Aston's Eyot is tucked away beside the river and is one of our favourite Oxford wild spots. They've just completed a (very on-trend) vaccination programme to immunise their badgers against TB, and now the focus returns to nature reserve management to encourage greater biodiversity.

Meeting us at the tool shed Ruth explained our tasks for the evening would be clearing nettles from one of the best areas for wildflowers in Aston's Eyot using a combination of scything and weeding out by hand. Removing the taller nettles should allow the smaller flowers to thrive. We actually cleared nettles in the same patch a couple of years ago, so it was nice to be back at the same spot with some of the same people.

In the wildflower meadow we grasped the nettle with enthusiasm. It was oddly satisfying pulling them out by the roots and revealing the smaller wildflowers beneath the canopy of stingy beasts.

A few eyes lit up at the sight of the scythes, with Sarah and Katie taking first go and wooshing through large patches of nettles, before handing the blades around the group for more people to try. Afterall, it's not often someone lets you loose with a scythe.

Scything proved both satisfying and therapeutic after a long year or COVID-frustrations!

Some of us were definitely more savvy with our clothing options for nettle-work than others. Not ideal: shorts and vests. Good choices for nettle work (although a bit steamy for 26 degree heat): head-to-toe waterproofs.

Having amassed a massive haul of nettles we had to consider whether we could be making good use of the 'weeds'. Matt reliably informs us that the first nettle harvest of the year is the best one for cooking, and as they also seem to be the fiercest stingers we figured there might be a certain satisfaction to boiling them up after the pain we have endured from them on GoodGym tasks over the last couple of years!

Our top 3 options:
* Nettle Tea
* Nettle Soup
* Beating ourselves with them for warmth, just like the Romans

Badgers proved elusive (well, they are nocturnal), but we were treated to the sight of a muntjak deer wandering across the path at the end of our session, apparently supremely unconcerned by 25 people staring at it!

Some exciting milestones last night: Jeremy did his 10th Good Deed and Vicky did her 100th - Watch out for Vicky in her winged Tshirt soon! Anwen reached the unofficial milestone of 250 Good Deeds.

We welcomed our first GoodGym tourist since the pandemic, with Chi joining us from Haringey.

And finally... welcome to Meysam - Thanks for joining us for the first time!

Who's the best at nettle weeding? STING!

If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise, if you go down to the woods today you’ll never guess what you will find…

(biiiig breath)….

Cans and wrappers and bags and jars.

Trellis and paint and some wheels from a car.

A garden hose on a reel.

A blue flip flop starting to peel.

And a gnome with (g)no face.

Plus 2 hoovers very out of place.

A watering can far from home.

And a (gravity defying) cube full of foam.

A mattress, and a dog bed.

As well as a helmet, but no head….(Phewff!!).

And some odd bits of garden furniture suspiciously close to a fence.

With a fancy blue thermos that we could have flogged for a few pence.

With new bingo sheets to track our finds,

We did our good-gym thing of being kind.

Ticking off prize finds as we went,

And shouting BINGO with content.

We collected bags in great number that we piled high by the fence.

They couldn’t fit in the council van, our efforts were immense.

And as the hour flew by,

The sun shone in the sky.

Which was a bit of a shame,

As we'd found an umbrella to protect us from the rain.

Anwen found some pants

A pink, lacy home to some ants.

And while some found the Dragon

They kept it to a socially distanced fashion.

We also welcomed a new friend;

Matt, please don't let this be the end!

Huge efforts from everyone this evening! We have all become experts at litter picking and absolutely blitz the woods this evening; absolute epitome of team work!

We’ve been to Magdalen woods before, and it sure won't be long before it's knocking back on our door!

Hopefully our noticeable impact, the glorious sunset and our newly laminated bingo cards made it all feel very worthwhile!!

Peggy, we love you. Come back soon. Of course Stu, you are very welcome too!

Matthew ; Thank you for taking a chance on the weather and getting stuck in on your very first good gym task! It was a pleasure to have you, and we hope to see you again (come rain or shine) soon!

Today's task really did put the Gym into Goodgym.

We arrived at The Children's Allotment to find a slightly exasperated Alice. Her order of 20 tonnes of top-soil and compost had been delivered to the wrong end of the allotment site and was currently blocking an access gate. Step in Goodgym and our can-do attitude!

We quickly divided into three groups - one group at the delivery site armed with shovels, one shuttling back and forth with wheel barrows and one at the newly constructed raised beds ready to receive and layer up the soil.

It really was a case of all hands on deck - wheelbarrows materialised from allotment holders and the neighbouring Boundary Brook Nature Reserve (see you soon xx), barrows and bags were filled and scooted down to their originally-intended destination, and as Goodgymers had to go home new helpers stepped in to help.

Team work really does make the dream work.

Finally laying down our tools at 8pm we had managed to shift a whopping 6.5 tonnes of soil and compost and restore access through the blocked gate.

Huge congratulations to Isabella and Zoe on your 50 Good Deeds milestones - get those black t-shirts ordered!

Tonight we packed 38 parcels of food and hygiene supplies and delivered 25 of them on foot around East Oxford.

Peggy was excited to show off her snazzy new jumper, we peered at each other in actual daylight, and although more than 1 of the bag handles didn't survive beyond the car park fortunately all the cheese, greek yoghurt, corned beef, milk, veggies, bread and pasta made it to the 50 recipients in tact. There may have been a couple of head-scratching moments, but nothing we couldn't sort out, and everything got delivered before it was fully dark - an exciting springtime first!

Thank you to those who answered the call for donations and brought along some hygiene supplies to replenish the bare shelves with shower gel, deodorant and sanitary products, as well as other useful and appreciated items (tin openers, chocolate).

By the last light of the day 31 GoodGymers gathered beside a church on the Cowley Road.
At 5:45pm a watch beeped and -pop! - out of the Richard Benson Hall came a red-clad and very bossy group leader.
She started to look at the food parcel delivery list...

Who's here so far?

At 5:50pm the first food parcels left to be delivered.
But there was still more to do.

At 6pm bike panniers and rucksacks were filled.
But there was still more to do.

At 6:05pm asparagus and ragu were added to the parcels.
But there was still more to do.

At 6:10pm 5 food parcels went out in a flurry of activity.
But there was still more to do.

At 6:15pm the last of the regular food parcels went out of the door.
But there was still more to do!

At 6:30pm Emergency food parcels were loaded up, crates were stacked away, shelves were restocked, cardboard was broken down, meals were put in the fridge, fruit and vegetables were sorted out, buns were emptied, and stock levels reported.......

The team started to feel tired.

So the GoodGymers ate a whole Colin the Caterpillar. And they started to perk up, giving them the energy to run home and recover from their exertions....

.....so that they can do it all over again next Wednesday evening.

39 food parcels were packed and delivered on Wednesday night, which will help 50 adults, plus several children and babies.

Well done Angus on completing your 50th Good Deed!

Check out The Very Hungry Caterpillar here.