Friday lunchtimes in RBWM in January are all about litter picking!

Tessa, Rosie and Dave met me in a sunny but breezy Grenfell Park. Congrats Rosie on her first litter pick! Great to see Dave back for his second session too. Kudos to Tessa as well as this was her second good deed of the day, and another bingo box ticked off!

We found masses of litter! The usual bottles, snack packaging and vapes but also pots and pans, cosmetics, shoes, socks, bracelets, bike parts, train tickets and the book Dead Man Walking by Anne Cleve. The mix was definitely more eclectic than what we've found in other parks this month.

Meanwhile lots of other GoodGymers litter picked near their places of work or home.

I'm delighted to welcome Liv back for her second good deed with us (and 456th in total!) Her first was at our launch back in 2020, when she was working for GoodGym. She's now living a bit nearer so hopefully everyone will have the chance to meet her soon. Well done puppy Bagel, who joined Liv on her litter pick.

Lisa and Christine both found lots of litter in streets near their homes in Maidenhead and Viv and Angela did the same in Furze Platt, also with help from a furry friend - well done Flora!

Sol was inspired by Georgeta to carry a separate bag for recyclables and diverted lots of bottles and cans away from landfill. Georgeta did the same but also reported finding a football, a running shoe and a cider drinking glass.

Diya filled two bags on her lunchtime outing and was thanked by lots of passers-by, including someone who knew GoodGym from our sessions at Braywick Heath Plant Nurseries.

Well done team!

GoodGym crew Amy, Angela, Lisa and Tessa met up with PTA Chair Nick to make a start on clearing All Saints Junior School’s nature garden. It’s a large area and could be amazing, but it has been a bit neglected, and rumours abound about what may be buried there. Treasure? A fridge? Glue sticks? We set to work clearing one corner and soon had a huge pile of brambles and branches. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending how you look at it!) we didn’t dig up anything exciting - heavy machinery will need to be brought in for that! It was a very satisfying start and we look forward to helping out more as the project progresses.

Jess and Sol arrived first and met the working party in the graveyard for a task briefing.

By the time Jen arrived, fresh from Parkrun, at 10.15 they were working hard raking a marked out patch of lawn down to the soil ready for a wildflower meadow to be planted. Jen's pair of hands was a welcome addition.

It was lovely to welcome firstimers, Barbara and Aaran to their first community mission. They didnt hesitate to grab rakes and get stuck in. Aaran even tried his hand at using a spade to skim the top of the grass ...not to dig though, we didnt want to disturb the skeletons even though it is halloween month.

Amazing Amy was able to join us for a short period too and as she joined in the raking action, Jen, Sol and Jess went off to another area to plant English Bluebell bulbs and bud plants.

Meanwhile the rakers turned their hands to sowing the wildflower seeds into the newly prepared area by which time Lisa had arrived and joined in the action too.

A bit more planting, some ivy clearance and cutting back of brambles and it was time to call it a day.

What a satisfying way to spend a sunny Saturday, with great company too.

Thanks to Maidenhead United FC for inviting us to be part of the fun at their annual MacMillan Coffee morning. There was a real buzz as people from the local community came together at the Maidenhead Athletic Club (MAC) clubhouse for a cake feast and lots of activities. We hosted a litter pick and there was also a walking football tournament, a walk round the park, a track session, and did I mention the cake!?

The litter picking group included regular GoodGymers, new GoodGymers, MAC members and walkers. It was great to see such a big turnout and a warm welcome to Lucy and Miranda, who were logging their first GoodGym good deeds.

Extra kudos to Sophie, who ran 10 miles on her way to the session!

We found the usual depressing mix of bottles, cans, plastic wrappers and discarded vapes, plus some bigger items of packaging. The Braywick Road offered particularly rich pickings. We were determined not to let us get it down though - we made a positive difference and that's something to celebrate.

Norden Farm's Kite Festival was on today and GoodGym was on hand to help out all day from start until the end.

Act 1: Sol joined the first shift helping with the set up which included unloading and assembling tables, chairs and wind banners. She did a round of litter pick around the site as well.

Act 2: Diya and Kanika got to escort Nordenia, the queen of Norden Farm, around the park. She has grown much taller in this past year! They then litter picked around the site, enjoying the multitude of kites dotting the sky (and the ground). Another round with Nordenia and some more litter pick ended their shift.

Act 3: Roberta and Sheila took up the mantle of Nordenia escorting and litter picking. They spotted another GoodGymmer Lisa who was around in Norden Farm's yellow rather than GG red helping out on the day as well. Angela got the very tough task (no, seriously) of guarding the separate area for professional kite fliers. She spent her entire shift baking in the sun!

Act 4: Georgeta joined Sheila to help with the end of day take down. It wasn't easy as nobody wanted to leave with the weather being so good and warm. They managed to get some gazebos packed up and litter picked the site one final time. And Georgeta took some beautiful close-ups of a few stunning kites.

An absolutely brilliant event that we love supporting and great to see it be such a success!