It's the end of an era! Today a superb task owner led his final community mission with GoodGym and what a task it was!

A big group of us gathered in St Lawrence Park in Byker, the group including many regular faces and a few we were welcoming back- hey Emma and Charlotte ! There was also a triple celebration going on today as both Tanya and Damu celebrated 100 good deeds and gained their wings, while Sam gained the cloak of goodness for her 50 milestone. Give them all a cheer for so many days of dedication to GoodGym!

Mike has orchestrated and led over 100 sessions for us and they are always a real treat in hidden gems of parks. There was a lot of reminiscing today about tasks gone by (if you don't know about the rocks in Kenton Park, ask anyone there that day as it's forever etched in memories!) and there were so many great days to reflect on as we've worked with Urban Green Newcastle to make our city parks safer places to be. Today's mammoth hedge cutting task was another example of how we can work together to do a big job in a short space of time. The before and after is quite astounding!

Mike's tasks always end with tea and biscuits but today it was with a twist as we had Louise and Sam's amazing baking, as well as no-alcohol prosecco to toast with. We also gave Mike his very own GoodGym tshirt to remember us by... he has certainly earned it.

Good luck and thank you Mike, we will really miss you.

Leazes Park is a serene escape nestled on the heart of Newcastle, offering a peaceful retreat with its scenic lake, lush greenery and historic surroundings.

Today we tackled the recurring issue of weeds and bushes over growing the pathways around the lake. Not only does this keep the pathways a safe space for the community to enjoy, it protects the historic paving.

It was lovely to have a large group of volunteers, and we quickly split into two groups to work opposite ways around the lake. There is a knack to getting the weeds out from between the paving stones and despite how easy Mike makes it look it’s definitely a good upper body work out!

With so many pairs of hands, the weeds stood no chance! Our newcomers were a delightful addition and conversations centred around taking the leap to try something new - like a new city to live in or new hobbies and meeting new people.

By the end of the session, we’d made the park a welcoming space for everyone to feel at home in. Check out the before and after photos.

There was a fantastic turn out this morning for a gardening task with Urban Green in Exhibition Park. Ranger Rhian had two large flowerbeds near Wylam brewery that needed weeding ready for some new plants.

We split in to two groups and quickly began to tackle the weeds. Liz, Debbie, Sam and I attacked the thistles and weeds. Red stalks out, wood stalks stay!

Louise, Dan, Ellie, Tom and newcomer Matt took on the bigger bed supervised by one of the resident swans.

The two hours flew by and the flower beds looked fantastic. Check out the pictures to see the difference.

The morning ended with an impromptu social in Urban Green Cafe.

After a last minute SOS from Earthwatch, we found ourselves back at the Tiny Forest site in Bensham to help spread a big pile of mulch over the clay and soil where all the little trees were planted. It was great to see the progress of the trees in such a relative short space of time.

A massive shout out to Sam and Thomas for the shift they put in after only just returning from their honeymoon (CONGRATULATIONS!!) just a few hours before (a 48 hr journey home at that!), and being fuelled on Easter Egg breakfasts.

I feel at one with the mulch Thomas, Goodgym

With the sun shining, we got stuck in straightaway, with the mountainous pile looking a bit of a daunting task. But we quickly got into a rhythm, and what once looked mulch too mulch, we realised that the mulch gang were going to be winners.

It kind of looks like lava slowing flowing towards us Lorna, Living Woods

In just over two hours, we emptied the last bucket, and the area had been transformed. Not only does it now look mulch nicer, it also gives the trees a mulch better chance of thriving, by keeping weeds away and retaining all the lovely moisture.

We’re going on a treasure hunt… and we’re not scared.

After a fantastic discussion on paragliding in car park of the community run pool and Gym, we headed to the top of the park. I’ll not be surprised if we see Anna flying off the side of a big hill! Our mission started with a litter pick to clear up the area ready for cutting back. The first hour flew by as we filled bag after bag of rubbish. The shrubbery hiding many surprises. Bank cards, gift cards, crystals, car parts, shelving unit, road signs all we were missing was the cuddly toy! As areas were cleared Debs and I started cutting back the bushes.

By coffee break we were surprised by the sheer number of bags we filled. With Tom and Sam’s up coming wedding conversation turned to the topic of stag and hen dos. Home leg and away leg? Party buses or flights? How many pints does a parkrun earn you?

We finished off the morning turning over a flower bed and cleaning up the path around the top entrance to the park.

Apologies that I forgot to take a group photograph.