For the second consecutive week GoodGym Huddersfield was foiled in its attempts to do our scheduled activity. The persistent rain meant that the fences we were due to paint at Greenfields Children’s and Family Centre were simply too wet, so we needed a Plan B.

And Plan B came in the form of a double header leaflet delivery. We had about 150 leaflets left over from a previous task earlier in the summer that Age UK now wanted posting in the Dalton area. Plus our friends at Growing works on hearing we were in the neighbourhood asked us to distribute some flyers for their forthcoming harvest festival activities too. The proverbial two birds with one stone...perfect!

Before the running however there were the usual formalities, including this week the presentation (for only the third time) of the GoodGym Huddersfield Fabulous 50 cape. Those GoodGymmers who reach the milestone of 50 good deeds get the honour of sporting the cape (kindly made by our first ever 50 good deeds runner Kati Law) on the occasion of their 50th GoodGym activity. And on this occasion, the hard working recipient was one of the Huddersfield GoodGym founder members Ben Godfrey. Well done Ben, congratulations.

Formalities over there was a run to be done, just about 3K over to Dalton where we could distribute leaflets to our hearts content. Well not to our hearts content exactly, we could distribute leaflets until all 300 were posted and then do some hill reps. Fortunately the seemingly incessant rain of earlier in the day had indeed ceased, and in a well practiced way the crew divided into pairs to take on specific streets.

David Bilton (who is known as GoodGym Huddersfield’s top leafletter) and Jo Talbot took Albany Road, Kati Law and Ben Godfrey posted on one side Dalton Green Lane, whilst Louise Galvin and Wendy Redmile did the other. We were poetry in motion, travelling through the terraces, bungalows and detached dwellings like a well oiled machine posting as we went.

45 minutes later we were done, leaving the group with a choice. A longer run home or some hill intervals on the nearby Woodbridge Avenue. It was the hill reps that got the vote and a few minutes later we were banging out progressively longer intervals an the ever steepening slope. As is always the way hill reps are never fun at the time, but everyone feels great for having done the afterwards. Well perhaps almost everyone, as one of our number was heard to remark that perhaps next time perhaps we should make sure we bring more leaflets!

There was still another 3K back to the Stadium and then a stretch before saying goodnight to the GoodGymmers who left having been reminded that when it comes to good deeds there is always a Plan B. Cheers everyone!

This afternoon GoodGym Huddersfield joined the community at Moldgreen United Reform Church for their harvest meal. Regular GoodGymmer Ben travelled by bus, Jo walked to Moldgreen with her mum Wendy, Carol and Rob, GoodGym tourists from London, ran from Kirkheaton, and for a change I missed the point altogether and drove! The exciting news for the afternoon is that Carol will be moving up to Huddersfield in November and will be joining GoodGym Huddersfield on a more regular basis! We look forward to seeing her soon for some hillier running! Gradually members of the local community arrived, where they were greeted with an amazing spread of food, from cakes to curry and fruit salad to quiche. There was even enough for seconds! (And as usual, Ben managed to get himself a cup of tea.) There were also lots of games to play like splat the rat, skittles and drawing for the more creative amongst us. There was a raffle and a guess the number of sweets in the jar. It was also great to meet Lesley who we will see again on Tuesday at Greenfields Children and Family Centre where we will be painting fences and playground equipment. After lots of talking, eating and a few games it was time to head out into the rain and go home. Well done GoodGymmers for giving up your Saturday afternoon, credit to Ben for the run report title, Jo for some of the photos and a big thank you to Rosie Buxton for organising a great community event for the young, the old and everyone in between to enjoy!

One year ago GoodGym Huddersfield launched in glorious autumnal sunshine, unfortunately such conditions were not to be repeated for our first anniversary run. The plan was to run, paint fences and playground furniture at Greenfields Children and Family Centre, eat cake, run back and celebrate with a visit to Pizza Hut. As it was things turned out slightly differently……

Heavy rain throughout the day put pay to any painting, the paint would simply be washing off quicker than we could put it on, so Plan B was swiftly enacted and seven GoodGymmers set off from the Stadium for a little impromptu litter picking along the Birkby Bradley Greenway. It was good to see Chris Green back on board after an absence of several months, along with regulars Kati Law, Louise Galvin, Ben Godfrey, Wendy Redmile, Jo Talbot and myself.

To be fair there wasn’t a huge amount of litter to be found, but 45 minutes later we had three black bags worth that would have otherwise been detracting from the pleasantness of the greenway. Then seven slightly soggy GoodGYmmers headed back to the Stadium, for the second change of the night. It turns out that Pizza Hut were having some emergency building work done and were closing early, so we end up in the pub next door. One thing that didn’t change though was cake, so with plenty of laughing and recounting highlights of GoodGym Huddersfield’s first year of doing good we did at least manage to tuck into the impressive celebration “T-shirt” cake as planned.

Thanks to everyone who braved the wet and was flexible last night, and to everyone who has supported Goodgym Huddersfield during Year 1. We look forward to much more running and doing good in Year 2.

Thanks also to Jo Talbot for the photos Kati Law for organising (and then re-organising the venue for food venue at short notice.

GoodGym Huddersfield had a big challenge last night, to move a mahoosive mound of mud at the Little Deer Activity Woods Centre in Mirfield. The challenge would have been even greater had we run the 8K from the Stadium and the 8K back, but in order to leave time for the task the kind folk (and GoodGym fans) at Battyeford Sporting Club allowed us to use their car park as a meeting point.

A different start location means a different run route and this one being almost entirely flat was something of a rarity for Huddersfield GoodGymmers. Three level kilometres along riverside footpaths and canal towpaths was very pleasant on a warm sunny September evening.....what a treat!

There was a stop for a photo op as in my rucksack was the brand new GoodGym flag supplied only last week for the purposes of celebrating 10 years GoodGym good deeds. The instruction from GoodGym Central was to photograph the flag (and GoodGym group of course) alongside a local landmark. As we were out of area, a shot with Mirfield’s new, extensive and very impressive community mural had to suffice, although if you look hard you will spot that we managed to choose a section which mentions Huddersfield!

Little Deer Activity Centre was a hive of activity when we arrived with kids everywhere getting ready for their evening adventures, rock climbing, paddle boarding, gardening and woodworking there was so much going on! And plenty for GoodGym to get stuck into too. Gloves, barrows, spades and an impressive set of worklights were ready and waiting for us along with the aforementioned Mahoosive Mound of Mud which needed to be shifted. Not only shifted, but also sifted, removing all the rocks and stones leaving good soil for use in the centre’s gardens. Once cleared the site is to be used for a new shed to store the centre’s huge variety of activity equipment.

Following a quick introduction from Little Deer’s Martin the crew were on with the job, neatly dividing into a teams of rubble removers, diggers, soil sifters (or riddlers as I believe they are more accurately called- thanks Ben Godfrey) and barrow pushers. We worked like a well oiled production line, Kati Law, Jo Talbot and Zena Whalley got busy removing rubble, with David Bilton digging, whilst Louise Galvin, Helen Rutherford and Mark Donnelley sifted the soil through a huge basket removing all the smaller stones, twigs and various other detritus. The final stage of the process was for Ben Godfrey and myself to trundle the wheelbarrows filled with good soil 50 metres to the centre’s soil hopper for use on the veg beds.

GoodGym works best when we work together, and we worked hard last night, getting a good workout with plenty of laughter alongside the labour. Whilst we worked it was great to see kids of all abilities learning to rock climb together on the outdoor, floodlit climbing wall, Little Deer Wood Activity Centre truly is a special place.

After an hour we’d made a significant dent in the Mahoosive Mound of Mud and there was considerably more soil in the hopper, but the job wasn’t done by any means. I think this one will turn into a longer term GoodGym Huddersfield project over the winter, with return visits to finish the task.

Leaving Little Deer it was on with the headtorches for the first time this year and back to Battyeford by a different route, seeing some more glamorous sights of Mirfield including the new Lidl and “Ivy Alley”. A fast finish across Battyeford’s football fields and we were back at the starting point, tired but secure in the knowledge that GoodGym Huddersfield’s sphere of influence has now extended to Mirfield.

Happy Birthday GoodGym....10 year’s of doing good. The GoodGym Huddersfield crew look forward to being part of the GoodGym journey for the next 10 years.....it might just take us that long to shift the Mahoosive Mound of Mud!

Thanks to all for making it a great night, and special thanks to Louise for the photos.