Woodhill Church

This bonfire night 5 Goodgym Members met at Woodhill Church To Help With An Outdoor Task 😊

A big Welcome to Ben who joined us for his first task, hopefully first of many 👍

Wayne & Olalekan get to the church a little early and were met by Jules who looks after all the projects around the church grounds.

First task was two get all the 40 compost bags from around the front of the church to the back of the church as they got delivered and dropped off at the wrong side. Wayne & Olalekan started to move them around after 2 rounds Olalekan asked if there was a wheel barrow available which we could load up and save us many trips back & forward. Jules did have one available which made life very easy. After 4 trips all 40 bags were brought to the bedding area. Julie, Stephanie & Ben had arrived at this point. At this point we followed instructions from our garden expert Julie. We placed the bags all along the perimeter and cut them open in readiness to spread the compost.

Above us in the night sky we can see and hear fireworks going off 🎇. Using forks and shovels we spread the compost all around the bedding. Withing 40 mins the job was completed.Jules was very grateful what would of taken her hours we done in no time 😊.

We put the tools away then Jules treated us all the some pasteries and bread which were very tasty ❤

This week again, four GoodGymers met at the Lower Infant School in Knaphill to carry on the work started in the trail garden.

Kirsty enrolled her husband Bryan to come and help, as we had realised, last week, that we needed more muscles for some of the tasks. Let's all welcome Bryan back to GoodGym Woking!

Olalekan was asked to dig some trenches following marked lines on the ground. These represent the different areas of the trail garden. Once he had done this hard work, instead of having a rest, Olalekan took hold of the rake and gathered more leaves. It looks like the never ending job! But we are in November and we are working in a wooded area....

Kirsty chose to do something different from last week and be more artistic: she joined the team who were painting the loooong fence. It is going to take quite a while and hopefully more parents will come and help in the following weeks.

Bryan was eager to use his DIY skills and started to assemble a water fountain. It is made of so many pieces that not everyone could do the job. I am sure Bryan cannot wait to resume his art work and will bring his power tools next time.

Anne was asked to support the stepladder while Mark and Vikki started to set up the beautiful teepee made of slats of wood. The children will certainly like it! Then, it was time to go back to cleaning the beams of the trail covered with green fungi.Quite a dirty job, but it is rewarding to see the end result. There are more beams to clean though...

All in all, we were all pleased with our Saturday morning mission. Olalekan and Anne ran back to town along the canal, making the most of the good weather!

Tomorrow, we might see you at junior parkrun; then on Wednesday we will help the Community Fridge in Knaphill.

In the meantime, happy running to you all.

"This Girl Can" #letsliftthecurfew 🏃🏼‍♀️

This evening Woking GG met at the leisure centre to do a community litter pick run and the highlight the "This Girl Can" campaign. The litter pick part of the task did not happen as Wayne could not find the litter pickers so it was a gentle run around the leisure centre 🏃🏼‍♀️.

Anne, Katie, Julie, Nadia, Luan, Caterina, met at the entrance to the leisure centre they were joined by our newest member Olalekan. After introductions we switched on our head torches and headed off.

It was great seeing Julie who has been very busy of late and also fantastic to see Caterina join us for an evening run 😀.

While we were running we got to know Olalekan who many years ago represented his country in a number of athletic events 🏃‍♂️ Olalekan has just moved to the area and is so far loving Goodgym.

Let’s Lift The Curfew launched in 2023 to showcase women’s stories and concerns around getting active outdoors in the darker months when the clocks go back, as well as calling on wider society to acknowledge their role in making getting active outdoors safer for women. 😀🏃🏼‍♀️

**First Report By Olalekan

On Sunday morning, I volunteered as a Marshall at the Woking Junior Parkrun. I arrived early to help set up the course and was given a briefing about my position and responsibilities. My main task was to guide and encourage the runners, make sure they followed the correct route, and report any issues to the Run Director.

During the event, I stood at my designated point on the course, cheering on the children and offering encouragement as they ran past. It was great to see so many young runners taking part and enjoying themselves. I also made sure the path was clear and safe for everyone.

After the final runner passed, I collected the course signs near my position and helped pack them away. The whole experience was very positive — it was rewarding to support the event and help the children stay motivated and safe. I would definitely be happy to volunteer again in the future.

2nd Report By Karen

Following a last-minute appeal to parents and carers, we were able to go ahead with the parkrun — we had been two volunteers short at the start. In total, 134 runners took part, supported by 23 wonderful volunteers.

Among them were two GoodGymers, Ola and Karen, who sadly didn’t manage to spot each other on the day. With the colder weather now here, our red T-shirts tend to be hidden under coats, which makes meeting a bit more challenging. To be fair, Ola braved it in a T-shirt, so we’re still not sure how Karen missed that!

Despite the chill, it was a great morning and an enjoyable run for everyone involved — runners and volunteers alike.