This week we started by presenting our GoodGymer of the month award marvelous Max, who has been active behind the scenes on the whatsapp community as well as being a more active and engaged taskforcer. Well done Max 🍾

We also awarded the Cape of Good Deeds to our fab co-area Activator Vicky, who was completing her 400th(!) Good Deed. Amazing effort. Give Max and Vicky a big cheer.

We then set off to York Cemetery with a nice run along the river, with some obligatory wall squats along the wall. Upon arrival we were greeted by superstar Clive who was well prepared for us as always. We soon got to work with loppers, rakes, spades and shears clearing an area that was previously part of a sensory garden but was in need a bit of TLC.

It took a little while for some of the GG crew to get to grips with the difference between a rose and a bramble, but we soon found our rhythm and started making some excellent progress in what seemed like a pretty straightforward task.

However things quickly took a turn for the worse when the midges decided they didn't like being disturbed and soon started feasting on any exposed GoodGym flesh that they could get their teeth (do they have teeth?) into.

With morale dipping and the midges biting, Ed put an early end to the task and started the fitness sesh - our GG York version of Paper, Rock, Scissors featuring Squats, Pencil jumps and Star Jumps. Fortunately everyone knows that Squats blunt star jumps, pencil jumps wraps squats, and star jumps cut pencil jumps, of course!

☀️ 23 superb GoodGymmers met for our group run on this beautifully sunny evening. We were thrilled to welcome Simon and Bernie for their first group run sessions, brilliant to have you along. And there was even more to celebrate, including Lucy's wedding last Friday and Vicky and Abigail's excellent Vale of York race performances yesterday 🙌

🌳 We had three groups heading to Acomb Wood (which, very confusingly, isn’t actually in Acomb, sorry Abi!) Amy led the party pace crew while Michal led another running group (who apparently did sprints over Hob Moor - good work guys 👍). We also had an excellent turn out for the cycle crew this evening, with 7 of us hopping on our bikes 🚲

🥾 On arrival, we were greeted by Beki from the council and four bags (two of hardcore, two of hoggin) to be distributed along the footpath. We set to work swiftly and got a good system, with groups of shovellers, barrowers and rakers all working incredibly hard. Jenna rightly pointed out that the hoggin looked like a “buttery biscuit base” from a cheesecake, causing all our mouths to water 🍰

💪 In no time at all, we’d used up all the materials and completed the first bit of path, with two layers! There was some excellent teamwork involved, with various communication methods for signposting the barrowers to the correct shovelling location. There was also some great collective team strength involved in heave-ho-ing the bags onto the wheelbarrows once they were deemed “light” enough 👏

👏 Beki was thrilled with our progress and has invited us back to distribute the final four bags, which we’re looking forward to 👌

📸 After a quick team photo, it was time to pack up the van and for our different groups to head off, meeting back at base for stretches before heading to the pub for more wedding celebrations (including some excellent brownies and cookies, which were swiftly demolished). Whilst there, some of us learned the difference between jealous and envious (and some of us remained confused) - a little English language lesson to top off the evening 🔤

🥳 Good work everyone, and thank you for a lovely evening. We’ve got other sessions happening this week (including planting on an equally sunny evening tomorrow) so do join if you can 😁

8 brilliant GoodGymmers accepted the mission of delivering newsletters for our friends at Move the Masses.

Few photos were taken (mostly because I forgot to ask in time) but the jobs got done, which was the main thing.

Thank you everyone!

☀️ 16 great and good GoodGymmers met for our first group run in the daylight! And what a treat of sunshine we got for it too! Sarah from Move the Masses was there, handing out newsletters for us to deliver (there are still a few areas going for anyone else who fancies it…) We were thrilled to welcome back Kai after a 5-year break from GG (due to living in Manchester) - hopefully we’ll see you again a bit sooner than that!

🦸‍♂️ We cheered Steve Rice and awarded him his 50 good deed cloak, which was pretty exciting! The party pacers set off, along with Steve and his cloak!

🏃🚶‍♀️🚲We also celebrated Michal’s incredible Hardmoors 55 achievement at the weekend and chatted about our favourite run/walk/cycle in his honour as we named and numbered off. Favourite routes included some exciting international holidays and GoodGym trips. Oh, and Mitch was bamboozled by the question, before even being faced with any real-life bamboo!

🚸 Ed led the other running group to St Aelred’s School and then the cycle crew set off. We congregated at the school and were greeted by Briony who was delighted to see us. She set us to work on various different jobs around their new wildlife area.

🌱 We had a team of tree-planters, digging holes to plant some of the 120 trees they’ve had donated from the Woodland Trust to build a hedgerow. The baby trees then needed protecting, from litter (thanks Lyndsay!), animals and children. So the next task was adding bamboo sticks and plastic covers.

🌿 The rest of the group were in the wildlife area, armed with loppers and saws and chopping, hacking and generally demolishing every overgrown/weed-type thing in sight. A huge difference was made in the time we were there and a pond was uncovered by their handiwork (leading to the obligatory frog-hunt!)

😊 With all that productivity, it was soon time to head back. Briony was incredibly grateful and said some lovely words about the impact our little contribution will have to the school and its pupils. We’re heading back in a few weeks to spread woodchip in the wildlife area, which we’re pretty excited about.

📸 After a quick group shot, it was time to head back, taking advantage of the streetlights on the cycle path to do some Fartlek-style sprints.

👍 Thanks for all your hard work tonight, it was great to make such a difference 🙌

A surprisingly decent turn out for a chilly Monday evening of leaflet dropping. The promise of seeing York Minster illuminations probably brining more people out than expected. The night started with Tristan donning the Cape of Good Deeds in honour of his 100th session and a quick bit of numbering off whilst naming your favourite flying thing.

We split off into 3 groups. A longer run heading to Hull Road led by James and Nikki, a mid distance led by Ed and a shorter route led by Nick. The aim being to get rid of all your leaflets before getting back to the Minster at the very specific time of 7.35 for a bit of fitness. Mitch led a small walking group which joined up with Nick's team.

Many letterboxes were stuffed and there was only a small bit of double dropping when the longer running group overlapped with the middle distance runners. There were also reports of a lost wife from Rich but no major concerns and we counted every one back at the Minster for a team photo in front of the fancy lights (apologies for my head blocking a few people in the photo!).

We then headed round to the front of the Minster for a Rock, Paper, Scissors throw down with the winner picking the exercise for the rest of the group. Martin started off rather cruelly with press-ups but was swiftly defeated by Lucy who went on an impressive winning streak, effectively leading the fitness session by choosing all of the exercises! However, Jenna was the eventual winner and holds the title of GG York Rock, Paper, Scissors champion 🏆

Fortunately for all Nicky W will be back next week!