Phay, Dick and DJ turned out on a sunny Sunday morning to help tidy up the sensory garden ready for an event next week. We set about weeding the flower beds while chatting about jobs, weekends away and nicknames. DJ got so carried away he started pulling up the plants as well as the weeds. Luckily he replanted the plant and no-one was any the wiser! In between coffee breaks we did a great job helping dig over the flower beds. We also spotted some faint previous GoodGym graffiti in the garden, courtesy of Joe (allegedly). The details of next week's event are in the poster (see pictures), all are welcome to come along.

Our Wednesday task is a Foodbank run. You can sign up here

On a lovely sunny, but muddy, Sunday morning, we were back at Barrow Farm to help finish off the memorial garden. We met in the car park and welcomed Laura and Anthony to their first session. We then headed round to meet Andrea who set us to work. Today we were laying the woodchip paths around the garden. It's come on loads since we were last there and is really looking fabulous now.

First we had to clear a path through the pile of wood chippings before shifting and laying an under layer of gravel. David, Joe and Anthony were on wheelbarrow duty, while Fay, Laurie and Laura were loading. Andy was on the receiving end spreading the gravel. Once that was done and some cups of tea and biscuits had been consumed we said goodbye to Laurie and David who were off to make a roast dinner. (Where was our invite?!) The rest of us continued and laid the wood chippings onto the paths.

It's really starting to come together now and we can't wait for the grand opening.

This week we have a leaflet drop, postponed from last week because of the rain. We also have our annual pub crawl coming up on saturday. You can still sign up for either (or both!) here

Happy GoodGyming!

3 GoodGymers headed to Barrow Farm on a warm but overcast Sunday morning, the perfect weather for moving and shovelling lots of soil! When we arrived we met Andrea who told us what we needed to do and we got stuck in with the rest of the volunteers. Joe and Andy were on the wheelbarrow team, helping move the soil from the front of the farm through to the garden at the back. Fay was on shovelling duty, helping to level out the ground with the soil as it was delivered.

From the photos you'd be forgiven for thinking that Joe spent more time on a tea break than he did working but I confirm that he definitely pulled his weight. I managed to avoid being in any pictures so I can't even prove I did anything at all!

Chelmsford Lions are going to be hosting a show on Chelmsford Community Radio, so we put our best interview voices on and Julie interviewed us about all things GoodGym. Andy is a pro when it comes to being on the radio so I'd bet he will be slickest in the final cut.

We are likely to be headed back to Barrow Farm once more before everything is finished, keep your eye out for the community mission on the website in the coming days.

Next week our group run is a leaflet drop, you can sign up here

2 GoodGymers turned out on a lovely sunny morning for a spot of bramble clearing, brush moving and wooden arch destroying.

After a quick visit to say hello to the horses, Fay and Andy had a good old gossip while digging, then after a quick break for a cup of tea and a biscuit or two, got back to moving some brush. Then came the main event, ripping apart the wooden arch. It was no match for us and Andy did some great work sawing up the logs for ease of transport. Unfortunately we didn't get any action shots but it was good fun smashing it to bits!

The garden is nearly ready for the groundwork to be done for the wheelchair area so next time we go back we should be doing the pre-prep and planting. It's lovely to see the area taking shape. We can't wait to see it when it's finished.

Our next group run takes us to St John's Church Hall. You can sign up here

Happy GoodGyming!

Fay

On the usual Wednesday night run, it was only Joe signed up for the weekend task at Baddow Farm, who’d be joined by Joanne for her first event with GoodGym Chelmsford.

So he couldn’t be-leaf how poplar he was as a decent turnout of GGers arrived on a cold morning. We all welcomed Leanne back to her first session in over a year with a good chat before the safety briefing. Rich got very excited about “a chainsaw on a pole” but as he and Sallyann had to cycle home afterwards, he decided against using it and everyone kept their limbs. Joe’s approach to clearing thick undergrowth was to clmb inside it and cut himself out. This was the opposite of Joel’s, and the two hacked the thicket apart to meet in the middle and get to the root of just when is the best time to enjoy a pint of stout. By this point a professional chainsaw slinger had arrived and helped fell what Rich couldn’t start with a hacksaw or Andy couldn’t finish by hanging off a branch with a handful of helpers. He was very complimentary about their work though, but Rich won’t be branching out into tree surgery just yet. Drinking tea, eating biscuits – thanks Lions! – and waiting for instructions on what to do with the trees gave us the ideal opportunity for group photos, and for Andy to nail a Parkrun-style jump. Biscuits finished, trees cleared and one garden now much lighter and more open than before, we headed home for baths and a rest. If helping a local charity wasn’t enough, it also meant we were level with Colchester in the tight local derby to be Group B’s top GoodGym team. Thanks everyone!

Joe