Yvonne R

We welcomed some traveling GG members from Leicester in the form of Zachary who was one his first run and Elena. You are both welcome back anytime and hope you enjoyed it!

This week we were back to help out our good pal PARKY ROB who is always so appreciative of the work we do. Unfortunately he had some bad news for us, letting us know that some of the trees in the park were to be chopped down due to Ash die back. Sad times, but necessary to keep the park users safe.

Out task for this week was to cut back three beds that were getting a bit keen with the better weather and encroaching onto the pavement and park a bit too much, so we got straight to it giving them a good haircut.

James proved too strong for the secateurs which were fortunately the only casualty on the night.

Well I avoided the cape as long as I could but MARVELOUS MAX wouldn't let me get away with it. With the 200 milestone reminder it was time to done the silky marvel and embrace the magic. We said our goodbyes to Rob and some of the other runners and headed to the U-Mix center for some DOUBLE TROUBLE, working in pairs and each taking on 4 exercises in total, including:

• Box Jumps
• Step Ups
• Leg Lifts
• Chin Ups

Back at base we stretched off and headed in to sample the extensive new menu The Showroom had to offer.

Until next week, happy running :)

Today, we set out on a run to Meersbrook Park. Tom, Lan, Rachel, Celine and I arrived from the Showroom, duly out of breath after one very long hill just at the end. Seiko and Michelle met us there and, after a quick intro, we were ready to climb the steep hills of Meersbrook to distribute leaflets for smallparkBIGRUN 2022.

SmallparkBIGRUN will take place on 18/19 June 2022. It’s a mass participation event with partner runs taking place in Palestine, with the aim of raising funds for two Palestinian Projects: Children’s healing project in Gaza and the Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund. The event will provide a wonderful day out for Sheffielders, building a link to communities in another part of the world in the spirit of friendship and an opportunity to get some much needed exercise! The organisers are particularly keen to stress that the event aims to include the often marginalised members of the local community.

Bonus Feature: For some nostalgia, look back to our report form the inaugural smallparkBIGRUN in 2017 - Small Park, Big Run, Steep Hill - featuring Tom, Annie and Sam!

Huge congrats to MAGNIFICENT Max who reached his 100th good deed tonight and donned the customary cape with great style and panache!

Tonights task was to bail Rob out of trouble as Yorkshire Water, BT and Sheffield City Council were not so pleased with the placement of the donated wood chip as it had blocked access to the BT cabinet and the manhole covers for water access.

Never fear, goodgym was near!

We got straight to it filling buckets and barrows, distributing the wood chip to the areas in need of a fresh spreading. Once our time was up we headed back via the U-Mix center for some entomological themed fitness! This week we had a team challenge where we formed a human caterpillar and one at a time crawled through our self made tunnel. Following this fun, we paired of to take on the 60m sprint before heading home to stretch, hear latest news and grab a bite and something to drink in The Showroom.

Until next time, happy running :)

On a longer and hillier route than usual we were glad to once again meet up with the all time legend that is Irene Wadsworth.

Once we hit the peak of the hill on Gleadless valley top the wind was also peaking, filling our bags with wind, ready for the litter that we would fill them with. And oh was there a lot to go at, from chip forks, to wrappers, cans and even somethings that resembled brains, we picked it and bagged it!

At the end of the task a significant amount of litter had been bagged, ready for the council to take it away in the near future.

On route back we took advantage of some freshly mown grass to play some kids games where we got into groups of certain numbers and then did a different exercise each time with the reps being the number that was called. Great stuff!

Once back and stretched off we headed into the Showroom for hand washing and delicious delights!

Until next time, happy running! :)

We welcomed new runner Tom to the GG fold before heading off in the direction of old friends Heeley Peoples Park to meet with Rob the Parky to get our brief for the evening.

This week we were helping to prep the top field for an open air screening of Romeo & Juliet which will be powered by pedal power. Some of us will be up there on the night helping to keep the lights on!

The task was twofold:

1: Edgy characters Caroline and Chris were cutting in the edges to make it look prim, proper and stop the grass encroaching onto the path.

2: The rest of us lined up CSI style with forks in hand to 'fork and wriggle' in order to help air out the grass and soil and prep it for sanding once the rain comes to improve the grounds condition.

Fortunately no body parts were found. We downed tools and said our goodbyes to Rob before heading back to base for stretching off and heading in to The Showroom for food and drink. Lovely stuff.

Until next time, happy running :)