On a beautifully sunny, but chilly, morning, Georgeta , Sue and Sheila joined about 10 other volunteers at Ockwells Park for a community orchard pruning session. Rosie, one of the Rangers, took us through all the things to consider when pruning a fruit tree to enable the fruit to grow well. And then we were let loose on the trees! We divided into groups and each tackled a tree. With guidance from Rosie our confidence grew, and we piled up the cut branches under each tree. We certainly learned a lot and several of the apple trees are now in much better shape for next season. We can't wait until next autumn when we can taste the fruits of our labour!

Great to see another big number of GoodGymers get out there in the wind & rain, and tackle the ever-present rubbish in their local areas.

While some (like Sheila, Rachel & Diya) did it as a group, some went out in pair with their pets, and many did solo picks in places which needed it most.

GoodGym tasks are fun together but this format has given people a lot of flexibility, because of which we have larger coverage and a lot less litter on our streets. Win Win!

At the first GoodGym session at the Baby Bank, Karen and Sheila were delighted to be joined by Sue for her first mission. Sue quickly got to grips with how to sort the donated clothes, and which ones we can't use. Meanwhile, Karen and Sheila were carrying out secondary checks and storing the clothes away. As fast as we could sort, more and more donations were coming in. Everyone is obviously having a sort out after Christmas, and the Baby Bank will certainly put the donations to good use.

On a wet and windswept night in Dedworth, three GoodGym operatives — Jen, Sheila, and Adam — set out to deliver Age Concern leaflets for the Spencer Denney Centre. The rain was relentless. The mood? Suspicious.

From the start, Jen and Sheila worked with the quiet determination of true Faithfuls, slipping leaflets through letterboxes while dodging puddles the size of small lakes. But halfway down the first road, Adam made a sudden announcement: he was leaving early.

A convenient excuse.
A suspiciously timed exit.
A classic Traitor move.

With their numbers reduced, Jen and Sheila pressed on, battling the rain and the growing sense that the mission might not be completed. And in the end, despite their best efforts, a small stack of leaflets remained undelivered — the final twist in a night full of them.

Still, the Faithfuls did what they could. Spirits stayed high. Dedworth learned more about the Spencer Denney Centre. And Adam? Well… the roundtable awaits.

14 GoodGymers turned out for the first Wednesday night session of the year to help the wonderful Green Skills Library. Kudos to Jess for leading a group to run from the Community Centre to get to the task. It was great to welcome Monnish for his first ever task and Sinead for her second. We were met by our Taskowner Donna who led us down into the old Smokeys Nightclub. It evoked some good memories for some! One group sorted the donated fabrics into types, so that they can be re-used in community projects. We came across some fabulous and interesting fabrics. One person's rags is another person's riches, and Donna is certainly determined to use the riches stored in that room for the good of the community. Another group sorted the stationery, creating order from chaos. The hour just flew by, and great progress was made. Thanks to Amy for the impromptu arm press-up session to help warm everyone up

5 hardy GoodGymers braved the chilly weather to help out at the community allotment. Georgeta was immediately drawn to photographing the frosty fractals that had formed on the shed windows. We were delighted to welcome Sinead for her very first task. Our task today was to clear the ground around the new fruit trees of the grass and brambles to reduce the competition and so they can be mulched. We set to with spades, forks and edging tools, relieved that the ground wasn't too frozen. Our spirits were high as we caught up after the Christmas break, and much laughter drifted across the allotment. Before we knew it, we had filled 2 barrows with grass, brambles and roots. The mulching will have to wait for another day, but we were pleased with our progress. Kudos to Sinead, Georgeta, Sheila and Rachel for walking to the task