Laura Barrett

Seven Goodgymers returned to the Holgate Community Allotment to continue to dig out the bramble and bindweed roots that had overtaken the disused allotment ready for the new community orchard. We welcomed Sarah to her first task. Helen, from the allotment group, filled us in on how the project was progressing. The group now have the grants they need for their orchard project and once the digging over is complete are planning to cover the dug over area over the spring and summer to stop the weeds growing back rapidly. They will then plant the fruit trees in the autumn which is the best time to plant them. We are all looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labour!

☔ 12 fantastic folk arrived at Rowntree Park for a rainy session this morning. Some of us had run from an equally rainy York parkrun at the Knavesmire and some people met us at the park. After negotiating a rather icy patch just inside the entrance of the park and collecting the tools we needed from under the Reading Cafe, we set off for the wildlife area to meet Christine from the Friends of Rowntree Park.

👋We were thrilled to give a huge welcome to Iain, Harriet and Rachel for their very first GoodGym session. It was really great to meet you, thank you so much for coming along.

🐸We had two main tasks today - creating a bog and a new pond, which together should create a lovely new habitat for frogs and other amphibians.

💪We split into teams and got to work quickly:

🧊 Team Bog were shovelling and wheelbarrowing topsoil from two (very) large bags over to the "old" pond, which is becoming a bog garden (whilst negotiating various worms that we came across). Some great teamwork meant that the soil was shovelled and wheelbarrowed to the bog at impressive speed. There to meet the wheelbarrows were Leanne and David who had impressively pulled up some stubborn pond liner and broken the ice (literally, whilst we also did so metaphorically with our new friends). Leanne and David (aka the captains of the bog) then spread the topsoil over the area, demonstrating some great "shovel and flick action".

🦎 Meanwhile, Team Pond were filling sandbags and wheelbarrowing them to go around the outside of the "new" pond. After experimenting with the optimal fill-level of the bags, the sweet spot was hit and the sand container was emptied and the new pond lined with sandbags.

👏 After just over an hour, both the soil and sand bags had been fully transported and distributed, including some great team-dragging and lifting of the nearly empty (but still very heavy). Christine was thrilled and it was really satisfying to see the outcome of our work, and to think of all the lovely frogs who will hopefully benefit from it.

☕ After a team shot (which will appear just as soon as I've got it from Christine), a quick fitness session (everyone loves the classic Rock, Paper, Scissors game) in the ongoing rain meant that some of us definitely felt the need for a coffee/bite to eat, which we duly had at a nearby cafe.

🙌 Thank you so much everyone, the Friends of Rowntree Park are thrilled with our work today. We'll definitely be back there for our group run session on the evening of Monday 24th January and will be doing lots of other fun tasks in the meantime, which you can see here.