As the drought continued there was a huge outpouring of goodness going on in York at our Monday night group run. Tonight we welcomed Abel along to his first ever good deed. Give him a big cheer 🥳. Nick had also completed an epic triathlon at the weekend and successfully managed to stay afloat during the swimming leg 🏊. Whilst the cape of good deeds would be doing the rounds tonight with David completing his 300th (fresh from an ultra at the weekend, of course!) and James coming along for his 200th 💪. I'm exhausted just thinking about it all!

Tonight we were heading off to Millennium Fields to lend a hand to Nicola who had spent the day clearing a load of the grass on the wildflower areas in order to new growth come through. Ed led the main run out with Laura backmarking, whilst Vicky and Babs weren't far behind in the party pace group. Upon arrival we were straight off to work with Jen, Michael, Martin and James getting stuck in to the composting area in order to make enough space for all of the new grass that was coming across from the field. John had kindly volunteered to do the photography, so you can thank him for the much improved pictures of tonight's session (but also blame him if your photo is missing!) .

The rest of the Goodgym crew got to work in the field collecting the cut grass with pitchforks and rakes then getting it into tonne sacks or onto sheets and then dragging it across to the guys at the composting bays. Abel made an excellent first impression dragging three sacks full of grass at once, whilst Lucy was regularly seen with a smaller (but still very impressive) bag over her shoulders. The dried grass was soon piling up at the composting area where the guys were working flat out to make sure there was enough space for it all.

Matt, Abel and Neil did an excellent job scything more grass down for the guys to take across, and before too long we'd just about cleared all of the dried grass Nicola had spent the day cutting down plus a bit extra for good measure! This meant we just had to wait for the last few backs be taken over to the compost bays and then for everyone to come back, which gave Amy and Leanne time to get creative with the group photo

Then it was time for a quick group fitness session with Vicky, Babs and John demonstrating a game involving collecting cones and competing against the 2 other people in your group to be the first to get 3 of them back to your corner. Everyone had a few quick games before an epic final between Max, Kirsty and Abel, with Kirsty being declared the winner!

After tonight's session we had our summer Task Force catch up with lots of exciting things being planned for Goodgym York over the coming months including our tenth anniversary in January! However one thing to note was that the unfortunately a GGer's bike at the bottom of St Martin's Lane was stolen, so please be super careful with where you park your bikes. Make sure you've got a really good lock and try to park in a busy area

A big thanks to Becca and Abi for helping out at the South Bank Swap Shop, without any money changing hands! They set up the tables and racks, sorted the clothes and new donations, tidied and folded to keep the swap running smoothly. South Bank Clothes Swap are very grateful for our extra pairs of hands. I think this pair win the biggest smiles competition in every task they do! The next one is on Saturday 26th September.

There was lots to celebrate tonight following the weekends goings on. First up we had the wedding of Vicky and Neil (congratulations guys!) followed by a fair few members completing Thorp Perrrow parkrun dressed in wedding attire, including what could possibly be the first ever parkrun P1 featuring a chap in a dress carrying a handbag (classic Mitch). We then carried on the celebrations by numbering off whilst listing our favourite things about weddings, including lots of mentions of the various foods!

After that it was time to venture to Greenfields in a Woollard sandwich with Ed leading the run out and Amy backmarking. Meanwhile Vicky led a cycling group. Upon arrival at Greenfields the guys were organised promptly into 5 different groups and then led off by a volunteer from Greenfields to get stuck into their task. The following is the best recollection Ed can possibly give of what each different group was doing, without actually bothering to take the time to ask...

The first group were near the entrance and appeared to be hacking away at grass with relatively blunt instruments. Amy in particular seemed to be struggling to actually get any of the grass cut and every time Ed returned she'd swapped her instrument for one that she thought might be sharper. I think Michael may have actually managed to get some grass cut with a sickle but I can't be sure. He just looks like someone who can cut grass reasonably well.

The next 3 groups all seemed to be around the same sort of area. I think they were cutting grass near the raised beds or possibly even weeding in the beds, but I can't be sure. Mitch was asleep on the floor for a bit and Abigail was absolutely covered in stuff out of the beds which meant Babs had to get rather familiar with Abigail to help clear her backside! Steve constantly had a wheelbarrow. Laura was definitely removing grass from the side of a raised bed but didn't really seem to know why. Mitch had a wee in a bush. Abigail kept making faces. Jake and Matt appeared to genuinely be getting some work done, but I'm not sure if it was useful or not.

The final group were rather conveniently placed near the fruit trees and I honestly have no idea what they were doing. Rich had a rake but was leaning on it quite a bit. Lucy was very well hidden deep into the bushes. I think she was just hiding so that she could eat the fruit. I think I saw Neil and J cut some grass but I could be wrong.

After all that hard work it was time for a classic Greenfields symmetrical photo before a quick wedding themed fitness session, but only after Amy had reminded Ed that it was supposed to be wedding themed! There were some squats to start the wedding day, some lunges up the aisle, some very questionable dancing including the macarena and a little lie down at the end of the wedding featuring some burpees.

All in all a fab session at Greenfields and we'll be back again soon!

👋33 GoodGymmers gathered for tonight's group run. We were thrilled to welcome Kirsty to her first group run and hope to see her for many more!

🎉 Following that, what began as a distinct lack of things to celebrate turned into a diverse celebration, of new parkruns, birthdays and theatre appearances. We also need to acknowledge the brilliant Claire who got GoodGymmer of the month, not only for her incredible contribution to our very own Tiny Forest (which is absolutely thriving) but also her prize-winning running at her first ever race!

✌After some disgruntlement from Stef about the boring nature of the proposed naming and numbering off, we were invited to state our favourite thing about Stef. These compliments varied from the somewhat superficial (though still justified - Stef's shorts were very nice!) to the positively heartwarming. Allowances were (very justifiably) made for people who perhaps hadn't met Stef before. No such allowances for Steve Rice though, who mistakenly heard that we were chatting about our favourite fingerbowls (so had to say that as well as his favourite thing about Stef!)

🌱 After all that jollity, it was time to run to tonight's task. Ed led the run while Claire backmarked and in no time, we got to Acomb Primary. We were split into Team Courtyard and Team Forest School. Team Courtyard's task was to tidy up the courtyard (other than the floor, which some of the school children will be tackling shortly). Meanwhile, Team Forest School were making space by clearing anything low-hanging, in the way or likely to grow and block the space. Some people had saws, which they used very enthusiastically. Some people used their hands to (try) and pull up newly growing things. Some people tested out the hammocks (making sure they're safe for the children, obviously...) There was also the mission to identify sticks that could be used for den-building, which involved some of us trying to strip small branches off larger branches. It helped make us feel productive anyway...

🌿 About 5 minutes before our finish time, a new pile of sticks was identified, for taking to the rubbish pile. All hands were on deck and determined to finish as much of this task as possible, leading to some selective hearing on some parts...

📷 Time for a team photo and some playing cards-based fitness. Amy's team won, despite cries of foul play and burpees-based bias.

👏 Next, it was time to run back to base, stretch and head homewards/pubwards. We also heard about Jamie's incredible Leeds-Liverpool canal running adventure. More info to follow - we can't wait to hear how he gets on running over 120 miles! Thanks everyone, until next time!

A small but mighty crew headed down to the riverside this evening to tackle a familiar invasive foe: Himalayan balsam.

After a run or cycle to the task location, we split up along the riverbank and got stuck into pulling up the plants before they have a chance to spread their seeds. The recent weather had left the ground soft, making it satisfying work as roots and all came free with a gentle tug.

Working our way along the path, we soon created impressive piles of balsam and opened up space for native plants to thrive.

With plenty of plants removed and the area looking noticeably clearer, we gathered for a group photo before heading to the memorial gardens for fitness, feeling pleased with another practical contribution to keeping our local green spaces in great shape.

Tonight we did some exercises around the circle then froze into different positions. It was then back to base for a stretch out.

We also congratulated all the impressive runners who completed races and relays over the weekend, cheered Mitch for doing his 600th deed and Neil his 100th, and welcomed Yashodh and Nada to their first group run.

Great effort from everyone involved!