Batter to be outside flipping mud, but the darkness crêped up on us so we showed it what we squat!

Holy crêpe it's March already!

7 runners shrove to keep fit and do good in Barnsley, so before tossing in the trowel, lent a hand at the local carers garden.

After a quick warm up of hopscotch - a GG Barnsley first - we headed off as a group on the 1.5km run to the carers garden, hoping we might scoop up James along the way. After getting stopped at the level crossing, we spotted James, did a wall sit and made our way up the hill to the carer's garden, meeting Sharon there!

Batter later than never!

Gordon was very happy to see our smiley, sweaty faces when we arrived, offering us some 'watter' to quench our thirst! After telling us a little bit of background on the garden, Gordon explained what exactly 'digging raspberries' would involve. As the garden is to be changing it's layout in the coming months, Gordon wanted to move his huge raspberry bushes and plant them in a row strung up on wire mesh. Our job for the evening was to dig a trench, between where he had laid out some string markers. Armed with two forks and two spades, the ladies got to work digging the trench.

After taking one look at 'the lads' Gordon set James and Jason onto another task he had ready, which was to move a huge pile of wooden pallets from where they were to a new location further down the garden. 'The lasses' soon discovered the ground they need to dig up for the trench, was solid, solid as a rock (yeaaah)! Instead of rating the ground on the solidity scale, Clair introduced the achey scale, based on how much she felt the ground's solidity would make her ache the next day from bashing at it with the spade. Tonight's achey scale peaked at an achey eight!

Tough as old boots!

To ease their pain, the group soon got on to the topic of lent and what they might give up for the forty days and nights. We learnt that Rachael is a bit of a tea-a-holic, claiming to drink up to 12 cups a day 'on a bad day'! For Mairead it was all about the chocolate and sweet stuff, planning to take Saturdays off during lent to get her through the cold turkey! The lads rejoined us after making light work of the pallets...

Crate effort guys!

We were a spade short, so the group took it in turns to come up and show us what they squat, completing 25 squats then switching. The topic seems to turn onto cheese, and at one point the whole group were stood still look at their spades, deep in conversation about their favourite cheese!

There was cause for salivation at the end once the trench was done!

Job done, soil nicely tossed and flipped, pallets stacked we said our goodbyes (after an inpromptu photo shoot!) The group were in for a treat tonight, before heading home for some delicious pancakes, I threw in some lovely hill reps on a couple of segments close by the task. James, Jason and Clair put in huge amounts effort, taking it steady down the hill and beasting in back up! Make sure you give them a cheer! Rachael 'sat this one out' up against a wall in a wall squat, managing to hold it for around 3 minutes, nice! and Mairead attacked one of the hills before doing some squats and knee raises. Lots of effort from the team, they must have realised the sooner they finished the sooner they could eat pancakes! Nom!

It was a quick run back to base, followed by a nice stretch and catch up about the upcoming tasks and missions. Next week we'll be helping Bluebell Wood Hospice with some fundraising outside the Barnsley FC ground, before the 7.45pm kick off against Sunderland. I need to know ASAP who is coming, so please sign up here if you can make it. We are leaving 10 minutes earlier than usual at 6.20pm.

Great work tonight team! Another job well done :-)

Let's give lovely GG shout out and cheer to James he makes his way every Tuesday from the other side of Sheffield, leaves us guessing every time as to whether or not he'll be on time or find us, but is about to officially celebrate his 100th good deed with GoodGym and unofficially reached it last night in Barnsley!! That's an amazing achievement James and you should be very proud! Hurrah!