Today was our second visit in a week to Big Local Gateshead’s Sandown Allotment. Adam returned after starting the task last week, Lucy joined in having been to previous sessions on the site and it was my first visit to this charming place. There was a definite spring-like feel in the air - Adam was even wearing shorts!

Adam got straight to work with a wheelbarrow, moving piles of stones around. Lucy and my first task was cutting back an overgrown very dry lavender bush to make sure the path at that corner was accessible. Even though the plant was so dry there was still a lovely lavender smell - maybe that’s why I feel so sleepy this afternoon!

While Adam continued with his wheelbarrow, Lucy and I moved on to clear a pile of dead plants and organic material. The three of us then spent some time sorting out hundreds of old plant pots into useable ones and others to be thrown into the newly arrived skip. With the Big Local staff, another group of volunteers and the three of us, the skip filled up quickly and the paths looked clearer.

Kudos to Lucy and Adam for staying for the rest of the afternoon, beyond our session’s listing - I hope you didn’t get too wet by the rain I got caught in during my afternoon jobs!

(Apologies for the lack of photos, technical difficulties!)

Welcome Anjali to your first goodgym mission.

Anjali and I got to work on sorting the riding boots, Anna sorted the riding hats and Scott, Aimee and Max sorted the riding lanes.

We all came together at the end to sweep the stable paths.

During tonights photography shoot, a hat was temporarily stolen. The hat was soon retrieved directly from the culprit.

Photo credits go to Aimee and Anna.

Have a good week everyone!

Me and Adam had a valentines volenteering date with Big Local Gateshead, at their community allotment at Sandown allotment.

The community allotment is used by many different groups of people from school children to adult volunteers and over 55s, for the mental health benefits of gardening, growing plants and being outside. Over time the paths had become covered in weeds and less accessible so our task was to skim off the top layer ready for it to be resurfaced to be more wheelchair accessible.

Along with Big Local regulars we were digging out the top layer of the old path and putting it into wheelbarrows and once the skip was delivered lifting and tipping wheelbarrows contents into the skip.

While we worked we learnt about the work the Big Local do and herb hub and how they are growing herbs for good mental health. There was also plenty of tea/coffee, biscuits and fruit and even some lunch!

It was great seeing the difference we had made in two hours! If you are interested in helping out we are back to continue helping Big Local with their path resurfacing project next Thursday!

We were at Newcastle University Students Union for their volunteering week, unfortunately we didn't have any student volunteers but we still had a good time. We were helping with some admin tasks for North East Solidarity and Teaching (N.E.S.T) a student led project at Newcastle University Students Union, which the refugee and asylum-seeking community in the region through a variety of formats one of which is going into school and helping with English.

The weather outside was miserable and cold so it was nice to have an indoor task! I started off folding some leaflets, while Lucy stables out other leaflets and Scottgot stuck in with using the guillotine cutter to cut words which had been printed out to be used within schools. Once we had finished our tasks me and Lucy also joined in with cutting and putting the word cards in the laminator pouches which were then feed through the laminator.

While we worked we had some nice conversations about the difficulties of the English language, spelling, proof reading and how hard it is to remember the correct time to use affect or effect!

One GoodGymer volunteered at a slightly cold and wet junior parkrun. Despite the miserable weather, the junior parkrunners and volunteers were out in force!

The atmosphere was electric on Wednesday evening as Newcastle United attempted (successfully as it turned out) to reach the EFL Cup Final. All along Strawberry Place, NUFC Foodbank volunteers were collecting for the cause.

Lucy, Louise and Richard met at marquee just after 6pm to collect their buckets. They joined the other volunteers in raising money for the foodbank almost right up until kick off time. It's amazing how generous some people can be, whilst also being a little surprising how drunk the odd person was.

John, who manages the foodbank, had a long chat with some of the GoodGymers tonight, learning that we don't tend to spend much, or any, time in gyms, and that we help a whole host of organisations in many different ways.