🍫 21 excellent GoodGymmers gathered for our weekly group run. The final Raleigh chocolates were distributed, with the ultimate fairness. Laura led a party pace group and the rest of us named, numbered and warmed up 🥳

🎺 In honour of National Buy a Musical Instrument Day, we discussed our musical instrument experience (and rediscovered just what a talented bunch we are). From ukulele to ocarina (with some slightly more conventional flutes and guitars in between), we could make quite the band 🎶

🏃🚴‍♀It was soon time for the rest of us to head off, with a good-sized cycle group leading the way. Ed led a brisk (if not quite direct) running group across Hob Moor, avoiding cows as we went 🐮

👋 We soon reconvened at Acomb Wood where we were met by Beki from the council environment team, along with plenty of rocky stuff (hardcore) and sandy stuff (hoggin). Everyone got to work quickly, splitting into shovellers (or spaders for the hardcore), barrowers and rakers.

💪 So efficient was our work that we were able to distribute all the material in no time (so Ed and Max sat in the van for a chat whilst the rest of us finished off). Debate arose as to the best way to manage almost-empty bags, with the conclusion being a 4-person drag. There was just time for a quick team dance while we stomped the final hoggin down (Paul Kelly had a particularly good technique for this) before a group photo and heading off in our various groups.

🍻 Whilst some people split off en route, lots of us headed back to base for stretching and pub. Thank you everyone, good work 👍

☔️ 7 incredibly dedicated GoodGymmers gathered on a rainy (coronation) bank holiday Monday evening for this evening’s group run. We were thrilled to welcome Sheila for her first group room and Dan for his first since 2019 👋

🌳 I was also able to share some incredibly exciting news about a Tiny Forest that we’re hoping to get started soon, having just had a meeting about it.

📜 Anyway, on to the task (literally) in hand, which was leafletting for the Community Furniture Store. They’d left an incredibly hefty box of leaflets for us to distribute to various studenty locations across the city 👩‍🎓👨‍🎓

3️⃣ We split into three groups:

🎒 Abigail, Martin and Sheila covered the city centre and walked an impressive almost 4 miles, with somewhat mixed luck as some accommodation blocks (apparently the fancier ones) declined their kind offer of leaflets. Abigail and Sheila managed to offer theirs out whilst Martin kindly carried the spares in his backpack.

🏃‍♀️ Lucy and Jenna jogged east to Tang Hall and also had somewhat mixed luck, more related to some possibly incorrect addresses that had been provided.

📚 Dan and I headed towards York University, where we left lots at the Information Centre (though sadly had less luck at the library). We also stopped at various places on the way there and back.

😁 It stopped raining eventually and we gathered back at CVS, soggy but (impressively) still smiling! And full of ideas of where to distribute the remaining leaflets.

👍 Incredible work everyone, leafletting on a rainy bank holiday evening may not be everyone’s idea of fun so you’re absolute troopers 💪

😁 24 excellent GoodGymmers gathered on a very pleasant bank holiday Monday evening for a two-task session.

👋 We were thrilled to welcome Sara to her first task and Becca to her first group run.

🍫 We also enjoyed some chocolates, courtesy of the new Raleigh-GoodGym partnership.

🏦 We named, numbered off and warmed up by discussing either our favourite bank (thanks Ed) our favourite bank holiday activity. The bank of Dave (great film) and the bank of Mum and Dad featured, alongside Nationwide! Meanwhile, favoured bank holiday activities included exercising, eating, drinking and sleeping.

➗ It was soon time to split into two teams for this evening’s tasks, with Nick leading the run to Fishergate and Mitch leading the run to Acomb Methodist Church.

🖌 At Acomb, we met Barbara and Claire who were still working hard away, since the earlier community mission, chipping away the old paint from the church noticeboard. We’d hoped to get the stripping and sanding done during said community mission to do some painting during the group run. That was a tad optimistic though, so we all got stuck in continuing to battle the many layers of paint that coated the noticeboard. There were ladders and a variety of tools and techniques on display, along with various degrees of success, mostly based on the looseness of the paint in each of our areas. Barbara had kindly agreed with Mike the caretaker that we would attempt to tidy the plethora of mess that we’d created so we went about this with the tools available and hope that it looks vaguely tidier as a result. And I’m sure we’ll be back to continue stripping and sanding the noticeboard before we can start painting it.

🌱 Meanwhile, here’s what Debs had to say about the larger group at Fishergate: “We triumphed over much turf. There are future turf wars to be fought. We filled the skip and Amy and I squashed it in with safe stomping. Rich battled with benches and mostly won.”

🍌 It was soon time to regroup back at base and head home or to the pub for appropriately alliterative banana bread and beer.

👍 We’ve got plenty happening for the rest of the week so do sign up if you can. And we’ll back for another bank holiday special group run, delivering leaflets for the Community Furniture Store.

☀️ 15 brilliant GoodGymmers met on a beautifully sunny (but deceptively chilly) evening for our group run. We all marvelled at the bravery of those in shorts and t shirts, and then realised they’d be contributing extra effort at the task to keep warm 🥶

🦸‍♀️ Speaking of marvelling, we were wowed to see Leanne at our group run, only a day after her heroic London Marathon effort, and looking incredibly fresh! What a superstar 💪

🥳 Vicky led the party pacers while we warmed up, chatting about our early baking/cooking memories. After some deliberation on how to make Angel Delight (definitely with cold milk rather than hot water!), it was time for Ed to lead the other running group and us cyclists to get pedalling 🏃‍♀️🚴‍♂️

🚸 We were heading back to St Aelred’s School where we’re continuing to help to develop their wildlife area. We quickly set to work, with one team carrying on the cutting back work 🌿

🌳 Another team were removing those pesky weeds that had already appeared around the new trees we’d lovingly planted last time. Once the weeding was done, it was time to shift and tip woodchip around said baby trees, to protect them from further weed invasions (🤞)

🌱 Meanwhile, Jenna and Lucy were spotting and rescuing potential self-seeded saplings to be saved, digging them up from any inappropriate growing places to be moved to safer soil. There was definitely a technique both to identifying and digging these plants (mostly hawthorn) so this was an impressive job done 🙌

👏 All too soon, it was time to down tools (though not before all our baby trees had a good thick layer of woodchip). We heard again about the difference our work is making to the school, especially in getting both children and parents interested and invested in the project (including a recent pupil-led litter-pick, which is pretty great). There’s lots more to be done so we’ll definitely be back 👍

📸 We posed for our group photo by a lovely meal then headed off in our different groups, meeting back at base to stretch and head home/to the pub 🍻

👌 Thanks everyone, it was a chilly one but I know the school really appreciated everyone’s efforts tonight 😁