This was quite possibly my favourite task of all time. Why? Here's a list

• burning stuff
• demolition
• bashing things with a sledge hammer
• wildlife (including a very unphotogenic rat)
• power tools (electric saw)
• treasure (marbles and a sling shot)
• lovely people, all equally enthusiastic
• very grateful people at the orchard
• perfect weather

we hope to be back soon to do more burning... watch this space!

❄️ 16 excellently hardy GoodGymmers met on a chilly Monday evening for another two-task session.

🦸‍♀️ We were thrilled to congratulate Abi on her incredible 500th good deed (501st tonight, technically) and hope that the cape managed to keep her warm!

🚲 Ed led a group punctually for a longer run, 4k each way to help York Greenways near Knavesmire Wood. Here’s what he had to say about it:

🏃‍♀️🏃5 of us headed out from Priory Street and were joined by Carl en route before being greeted by Peter from York Greenways at the task.

🌳 We each decided upon our tool of choice and got to work on sweeping or shovelling back the greenery that had grown over the top of the cycle path. Carl and Bec zoomed down the track focusing on quantity, whilst the rest of the guys with shovels were able to hang back removing the tougher clumps of grass that had broken through the path.

💪 In fact Carl and Bec put in such a sterling effort that they thought the task was done when we still actually had about 10mins left, so swiftly got back to work!

🦷 Meanwhile, the rest of us named, numbered and warmed up whilst discussing our childhood dream jobs (in honour of National Dentist Day, apparently). From Blue Peter presenter to archaeologist to fighter pilot, we discovered the ambitions that most of us had failed to meet, or have replaced with alternative achievements!

🧭 Leanne and Laura led the run to Holgate Community Garden, navigating the ginnels to go via the Barrett house to collect the tools needed.

🧹 We’d been promised stiff brushes and these were supplied, along with rakes, to tackle the leaves stubbornly stuck to the basketball court and paths. Teams assembled around lights to get stuck in and clear different parts of the court. Alternative tools had to be sourced to address the broken glass that appeared but Laura was on it and dealt with it quickly and efficiently.

🌱Once the basketball court was done, smaller tools were provided to start to tackle the grass growing around the play equipment. Leanne did a great job of demonstrating her climbing skills and flexibility on said play equipment whilst Steve spread his clumps everywhere. The remaining grass clumps were gathered and distributed and it was time for the group photo.

📸 The play equipment seemed a natural structure to pose with before some people snuck off pre-fitness to help take the tools back to the house of Barrett.

🌛 Those who stayed for fitness were treated to a paired (and triangular) hill sprint joy, on the slopes around the garden. Oh, and it was a full moon, so that was a nice backdrop.

🍻 It was soon time to head back to base for stretches before pub/home. And we could all breathe a sigh of relief that the rain/snow had held off for the evening.

🏁 Thanks everyone, hope you warmed up quickly and hopefully see you soon. You can see what we’ve got coming up here, including shed demolition on Saturday morning and race marshalling/social walk on Sunday.

🌧️ 16 hardy GoodGymmers gathered in the drizzle for our two-task group run this evening.

🐍 We celebrated the achievements of everyone who did the Snake Lane 10-mile race yesterday. Incredibly impressive to see you again tonight!

🚲 A hardcore team of eight opted for a longer run and headed to Bishopthorpe to help York Greenways with the cycle path there, near Sun on the Solar Cycleway ☀️

🗯️Here’s what their leader Mitch had to say…

🍂 6 of us ran 10k to help clear the Selby cycle path of leaves and debris. Armed with scrapers and 'very soft' brushes, we got to work removing the slippy hazards (or caressing them according to Paul K). After 40 mins of hard work in the cold and rain, we managed to clear a large chunk of the cycle path 🥶

🍎 The rest of us ran/walked/cycled to Holgate Community Orchard to do some (hopefully) final digging there. Even in the dark, we could see the transformation compared to when we first started our work there. Incredibly lovely to see, and probably even better in daylight 🌞

⏱️ The gang cracked on with the allocated digging and finished in (possibly) record time. Along the way, there was much chat and muscles built but sadly no Aurora sightings thanks to the somewhat heavy cloud cover ☁️

💪 After that upper body digging workout (and the many miles run yesterday), the enthusiasm for hill sprints was understandably low. The raised beds made for handy props for further upper body workout before we called it a night and headed back to base to stretch and socialise 🍻

😁 Thank you everyone, especially considering the less-than-ideal weather conditions. You’re all troopers 🙌