There were a few tired bodies as we made our return to the Monday night group run after an epic Goodgym camping weekend in Derbyshire. But that didn't stop our group from shifting a load of cuttings from the stunning wildflower meadow that we'd previously helped to plant at Clarence Gardens 💪

We started the night with a small but perfectly formed group celebrating the new male half-marathon wolrd record by naming the things that they believe they could hold a world record in. Turns out we all really back ourselves when it comes to eating challenges! It was then off to the task with Vicky and Babs heading out in the steady group, Jenna on bike and Ed leading the main group with Abigail backmarking.

Upon arrival we met a few other Goodgym Yorkies who had gone straight to task, and after some very simple instructions (basically shift the cuttings from A to B) from taskowner Iain, we were soon up and running. Nick and Micheal armed themselves with the tarp and made great progress shifting huge mounds of the cuttings whilst the rest of the gang raked and collected what they could into ton sacks.

Over at the skips James and Kit worked their hardest to trample down the cuttings to ensure that we could fit in as much as possible. Such was their dedication to the cause the Kit almost managed to get himself buried under a tarp load of cuttings at one point! But with the skips filling up and time running out attention turned to raking up and shifting as much as we could before calling it a night.

After a quick stop for a photo we then had time for brief fitness sesh which involved 4 teams competing against each other to see who could jump the furthest and run the fastest whilst shifting a cone from one end of the field to the other. It was a photo finish and to be honest Ed possibly wasn't paying close enough attention to see who actually won but it was definitely Jame's team or possibly George's!

We'll be back at Clarence Gardens in a few weeks to finish off the job!

Nick continued his big birthday (yesterday) celebrations by joining me in Acomb for a GoodGym mission. He is the newest member of the Friday Fun Club and I finally persuaded him that he had nothing better to do so he agreed to join me!

We met Rachael and Ian (who was dropping her off) from York City Council and gathered various tools. We set to work removing moss and weeds (but mostly moss) from the block paving at the front of the houses where a couple of the residents thanked us. Nick and Rachael carried on around the side of the buildings and around the corner.

After an hour Ian returned and helped us sweep up the last bits. We left the area looking much improved.

*pun courtesy of Nick

It was another hot one in Paradise City (aka York), but that didn't deter us - a whopping 31 GGers ran, walked and biked to West Office Gardens, fuelled by our Appetite for (vegetative) Destruction. Jake and Ruth joined us for their second time - nice to see you both again - and it was Una's numero uno run out with us - welcome!

Having been given our brief on which plants should Live and which we should Let Die we got to it, clearing the area of overgrown vegetation to make space for a new planting scheme. We made quick work of the weeds, but the buddleia and other large shrubs gave us a run for our money: we Slashed them with saws, Duffed them up with spades, but it took heavy metal mattocks and Raw Power to really shift them. Martin twisted the roots, Jake heaved at them, and Kit tried pogoing on his spade, just for funsies. Vicky, Jamie, David and James showed great Patience cleaning up everyone else's mess, running around after us all with brooms and wheelbarrows. We were also tasked with trimming an oversized bush: Laura, Jenna, Scarlett and Jane tamed its frizzy locks, turning them from an out of control mullet to a tidy crewcut.

What had seemed at the outset an insurmountable task was actually completed very quickly - It's So Easy when there's a lot of you. Skip filled to the brim, we downed tools and laid out cones in preparation for fun and games. Ed led us in a round of competitive Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes - featuring an unseemly amount of squatting - culminating in a tiebreaker showdown between Jamie and George. The day went to Jamie, but he sportingly joined George in his second place burpees - Nice, Boys.

Two green-fingered Good Gymers met at Lincoln Court to remove weeds from their courtyard area. Residents of these warden-controlled flats have planted out other areas around the building, and the plan is for this area to be offered up for residents to plant and maintain. However, before this can happen the area needs to be weed-free, which is where GG comes in. The weeds in question were mostly large, spiky thistles, which required careful handling. After an hour we had removed all the weeds from the raised bed and the area surrounding it. However, many weeds remain, so more work is needed to make this area useable. GG will be returning to finish the job - watch this space.

The Crichton Road steps were reported as needing a tidy up - despite looking to our GoodGym eyes quite tidy already! We set to it clipping and ripping, until the big guns turned up (aka the battery pack strimmer). I called dibs and strimmed away at the more overgrown path, while Leanne and James took the hands on approach with the other path.

Soon enough, everything was shipshape again and we went on our merry way (some expected to be merrier than others!)

Tonight York's Shiny Happy Good Gymers were joined by two new members - Dylan and Mark, welcome! We congratulated Stefan on Accelerating through the TEWV 10km and Amy for completing the London Marathon - we hear she ran So Fast, she went Numb.

We headed to a new location for us: Carleton Street Play Area, in The Great Beyond behind the station. This was a place shrouded in mystery - it was unknown to Google Maps, and to Nicola, a GGer who lives nearby. It was a regular Ignoreland. Some GGers were worried that you Can't Get There From Here, and others expressed concerns that it was Half A World Away and that it might even be necessary to Drive, but we got there in the end.

We got to work plucking the site from obscurity by removing the brambles, nettles and burgeoning buddleia that concealed it. Kit dug down Low to uproot brambles, and was Feeling Gravity's Pull as he fearlessly climbed Up to saw off branches. Luckily he didn't Fall On Me. Ed was working so hard he managed to break a spade in half - he was having a Bad Day. We didn't Find a River, but we did Reveal a beautiful community garden with a winding path and a great big Rock(ville) in the centre.

Out of Time, we headed on for some heavy duty Circuits Envy led by the lovely Vicky. The skipping ropes were a particular highlight. Several GGers gave an impressive display of rope handling, while a few were Kings of Comedy, giving us all a laugh with an impressive display of ineptitude. Whether you're being stung by nettles, snagged by brambles or whacked in the face with a skipping rope, Everybody Hurts. Despite this we all agreed that we'd had a Funtime, and we repaired to The Ackhorne for stretching and, with minimal Pretty Persuasion, a pint.

Mark Dylan Ed Stefan Kit Vicky Nicola