Another beautiful evening for the DEMOCRACY that is Bristol GoodGym to get together and inflict some good somewhere in the city. With the fabulous progress in de-sycamoring Brunswick cemetery last week, there was a golden (sunlight) opportunity to get a lot more of this time-sensitive task completed. Although every time you turn around another sapling-to-be has emerged from it's underground seed. Much chatter ensued, etymology of words and comparisons with other languages was a hot topic, inspired by the unexpected finding of a really-quite-posh baguette amongst the undergrowth. We left it, in case it was useful, and all headed off to Ciao Amici for GoodGym Eats, it being the first Tuesday of the month - great food with quick service - just what we needed!

Daylight! Sunshine! Smiles all round for our first light evening Group Run/Walk of 2026 after what’s felt like the longest, darkest, wettest winter ever.

Happy GoodGymmers set off to Brunswick Cemetery for Operation Sycamore No More to collect as many sycamore seedings as possible from the thousands that are sprouting. One sycamore tree is enough, thank you!

Left, right and centre, GoodGymmers were crouching, squatting, kneeling and, in Richard B's case, elegantly lounging to gather their bouquets of sycamores with a bit of stickybud to surreptitiously attach to a fellow GGer. Ieva, returning for her second good deed, was definitely the sinner of the biggest bouquet, mainly because the more experienced GGers wither made a pile or speedily bagged their offerings. There may be a prize giving ceremony next week.

Phill and Emma gave some of the tomb-covering ivy a trim whilst Vaguely Northern Darren ferried the trimmings yo the assigned green waste collection point.

The sign that everyone needed a good stretch was a group of GGers standing tall and happening to be chatting, naming no names Caroline, Richard G, Jason, Ed, and Dushyant!

A lovely stroll/run back as the sun set was followed by more chat at Workout whilst the football was on with a few if us continuing to practise our Japanese. More again next week?

The forecasted drizzle didn't put off the runners and walkers this evening...if they'd have known it was biblical levels of rain, it might have been a different story! We welcomed Ieva for her first run tonight, and I made a 99% promise that she would never be as wet as she was for her first one, and I'm sure she'll be back saying how much she loved the running, the volunteering and the people! Jerry was surprised we came in the rain, but was very grateful we did and for how much we've managed to clear over the dark winter months. Clock's go forward this weekend, so when we're next at Hebron, we won't need lights! We finished a little earlier than usual as the rain was relentless and those of us that headed in to Workout were greeted by a table next to the radiator :-) Thanks for the rainy photo Frances

We hadn't expected to have to run the gauntlet to get to the city centre but a HUGE St Patrick's Day crowd had decided to party on King Street and Welsh Back (re-named Irish Back for the evening?) - who could blame them at the end of a rare blue sky and sun-filled day?

We fared (see what I did there?) better than the taxis trying to drive the roads and muscled our way through to cross the city centre to Brunswick Cemetery where more golden gravel was waiting to be exposed to the moon/sunlight once again.

Armed with forks and rubble bags, we were soon working on one of the normal paths before diverting onto the thick moss carpet in front of the old mortuary building - rich pickings for the supple of rubble bags and soon green carpet was becoming green waste ready for the Council to pick up.

It was great having Jo along for her second Tuesday but already third good deed as she joined the Northern Slopes task at the weekend.

The runners (Richard B, Richard G and Caroline were outnumbered by the walkers this week. Jason recovering from his first half-marathon at the weekend, Helen back from her travels , Ed showing off yet another volunteer kit top, Melanie pretending once again she knew what was going on and Jo - its lovely to have a balance of walker and runners, even better when the walkers just tip the balance!

After filling all the available bags, it was back to the mayhem of the St Patrick's Day crowds and on to Workout for pots of tea and a pint of Guinness, which is apparently the perfect pairing for chocolate cake.

We're heading the other way next week but hopefully the crowds will be long gone by then!

P.S. Ive written this report without reading glasses so please make corrections if you have edit access!