How do you follow up a not-quite-Christmas Christmas party at the weekend?! A festive task, of course! This week, 19 of us gathered to be “festive fairies” at Ferndale Primary School and Nursery...and festive fairies we were, with many of us donning wings, tutus and waving wands to enchant the school ready for Christmas.

You could call it a real Fairytale of New Swindon!

Newcomer Christine joined us for the first time in full pink fairy accessories… we already think she has a big future with us. Also joining us was returner Chris, who often can’t make our Group Runs due to other commitments – thanks for joining us both of you!

Before we had even left the Oasis, Run Leader Sandy Sam had a properly festive icebreaker… what’s your favourite part of the Christmas dinner? Swindon GoodGym’ers love a range of the Christmas dinner offerings: red cabbage; yorkshire puddings; pigs-in-blankets; nut roast and the inevitable, often hated… brussels sprouts!

With everyone feeling peckish, we split into our walking group and running group, and soon we were off and chatting all the way there. We soon arrived at Ferndale school. We’ve helped at the school two times already – both times to spruce up the outdoor spaces.

With the nights long, this time we were fortunately indoors. We split into three groups each with a different task, amidst the Christmas choons and occasional break for a mince pie:

• The chain gang were making paper chains, and demonstrating remarkable abilities to share staplers without slapping each other’s hands too much.

• Christmas tree production corner were constructing and decorating Christmas trees – with key quotes including ‘we need a base!’, ‘there’s going to be swearing in a minute’, and ‘where’s a hacksaw?!'

• And finally, the wrap party were wrapping books and candy canes ready to give to the children.

At the end of the task, we tidied up, wished our first Merry Christmas to the Ferndale Team and set back off to the Oasis. Think we’re getting a bit carried away with festive activities too early? Don’t worry – it’s only a few more sleeps until December!

Haven’t had enough GoodGym Swindon Christmas activities?!

• It’s the Santa Vs Rudolph Run on Sunday 1st December. If you haven’t got a place in the race, there’s space for a Good Deed with our marshalling team. Sign up here!

• Tuesday 3rd December we’re doing it all over again with Christmas decs at Playsteps Nursery. For more information, click here!

• We’re gathering momentum with our activities to help older people in Swindon, with recent missions to do one-off tasks and coach pairings to regularly run to an older person

Two runners and two walkers ran and walked to help Ferndale Primary and Nursery School in Swindon

As a young teenager, I used to hate the Back to School adverts that started to appear in shops - just as the schools were breaking up for the long summer holidays, however for this task, it really was a case of "back to school" as we returned back to Ferndale School to continue our ongoing tidy up of the school gardens and bike shed area.

Run Leader Charles, who was completing his 100th GoodGym task was joined by Darren and together they set off but soon caught up with the walkers Gina and Helen, who due to heavy traffic, had set off earlier.

At the school, we were met as always by Jane with her array of garden tools and an assortment of refreshing drinks and the all important jammie dodgers! We split up to tackle the various tasks that required to done such as tidying up the garden beds and the inevitable array of leaves and stones that always seem to congegrate in the school bike shed. The hour seemed to fly by and suddenly it was time to tidy up, take the all important group photos and head back.

Once again, and to emphasise the importance of how all inclusive GoodGym now is, we all walked back together close to where the walkers had started off from, before Darren and Charles ran back to the set off point.

I'm sure we will back once more to Ferndale School as there are always plenty of tasks to be done there (and not forgetting the biscuits)

Tonight saw us back at Ferndale Primary School for our first visit of 2021! As most of us rolled into the playground on our shiny bikes whilst a few other opting to arrive on foot, we met Task-owner Jane who had already begun to lay out the tools ready. After a quick catch up and delegation of tasks, we set about to complete the mission - eager to try out Jane's fancy new brooms!

We had;

*Helen and Jane sweeping, tidying and possibly a lot of chatting in the nursery area

*Gina, Stuart and Richard on playground and teepee duty

*Jason and Lily perfecting their topiary skills on the bushes

*Adam and his super broom snapping strength in the bike shed (thankfully not one of the new ones!)

*and last, but certainly not least, Gaby and I weeding and making sticky willy balls around the pond.

If spending time with friends doing good on a summers evening wasn't enough, we each were given a quarantined 'covid free' Gold bar from one of the teachers and lots of home grown yummy rhubard from Lily!

So after ‘Leaf are the best days of our life‘ and ‘the sequel’ we’ve been back to Ferndale School again to tackle a different project; clearing the area around the pond. Here come the girls in the form of Teresa, Jenny, the Moylett sisters Becky and Alex and C’mish leader Gina along with Jane the school representative on this beautiful fresh sunny morning to tackle the nettles, brambles, thistles and all things prickly and nasty. We recovered several balls floating around in the pond to replenish the schools diminishing stock, I’m sure the children will be suitably impressed when they return to school on Monday though I’m sure it won’t be long before the balls go back over the fence and out of reach. Jane supplied the jammy dodgers and before we knew it, it was time to tidy up and retreat via our chosen ways safe in the knowledge that once again we have done a great job and made a massive difference to the area. Jane was most pleased with our efforts and she herself participated just as we had.

With the autumn equinox the day had turned from a morning of warm blue skies to an evening of dark grey clouds, as if autumn wanted to shout, hey look here I am back again! The grey evening didn't stop the team making their various ways back to Ferndale School to follow up on the excellent work of the team the week before.

As before Jane had all the tools ready for us as we set about weeding and brushing up the playground and bike shed areas. Jenny, Teresa, Jason, Gaby and Gina attacked the various raised beds and Richard, Stuart and Charles grabbed the brooms and started to sweep up the leaves and stones that were strewn about. Once again we ploughed on with gusto and the raised beds were soon clear of a mountain of weeds, well we hope they were weeds, as none us really had a clue, where's a gardener when you need one. Gaby found a garden 'fairy' amongst the hops, who was duly placed back in a safe fairy place.

An hour or so later and with the light well and truly fading we were done. Jane was pleased with our efforts and after the obligatory group photo we headed off as the rain began fall, summer suddenly seemed a long way away.

On a beautiful late summers evening, 8 Goodgymers arrived on foot or two wheels from the north, south, east and west having heard the wonderful news that we have a new GG member - welcome to GoodGym Swindon Baby Garraway 👶 🍼

There were more celebrations in the air as we celebrated Tracey’s 100th good deed 🎉 Tracey is one of our fantastic run reporters, Facebook guru and an all round fabulous gal - Get that girl some well deserved wings!

The task - Jane was well prepared as usual with the tools laid out, socially distant of course, and explained the playground hadn’t been tended to during lockdown and the summer. So we split into teams: Team one - Becky, Tracey and Sam on leaf collection 🍂 Team two - Richard and Stuart on stone collection 🧹 Team three - Adam and Tracy on Topiary 🌳 Team four - Gaby, later joined by Richard, on weeding the flower beds 🌷

This was the first of two visits planned to tackle the playground. Jane and some of the teachers were pleased with the difference and grateful for our efforts. So as the sun went down we kicked back and enjoyed a chocolate bar 🍫 before heading home.