We returned to Middlethorpe Hall for another fence painting session. the rumours of how well we get looked after must be out as it was a bumper turn out!

We quickly got started with a team at each end containing wire brushers and painters. We speedily advanced towards each other - apparently team Vicky did two thirds to team Ed's one third - sounds about right!

Once our section was finished we were rewarded with scones, sandwiches and hot drinks.

The best was yet to come however - we got to go behind the scenes and pose on the roof for our group photo!

All in all a very enjoyable afternoon, in many ways!

Due to some wasp action we avoided the compost bins today. David and Becca raked the cut grass on the main part of the garden. Barbara, Abigail, Leanne and Laura dug up the grass that had grown in the bed at the end, removed the rotten fallen apples and trimmed the dead ends off the plants. We replanted any bulbs that were dug up and put the grass cuttings onto the compost pile on the on the other side of the wall. There may or may not have been some rotten apple throwing challenges and getting distracted by looking up houses for sale!

On a crisp autumnal Saturday morning 12 spritely Goodgymers assembled at Middlethorpe Hall a beautiful National Trust historic hotel. The first few to arrive quickly spotted a bountiful breakfast spread of juice, hot beverages, pastries and bacon or egg butties, incredulously they were all for us! But as Goodgymer Lionel was our task contact we shouldn’t have been surprised at such generous hospitality! But enough about the breakfast (which was delicious if you succeeded in getting it into your mouth - case in point Katie).

Our task was to refresh the sunken fence paintwork (not a ha-ha to be exact). And as we had generously been provided with new metal bristle brush scrapers and paint brushes, we got to work. It was decided to concentrate on the first half of the long sunken fence to make sure both prep and paint could be finished but as our busy team of 12 cracked on we were able to extend our progress even more, powered by good company and a brilliant buffet.

By the time 12 rolled around we had managed to complete the sections we set out to refresh much to a delighted Lionel. After doing such a good job we’ve been invited back on the 17th of October, so sign up now as it’s sure to be another great GG task.

An elite crew of Goodgym Yorkies plus one Goodgym CEO made light work of the pre-climate video task in our first ever visit to Bustardthorpe allotments.

The first job was to shift a couple of piles of wood ranging from stick-size to bloomin' great railway sleepers. This would help clear the area around the bonfire and also create a bit of a wildlife habitat as the wood rotted down.

As soon as that job was done we were on to the next one which involved moving a load of weeds from the community garden area down to where we had just been working. Another task that we made light work of and left a few spare hands available for the most interesting job of the night.

So whilst the community garden got clear Hannah and Jenna threw a few bricks around in a space that is going to become some additional car parking at some point but for the time being is the remains of an old building. I'm reasonably confident the aim was to move the bricks from one end to the other in order to make the space a bit more level, but I'm not entirely how successful they were!

It was then time for a quick photo and off to Middlethorpe Hall for a fascinating evening watching the People's Emergency Briefing film