Thankfully the weather warmed up after a very cold weekend. Races and parkruns suffered mass cancellations on Saturday and Sunday, but all of the ice had magically disappeared by the time we set off on our latest litter pick from Stepney Bank Stables.

Sadly no matter how times we clear litter from Byker, it is scattered everywhere again within a few weeks. Three GoodGymers managed to fill three bags each tonight, which made the place look much tidier, at least for a short time!

Three GoodGymers had a very merry Friday night in Newcastle. The task tonight was preceded by a long walk and talk. Thankfully it was dry and calm, if a bit cold.

Being the last Friday before Christmas, the pubs were exceptionally busy, so the Christmas card writing session took place in a coffee shop instead. We hope a local care home will appreciate some Christmas cards for their residents.

Thank you very much to everyone that has attended a GoodGym session in 2025. We hope to see you all again in 2026! The next Monday night group run will be on January 5th. In the meantime, please look out for some junior parkrun volunteering opportunities, as well as anything else that pops up. January will also bring GoodGym's annual January Challenge, where we will try to match or beat last year's good deed and distance covered totals, and see how we compare to other GoodGym areas.

On a mild Monday evening, three GoodGymers removed a large amount of litter from the streets of Byker. Everyone else seemed to be out for a run as numerous running groups whizzed past.

Tonight's task wasn't without its challenges. Two of our faithful litter pickers reached the end of their lives, breaking after many dozens of litter picks carried out. Squeezing the litter into the council's black bins was a bit more difficult than usual. We got covered in some sticky liquids trying to deposit the litter, but all of the litter ended up in the bins.