Due to the clocks springing forward at the weekend we enjoyed one of our first evening sessions of the year where head torches weren't required! A chatty hour of clearing ivy, brambles and other weeds from around the gravestones while the sun set behind us. Thanks to everyone (including Amanda from the Church) for coming along!

Goodgymers came together at Maidenhead Athletics club to help prepare the site for sunny days ahead!

A track session to warm us up and get us in the mood, circling our task multiple times. An interval run around the track guided by Leila from MAC and an air horn which unfortunately lacked volume. This meant the difference between fast and slower paces became blurred for some. But we all enjoyed it.

Settling in for the task, some recut the grass edging of the long jump run up. Initially set a goal of half of the run-up. We over delivered and completed a full cut and trim.

The sand also received a good turn over with a good catch up thrown in.

Heading inside some cleaned standing long jump mats before ending the task celebrating Jess and Vivs milestones, 250 and 50 good deeds respectively. An amazing achievement to end a great session. Cake for all, medals worn with pride before heading home.

A cold, but more surprisingly dry night welcomed 8 goodgymmers to Holyport FC for the G.O.A.T of all tasks- pothole filling!

Once we had assembled (like the good gym equivalent to the avengers) we collected our weapons of choice in the way of spades, forks and wheel barrows, and with torches leading our way made it to the pile of shingle in the dark.

In no time at all we had 3 wheel barrows (one with an exceptionally squeaky wheel) filled and commenced with the mission at hand

A short time later all pot holes were filled and we made our way back to the meeting point for cookies and pats on the back for another successfully completed mission!

Watch this space for the sequel!

6 GoodGymers helped the Cookham Arts Club take down their Spring exhibition. It's a really fun task, involving dismantling large display screens and stowing them away under the stage, as well as shifting tables and chairs.

There is a fine art to fitting the screens under the stage, in which Jess is now well rehearsed. She didn't hesitate when asked to crawl under the stage and play tetris with the screens. The rest of us were busy bringing more and more kit to the stage hatch when there was a cry from below,

'We need another one of those red people down here!'

Georgeta took her cue and joined Jess in the confined space below.

Sheila, Viv, Tony and I meanwhile made the hall emptier and emptier, until everything was clear. And in record timing too!

Jess and Georgeta eventually emerged from their hiding place, still smiling, and it was time to take a bow and head for home.

What a night! A fantastic 20 Goodgymmers turned out to support Alexander Devine and their Easter Fundraising campaign and to celebrate 5 years of Goodgym Windsor & Maidenhead!

The evening was split into two parts…….our task and our party!

Part 1: Chick-stuffing! Hannah and Nicole from Alexander Devine provided us with stacks of chocolate eggs and knitted chicks! We had to stuff the chicks with the eggs and then add little tags so people knew who the chicks were supporting. There was a wide variety of chicks with added hats, bows and even bells! Each group found their own way of getting through the stacks of chicks and there was a whole variety of ideas to ensure the labels stayed round the chicks necks securely.

We managed to stuff and label ~550 chicks, smashing last years numbers! These chicks will be distributed to local schools, shops and businesses where they will be sold and the money will go to the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service. This is a crucial resource for families with children who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. They provide support during the hardest times and ensure parents and siblings can make precious memories.

Part 2: Party time! Once we had got our fill of chick-stuffing it was time to celebrate 5 years of Goodgym in Windsor & Maidenhead! Everyone was given a coloured medal indicating their team and they gathered together the items beginning with G they had brought with them, and had to come up with a team name and a story about their mascot. We had Green-hatted, disco loving Gizmo, a couple of galivanting Gary’s, Goodie who enjoyed Grapefruits and golf ball collecting and Georgetta the gardening goddess!

It was then on to the games! Each one tenuously themed around our Goodgym tasks! First up was our love of the community allotment represented by potatoes in tights thrust at small posts, a game of skill and accuracy! Next we celebrated the Goodgymmers themselves, with ‘Pin’ the medal on the Goodgymmer, this involved blindfolds and mini mascots and a lot of loud encouragement! Of course we could not leave out our most dependable task; litter picking! As if by magic a heap of litter swept into the room and needed clearing, involving mini high-vis and litter pickers! Our final game was a well contested round of musical chairs….and we know about sturdy chairs as we have mended many at the community centre.

A party is not complete without cake, and we are lucky to have some great bakers in our group! Whilst we tucked in Amy encouraged us to think about our goals for the next Goodgym year….maybe a milestone to reach, a distance to run or trying our hand at social visits. An opportunity for us to step outside our comfort zone knowing our fellow Goodgymmers are backing us all the way!
We also took the opportunity to celebrate our combined and some individual achievements from the last 5 years and Amy gave us some incredible stats for the last 5 years: - 7267 Good Deeds completed by 438 Goodgymmers! - 1674 group sessions and 184 social visits! - Travelled 56,744kms! - Cheered each other 34,795 times!

We should all be really proud of ourselves, whether we were there on task 1 or tonight was the first, the difference we have made, and will continue to make in our community is incredible. 😊

Well Done Team! Here’s to the next 5 years!