17 GoodGym volunteers ran to Victoria Park to tidy the play area and the skatepark. We did some litter picking and raked the sand in the play areas. Lots of people and young families use this space and we were proud to help keep it safe and clean for all to use.

All hail Clean Mary!

We met at the leisure centre and crossed our fingers that the rain wouldn't come back! Firstly, we awarded Mary a custom t-shirt to celebrate her 200 runs milestone that she recently smashed. Now she has two 'Clean Mary' t-shirts to wear when she goes out running! Well done Mary! Keep up the running!!

I then shared running news from the past weekend. Several of took part in a fantastic Running Omnium that was part of the Top of the Gorge festival in Cheddar. It was great fun and we got really cool medals! Hopefully see some of you there next year.

We also got involved in a great Community Mission at the weekend where we ran to help out at the annual Sunday Funday organised by the team at St James and St Phillips' church.

The Great Get Together

I talked about The Great Get Together which is a project that GoodGym groups across the country are partnering with this week. The project was set up to remember Jo Cox who was killed three years ago. The aim of the initiative is to celebrate the things that bring us together and what we have in common and to reject divisive politics that tear our communities apart.

We all reflected that although we are from different walks of life the one thing we all have in common is a love of running and helping our community. We wore some stickers and wristbands to show our support for coming together and being part of an inclusive community.

After our warm-up we took the scenic route to the play park. We ran through Bath city centre, around The Circus and past the Royal Crescent. What beautiful city we get to run in!

The Rake Get Together

We made it to the park and surveyed the task ahead. After passing out the pickers some of the runners got on their way picking litter from all around the park. There hasn't been too much rubbish dropped lately because of the poor weather ... but there was still too much for us to bear and so we took action!

In for a penny in for a pound

Some of the more interesting things we found were a £1 coin, half of a lego person and a bike chain. We also found a plastic 'skate' on wheels in the bushes. Unsure exactly how this got there (or even what it is for!?) but we dug it out and safely removed it anyway!

Come and give us a sand with this work!

Lots of sand escapes from the play areas out onto the path which can make it slippery and dangerous to walk across. We shovelled a load of it from the path back into the sand pit and then raked it in.

At the end of the task we admired our hard work from the vantage point of one of the climbing frames. We climbed up and had a picture looking out across the sands.

Upcoming runs

• This Sunday there is a fun and FREE 10km race for all in GG South-West to celebrate GG Swindon's 1st birthday. More info here.
• Next week we are running to help out at Cleveland Pools
• Next Thursday we are taking part in our monthly pub quiz. Even if you just started to coming to GoodGym it is a great way to get to know other runners and have some fun!

15 of us ran to the Community Gardens maintained by Bath Organic Group. We did some composting and create a new bark chip path that ran around half of the garden. We had lots of fun being outdoors and were really pleased with how much work we got done.

Well done Alison!

We met outside the leisure centre and I shared the latest news with everyone. A massive well done Alison for running and doing so well in the St Illtyds Way Ultra Marathon at the weekend! I also shared a summary of a recent Community Mission where some of us ran to help set up Larkhall Community Festival. It was a lot of fun and we will be back to help them out again soon!

After a warm-up we were on our way. I lead the group through town and along Upper Bristol Road. It was a short run meaning we had more time for volunteering at the task.

We love gardening ... it really grew on us!

We met our host Tim at the gardens maintained by Bath Organic Group and he gave us an overview about the space. The garden has been running for nearly 30 years and is run completely by volunteers. They grow a variety of fruit and vegetables. Anyone is welcome to help improve and maintain the garden. They have volunteering sessions each week, on a Tuesday and a Saturday. They are a really friendly and welcoming group of volunteers who are always looking for more people to get involved.

Tim gave us an overview of our tasks for the evening and I split us into teams as we had lots of work do to!

A chip off the old block!

A big task was to create a new bark chip path around part of the allotment. There was some fantastic GoodGym team work on display here to make sure we managed to get the job done in time!

Taking a break with a rake!

Some of the volunteers were loading up wheelbarrows with chipping and whizzing them around to be laid. A team spent the evening weeding and clearing the path ready for the new chips. The final part in the production line was a team of volunteers using rakes and spades to shape and mould the new path on the newly-cleared ground.

We glove to do gardening tasks!

Our hard work here was really useful. The chipping makes the pathway clearer to people so they can see where to go (and to not accidentally walk over any plants!) and makes it safer than walking on the mud which can get slipper.y Also, the path makes the space seem much more tamed and reminds people that it is a tended community garden and not just a patch of land.

A big heap of work!

The other big task last night was sifting and working the compost heaps. There are several areas of the garden dedicated to creating compost to help the garden grow. One team worked on the compost bins by the entrance.

We learnt how there is roughly a 1-year lifecycle for the Bath Organic Group compost where any discarded vegetation usually takes 1 year to mulch down into usable compost. Our task, specifically, was to shift all of the most 'mature' compost into a separate container and separate out any roots and shoots into the 'less mature' container.

We managed to move an enormous amount of earth in a very short space of time and this means that other volunteers can focus on other areas of the garden when they next come to volunteer.

Many hands make light work!

Another composting team had a similar task of moving compost into a separate container. Their pile was sightly different in composition and it was a lot harder to dig in and shift the earth! Their target was to reach an elusive carpet which marked a dividing line between two different sections of compost. They didn't quite manage to work all the way down to the carpet but they got super close and managed to move a huge amount of earth!

Tim was really pleased with the hard work we had done and he very generously offered us some apple juice that was grown and pressed at their orchard last Autumn. In fact, it was made with apples that we helped to pick back at the end of last year! We appreciated the sugar boost for the run back home.

Thanks!

Thanks a lot to Tim and the volunteers at Bath Organic Group for organising for us to come down for this task. We will return! Thanks to Emma for backmarking for us and thanks to Una for the pun this week!

Upcoming runs

• On Sunday 26th May we are volunteering with The National Trust to help on the Bath Skyline Walk
• In June there is an exciting race in Cheddar Gorge that some of GG Bath have already signed up for
• In June we are also helping at the Saltford Festival
• Next week: we are painting furniture at St Johns Court

A massive group of 21 runners ran along the canal path to Cleveland Pools. We did lots of jobs to help keep the grounds clean and safe. It was really exciting to contribute towards a historic and important part of Bath! We ran 3km in total.

Welcome Anni!

We met outside the leisure centre and I gave the introduction talk. We welcomed Anni to her first GoodGym run. It was great to have you come and join us, we hope you come back again!

After a quick warm-up we were on our way. We took the scenic route and enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the canal path. I encouraged the runners to do some exercises by the side of the canal and we formed a conga line of walking lunges!

You don't pool me!

Our host, Sally, met us at the pools. The building and swimming areas at Cleveland pools date back to the Georgian period. In fact, it is the last surviving lido (outdoor swimming pool) that still exists in the UK. It fell into disrepair and hasn't been used since the 1980's. We have been to help maintain the grounds of the pool before, but since we last visited the team there have worked tirelessly to secured a game-changing amount of National Lottery funding. Hopefully with a further bit of fundraising the team can look to get regeneration work started and open up to the public again in the next few years.

Sally had lots of work for us to do and we split into teams.

Pool me once, shame on you. Pool me twice, shame on me!

A group of us donned our gardening gloves and tidied the grassy banks around the pool. We removed lots of sticky weeds, ivy and general weeds from the grounds and disposed of them. This is to stop them taking over the whole area!

We have hidden depths

A duo of runners worked together to 'fish' various weeds and plants out of the pool. They filled two wheelbarrows full of their treasure! Great work! Luckily we had Mark, our trained lifeguard, keeping an eye on things on this task! Thanks, Mark!

Another team were trusted with hand-held scythes and saws to cut down some aggressive stinging nettles that were taking over a patch of land. Their removal will make it easier for builders to eventually get work started.

Better great than never ... April pools!

A few of our number picked sycamore seedlings from the ground surrounding the buildings. If left, these seedlings will grow into fully-fledged trees which can disrupt the foundations of the buildings. It was an important job to nip in the bud!

Some of the runners worked together to clear other weeds and old tree roots that surrounded the old changing rooms. These pesky roots were starting to disrupt the brickwork and removing them means more of the buildings can be salvaged.

An old bra came to support us!

The rest of the runners were hunting in the disturbed ground near the entrance to the pools. They were acting like Indiana Jones and searching for any ceramic pieces of pottery that has been swallowed by the mud over the many years that the pool was used. We filled several tubs and the plan is for them to be made into a large mosaic by schoolchildren. Some of the odder things we found were half of a Lego character, a small rubber monkey and a very old and very disgusting bra!

Overall, it was great to spend the evening outside in the fresh air and make a valuable contribution to an important piece of our heritage in our wonderful city. Sally was really pleased with how much work we got done and we were really proud of our efforts.

Thanks!

Thanks Steph for backmarking for us and thanks to Sally for hosting us. Thanks for the pun this week, Catrin, and thanks to everyone for all the other puns included in the report!

Upcoming runs

• We have a great Community Mission on Sat 27th April at The Orchard
• We are also doing a really fun Community Mission on Sun 28th April as part of the 2019 Worldwide City Nature Challenge
• Next week: we are gardening at Donkey Lane
• In June there is an exciting race in Cheddar Gorge that some of GG Bath have already signed up for
• In June we are also helping at the Saltford Festival

A group of volunteers ran along the canal path to the community garden at Alice Park. We did some fun tasks to help improve the fantastic community-led gardening project that is based there. We had lots of fun and enjoyed being outside in nature for the evening.

Well done on 100, Joe!

We met at our usual spot outside the leisure centre in town and I shared the latest news with the group. The first item on the agenda was a massive congratulations to Joe (our very own 'Master of all things punny') who was going to be earning his 100th good deed that evening. Well done, Joe! This is an incredible achievement and something for us to all aspire towards.

Welcome Alice and Richard!

It was great to welcome Alice and Richard who were 'on tour' from GoodGym Bristol. Thanks for coming over and lending a hand at the task last night and please come back soon!

In other news I have a meeting with some of the team from GoodGym HQ next week so please let me know if you have any feedback or questions you want me to pass on. Emily also shared news about a fantastic race/event coming up soon at Cheddar Gorge that some of us have signed up to; see the link below at the bottom for more info! I then introduced the task for the evening, we did a warm-up as a group and then we got on our way.

It was just the one swan, actually!

We are blessed in Bath being based near a beautiful and peaceful canal path. We chose to run along this route (pausing to do some walking lunges on the way) where we spotted some swans in the canal. We were speedy and made it to Alice Park with plenty of time.

We met our host, Kathy, at the park and she gave an introduction to the project for those who hadn't visited before. A group of volunteers transformed a section of Alice Park (off to the left behind the hedge) into a community gardening project over 10 years ago. The team of volunteers have cultivated the land and grow a variety of produce including fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. Absolutely anyone can get involved and help with the gardening tasks and also everyone is welcome to enjoy the produce of the garden that is grown for free (although a small donation or some time to help out in the garden is really appreciated!)

We had 3 main tasks last night and we split into groups to make the best use of our time.

Will(ow) they or won't they?

One group spent the evening organising and preparing willow branches. There was a big pile of them left to one side of the garden and the team had to find some decent-sized branches, use some loppers to cut off the smaller shoots and then neatly pile them up.

Old sage and wisdom

Another team used the willow branches to make a fence around a bed of flowers. There have been lots of excited dogs that like to jump into the flowers and herbs that grow in the bed and it is hoped that the new fence will act as a barrier to stop them! Kathy showed the group of runners how to weave the willow together around some stakes in the ground to make a secure barrier using the tension in the wood. This required patience and team work from the volunteers to make sure that there were no gaps and that the fence had structural integrity. Nice work team!

I'm not mud, I'm just disappointed

The third team were sieving compost (yes, that is actually a thing that people do!). This was a fun (and muddy!) task to get involved with. The compost has been maturing in a container since the last time we visited and 'turned' the compost before Christmas. Our task here was to use a mesh net and a bucket to sieve out any sticks, stones, large pieces of mud or snail shells from the compost. We then spread it over a flower bed to make the perfect environment for growing new plants. Among the compost we found a rather large grub that we think will turn into a beetle (which is really good for the health of the garden) and we made sure to tuck him back into the remaining compost.

Thanks Kathy - we shall return!

We sad goodbye and thanks to Kathy for taking the time to host us for the evening. We had lots of fun and we will be returning again in a few months time. Thanks Kathy!

Thanks!

Thanks to Ollie for kindly offering to backmark for us and thanks to Joe for the awesome multi-dimensional pun this week!

Upcoming runs:

• We have a great Community Mission on Sat 27th April at The Orchard
• We are also doing a really fun Community Mission on Sun 28th April as part of the 2019 Worldwide City Nature Challenge
• Next week: we have a fun outdoor task helping at Cleveland Pools
• In June there is an exciting race in Cheddar Gorge that some of GG Bath have already signed up for

A team of us joined some National Trust volunteers on the Bath Skyline walk. We battled against some tough hedges that border a field in preparation for hedge laying.

Our task was to cut away branches between different parts of the hedge that overlapped and tangled. This means that other volunteers can cut the root of the hedges and then 'split' the tree in such a way that the tree continues to live, but it is bent at a angle. New branches will then grow upwards over time.

One massive benefit is the hedge surrounding the field will have less holes and will be better at keeping livestock in. The thicker hedges are also a really good place for birds to nest, so our work had a direct impact on helping the bird population of Bath.

We got to use some great tools including some large loppers and some sharped tooth saws. It was an incredibly beautiful and warm day and we were lucky to have enjoyed it with other fantastic volunteers.

We have more Community Missions and Group Runs booked in with the National Trust volunteer team, so keep checking the run listings to sign up!

Thank you very much to Tabi and her team of volunteers for hosting us for the day. We had fun, did some good exercise and learnt a lot!

We ran to The Nest Project in Bath. We sorted and organised a whole mountain of baby clothes and then ran them up the stairs to put them in storage. This was a really fun task and we were thrilled to rack up a massive 8km of running! Good work everyone!

Welcome Michaela!

After meeting inside the Leisure Centre we formed a large circle outside in the forecourt. We welcomed a new runner, Michaela to the group. She is a keen runner and we were glad to have her enthusiasm to help us on this task! We hope you come back and join us again Michaela! I introduced the task to the group, ran through the risk assessment and then we headed on our way.

Be hoNEST, we were amazing!

The Nest Project is based in Brassmill Enterprise Centre in Lower Weston, near the Locksbrook Inn. Unfortunately it isn't light enough yet to run along the river so we took a route through the town centre, along Upper Bristol Road and then down onto Locksbrook Road. We made it there in good time, ready for our task!

The FunNEST task we have done in ages!

We met our host Pip. She is one of the volunteers who helps coordinate the project and gave us an overview of what the team there do. They receive donations of children's clothes and equipment for ages 0-5years. Anyone from the community can come and ask for clothes, completely free of charge. This is a fantastic charity and a great community asset that we love going back to help.

A new experience for us - we are branching out!

Our task for the evening was to sort a small mountain of donated clothes into different sections, based on gender and age. There were about 10 different categories in the end and we made sure to stay organised with signs on the floor and by placing boy's clothes in front of the plastic tubs and girl's clothes inside the tubs.

We run for dress relief!

Some of the best finds were a pair of purple 'monster-faced' trousers (which Chris wore so well!), a cute Pooh t-shirt modelled by Emily, a very fetching purple sleeveless jacket (attempted to be) worn by Tim and a very colourful dress!

We then ran up the stairs to their storage area to fill their containers with the organised clothes. There are lots of boxes of clothes up there and our hard work will make it even easier for local people to access clothes and equipment for their young ones.

This was a really fun task and we enjoyed looking at how small and cute some of the toddler clothes were! And lots of them are incredibly high quality, so if you know anyone that is looking for children's clothes or equipment (like buggies) then head along to The Nest Project!

Thanks!

Thanks to Chris for very kindly volunteering to backmark for us again this week. And thanks to Emily for the pun!

Upcoming runs

• This Saturday we are running 16km along the canal path. Note: This isn't a traditional GoodGym task but is a training run at a particular pace. Sign up here.
• On Sunday we are going to be gardening with some National Trust volunteers on the Bath Skyline Walk. This will be awesome, so sign up here!
• Next week we are flyering for a charity cèilidh run by The Together Project. An fantastic charity - make sure to sign up here!

This week we were flyering for Send a Cow. There were 14 of us that ran around Holloway and Bear Flat in Bath and we delivered over 750 flyers! We had lots of fun and got some fantastic mid-week exercise on this 7km run.

Welcome Charlotte!

We met at our usual meeting spot at the Leisure Centre. Although the nights are getting lighter, at the moment we still meet inside in the warm and dry reception area. We welcomed a new runner, Charlotte, to the team. Chartlotte was keen to come along and see what GoodGym is all about and we are always keen to have new people join us! After our announcements, we completed a good warm-up to prepare us for the hilly running ahead.

An udder cow pun!

Send a Cow is a charity that do lots of development work in Africa. They have been working with communities there for over 30 years. We were asked to deliver flyers advertising their charity places in the RideLondon event. This is a 100 miles cycle ride around London and surrounding countryside. If you are interested in a getting place a half-price place through Send a Cow then take a look at their website.

No cow-ards at GoodGym!

We split into two groups for this flyering task. I lead a group of runners partly up Wellsway and we worked through the residential streets back towards The Bear. Emily kindly volunteered to lead another group around Holloway, Carlton Gardens and the lower parts of Bear Flat. The group managed to deliver all of their flyers in a great time and then ran up to Bear Flat to meet us.

A herd of GoodGym runners!

On our way back to the Leisure Centre we also managed to drop the final few flyers in houses along Wells Road and Pultney Road. How efficient!

Running is good for the calfs!

Thanks to Emily for leading a group and thanks to Chris L for backmarking for my group! Thanks to Chris D for the awesome pun this week (inspired by the fact that we have worked with Send a Cow several times over the last few months!)

Upcoming runs

• Running the Bath Half? We have a weekend training run this Sunday.
• Next week we are organising donated baby clothes at The Nest Project. This is a really fun task for a fantastic charity so make sure you sign up!

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