill reps up and down the Benwell streets. Just what we need four days before the Great North Run!

All in all, a tour de "fource" of a task tonight! Join us for our next session - a beginner-friendly session on Monday 11th September, meeting at Stepney Bank Stables at 6.15pm and helping our friends at the Ouseburn Trust in the Ouseburn Valley. Oh, and there'll be a BBC TV crew filming us. If you're a little camera shy we can make sure you're out of shot. Hope to see you then!