This evening we were joined by Charlie for her first GoodGym session, and she'd even run from home to join us! Superstar! Nick had come with his own litter picker as well, which meant we could all get stuck in.

And we certainly had a lot to do! On our last visit to the Kennet, we went for a lovely long stroll and collected very little, but this week, there was loads! We only made it a few hundred metres down the path before having to drop off two full bags and get started on some more!

Nick made the interesting discovery of several parking tickets... hopefully no extra fines going to anyone! A shame they weren't giving out fines for litter though, with 8 bags full we decided to call it a night and head our separate ways for the night.

Chris and Jenni went to Reading Rugby club to help with some of their club house renovation. Now the roof has been finished there's plenty to do inside so they can reach the try line before the new season starts!

We joined the scrum of volunteers who were there for the day. During the morning we repainted a corridor and the benches in one of the changing rooms while we were there. It made big difference in a small amount of time!

We might be back again in the coming weeks as they progress with the work.

Noor went along to the Cintra Park clean up day. She said "I met some really nice people, I'm happy I got to take part!"

We're hoping to have some more sessions in this area soon - watch this space!

Three GoodGymers and one enthusiastic new recruit (not officially GoodGym yet but we’re working on it!) rolled up their sleeves to get stuck into some garden maintenance at the Weller Centre.

The lawnmower may have been out of action, but that didn't slow us down. Armed with determination (and a strimmer), we cut back overgrown grass, chopped stubborn twigs prepping them for the shredder, and cleared a good amount of litter from the area. A surprise highlight was the stunning sunflowers standing tall, a cheerful reminder of what a bit of care and attention can do. lovely gardens and we can't wait to go back.

Three GoodGymers turned out early on Saturday morning to support the Reading Thames Valley Parkrun. Despite the light rain, spirits were high and the runners were out in force. We saw a seriously speedy turnout from the runners — including two kids who absolutely flew through the 5k with impressively fast finish times.

We helped with marshalling, time keeping, and time checking at the finish line. It was great to be out supporting the local community and getting our GoodGym dose of fresh air and teamwork. Thanks to Reading Parkrun for having us – we’ll be back (hopefully with sunshine next time!).

Litter picking in the Forest on the University of Reading Campus