We continued with our mammoth effort of creating a learning and adventure space at St Martin's school in Odd Down. This week we were laying down bark chipping on the areas that we had already added membranes to. There are now 3 sections that are nearly complete - all they need is a sprinkling of 'top-soil' bark chipping to finish them off.

Today we cleared the fourth big area, laid down membrane on it, added stakes and planks to form a border and added the first layer of bark chipping onto it. Clearing the area involved digging up some very stubborn tree stumps and clods of tree roots. The team transporting and laying the bark chip had their hands full as well with lots of trips up and down the slope all morning.

Luckily the rain held off for most of this session unlike a few weeks ago!

Next weekend is the final push to get the last section finished and add the rest of the bark chip. That way everything will be ready for when school starts back in September.

We continued the project at St Martin's Garden school with volunteers from St James and St Phillips Church. The project is to redevelop the outdoor space in a block of classroom buildings and create a place where the children can enjoy learning and playing. We are converting some areas of poor soil and weeds by digging the area out and down, laying down membranes, adding bark chipping and bordering them off with some wooden planks and stakes. It's hard work but it's rewarding!

This week we made some great progress in each of the areas:

• Area 1: we fully completed the first area (by adding an extra layer of bark chipping). It looks great!
• Area 2: after the work digging it out last week, Emily, Ruth and Max cleared away some final few stones, loose root and even some weeds that have grown since last week! Andy and his team then laid down some membrane, ready to have chips added next time.
• Area 3: this was also dug out last week, and the team did the same as area 2. It's been flattened and was partly covered in membrane. Nearly there!
• Area 4: Michael and I used the mattocks and pick axes to dig this out the weeds and soil and then dig down about 6 inches. It was really hard work but an amazing work out! We then nearly finished scooping out the earth and next time we will finish this so the membrane can then be laid.
• Area 5: The smallest but trickiest area because of all the tree roots: the mattock made short work of this and next week we can dig it over again and remove more of the soil.

Everything was going well until the rain came! It absolutely bucketed down, but that didn't stop us! Great determination, grit and team work was on display. Thanks to everyone who came along and made this such a success. Sign up here for the next session on Saturday 15th August.

Some of the pun contenders that didn't quite make it (why can't we get more usually?!):

• A barrow-full of laughs
• Raking it in
• Wet, wet, wet!
• Back B(raking) work

This morning we took part in the latest instalment of the project to create an outdoor play and learning area at St Martin's school alongside a team of volunteers from St Phillip and St James Church.

Today we nearly completed one section of the outdoor space. We laid down a new membrane, bordered it with wooded stakes and boards and then laid a few tonnes of bark chipping. All that is left for that section is to lay some drier and higher-quality chips down, and then it's done!

We also spent the morning working on the other 3 areas which are still a work in progress. We dug out the weeds and earth and then cut and dug back the old membrane, getting the space ready for the new membrane and bark chips.

We moves the excess dirt into the centre of the area to fill in a dip in the central play area which we will off in a future task and we heaved the old membranes into a skip.

Thanks to all those who came along and got their hands dirty (quite literally - there was mud everywhere by the end of it!).

Join at the next two tasks where we will continue where we left off! Next Saturday and Saturday 15th August.

A group of GoodGym volunteers took the hilly route up through Bear Flat to get to St Phillips and St James' Church in Odd Down. We spent the evening preparing and painting their Christmas display that will be featured outside the church for all to enjoy. It was a tough and very vertical run, but we were pleased to manage over 7km in total and give a huge helping hand to the volunteers at the church.

Our host for the evening, Andy, met us at the Leisure Centre to run with us. This rarely happens at GoodGym and we were delighted to have him along for the run. Andy gave us an overview of the fun task ahead to motivate us to get up the hill and then, after a warm-up, we were on our way!

At GoodGym we don't shy away from a challenge, so we clubbed together and made it up Holloway and Bloomsfield Drive in good time. We were tired when we got to the church but fortunately Andy and the other volunteers had very kindly arranged some sugary refreshments and drinks of water for us.

Every year, the church creates a fantastic and original Christmas display that goes at the entrance to the church, by the main road. Last year we got involved and painted some GoodGym camels and we were delighted to be back again to help out.

This year, the church are going to have a set of painted wooden boards to make a massive life-sized advent calendar. Each day in the calender will have its own door that will be opened. There is a design in the background and different community groups (including us!) will get the chance to have their own day in the calender.

The first part of the task was to sketch the outline for the background onto the boards. The team at the church had set up a projector and we made good use of our patience and steady hands (easier said than done after running up the hill!).

While one team were sketching the outline the other team got started on painting the background to the boards. What a wonderful way to spend a Tuesday evening.

On our way out we noticed that we had made 'the wall' with pictures of us helping out at the Sunday Funday that the Church hosted earlier this year. See if you can spot the picture of us!

We made a huge impact on the project in the short time we were there and we are excited to be going back in a few weeks time to get involved in the next stage and do some more painting!

Andy and the team really appreciate the hard work we put in, so thanks for coming along and getting involved.

Thanks!

Thanks to Andy and the Church for hosting us. Thanks to Nicola for backmarking for us and thanks to Nicola as well for the pun!

Twas a BARMEY day in mid ZUMMERSET for our 10 west country folk taking on the task and 3k run to paint the Manna house youth room for St Phillip and St James church in Odd Down.

A first for Goodgym Bath to have two of our hosts joining us for the group run, Andy and Ruth did a sterling job taking on the off road run, although Andy did confess to have been in training. A warm welcome to Ed who was joining us for his first Goodgym run and lovely to see someone full of Goodgym enthusiasm at such an early stage. Great to have our fellow Goodgymers from Brizzle with us in the form of Godmother Mary :-) Task force supremo's Matt and Paul and the lovely Debbie, I think they like the hospitality in food form.

Introductions and debrief out of the way, we took to the green fields and BMX trail with the added bonus of some fitness fun in the form of squats, lunges, pull-ups and a bit of competitive speed work with Paul taking advantage of the fact that his running colleagues had already done the skyline park run... fresh legs!!

We arrived on location to a sight for sore eyes with a bevvy of delights from cold drinks and fresh orange quarters to sweet biscuits all served up by the kind volunteers at the church who do a fantastic job.

Andy soon had the group organised with walls to emulsion and skirting to gloss but this also gave the group a chance to chat along the way and get to know each other, after an hour working hard but completing the job we grabbed a quick group photo on the climbing wall before grabbing some refreshments and a quick discussion on WHICH BISCUIT IS YOUR PREFERED CHOICE and TO DUNK OR NOT and somehow Dave confessing to his weekend name being Mary... not sure how we came to this point .... ha!!

Thank you to Matt for the run pun, Rosie for back marking and in general everyone for coming and making this happen, truly amazing people doing good in the community.