All I Want Fir Christmas is Yew

On our very last group run of 2019, 27 GG Yorkies came along for an absolute beasting at St Nicks.

With Maria leading the task, we were privileged to have Jonathan join us for a run tonight for the second time in GG history.

On arrival, we learned that there was really quite a lot to do, so we split into two groups with the 'easier' group sawing conifer trunks into bitesize pieces whilst the 'hardcore' group prepared a new nursery bed by digging it out, lining it with weed-guard and creating a border with extremely heavy sleepers.

For the first time ever, we had the use of a saw horse, which was very exciting, but only for two people at a time. Ed and Nick bagged it whilst everyone else was sawing over benches and other logs.

This is what chainsaws are for! John

Leanne had picked a particularly girthy y-shaped log and was determined to saw it vertically. She'd even lined it up very carefully with the slats of a picnic table.

Carl, John and Katie were in charge of bringing wheelbarrows full of long conifer logs to the sawing team and retreving the newly-sawed pieces to go back to storage. Apparently the cut pieces with be "seasoned" for firewood, hoping its a hearty blend of cayenne pepper and smoked paprika but we shall wait and see.

Jonathan thought two people could lift a sleeper, but Aiden nearly lost his arms, so they tried four instead. The other team dropped their sleeper after 200 yards. After some serious recovery time they very sensibly decided to get all seven on one sleeper, apart from Jonathan who bravely held the light.

Even with 8 of us, that's the heaviest thing I've ever lifted! Paul Kelly

Next up, the team took 2 wheelbarrows and 4 spades into the deep depths of the woods to the site Jonathan had earmarked for soil excavation. This may or may not be the burial site of the previous team, who were this elusive team?

Where we're going you don't need roads.

At this point it became clear Jonathan is clearly a robot. Realising time was against us, he decided to run with the wheelbarrow full of soil to the site of the sleepers. Debs and Craig walked, hoping they may one day regain feeling in their arms.

Whilst the nursery bed team were very busy completing their task and over-running a little bit (not even Legendary Leanne and her mighty headtorch could find them) so the rest of us packed the saws away and warmed up our cold hands with an outdoor-adapted version of the 12 Days of Christmas workout!!

The adapted version involved slightly slippery lunges, a very simple and easy version of a burpee which everyone definitely enjoyed, lots of high fives, a variety of press-up techniques and the strangest sit-ups you've ever seen.

The nursery team all made it back to finish the workout with us and then Craig got to finally wear the Centurion Cape for the run back, after he completed his 100th good deed weeks ago!

We must also give a huge salute to Craig's (very heavily pregnant) wife, who was slaving away at home making delicious biscoff brownies whilst we were out doing good, they did not last long in the pub...

So, officially, notwithstanding a couple of community missions, that's a wrap for 2019. What an outstanding year it has been and a huge thanks to every single one of you who's been a part of it. You've made a massive impact in the community in York and I can't wait to celebrste with you all at our end of year party on Friday!