Today we had two tasks to complete.

Mitch led four Goodgymers to continue preparing the Acomb Methodist Church notice board for repainting. They all spent an hour sanding scraping, brushing and observing (Mitch and Ellie) and managed to make good progress.

Meanwhile the rest of us, including Anna who was giving GoodGym a try for the first time went to Ashton Park in Clifton to remove tree guards from some mature trees.

As it happens in that park we had an opportunity to engage with local young people. One lad told Jenna that the job is best done when you " let the saw do the work".

Abigail had an opportunity to show off her extensive boxing knowledge and Leanne stood on hammers.

Stef and Lucy competed on who is faster at cutting the wooden posts and Max admired Abi's shooting skill to get the litter bag down from the tree.

The rest of the crew stuck in at removing the metal guards and carefully trimming thorny branches that were in the way and packing them into bulk bags.

Once the trees were freed and tools tidied up a fitness session with a focus on back and abdominal muscles followed, then run back to the HQ to enjoy some of Lucy's birthday cake.

Six Goodgymmers had a lovely morning at Acomb Community Clothes Swap, providing a bit of extra help at this fabulous community event.

Our main task was to keep the racks full of clothes and make sure everything stayed tidy - while having the occasional cup of tea and nosy around for some new (old) clothes.

It was great to meet new Goodgymmer Sophie, who really enjoyed helping at the event.

It was a bonus to get some new items for my wardrobe!

Becca and Antonia upped their sartorial skills, learning a fancy new way to put jeans on a hanger and expertly arranging the children's clothes rack, which promptly fell apart... only to be given a classic Goodgym fix by James, who cunningly tied it back together with a tie from menswear.

Tay found what would have been the perfect pair of red trousers... if they had been several feet shorter.

Once things got a bit quieter, we had a last look over the clothes before heading off to enjoy the rest of (what I can only assume would be) our extremely stylish weekends!

Self-sufficiency York asked for our help to dig up some turf from an old allotment so that they could prepare the ground for planting produce, to be shared in the local community.

Our task-owner, Fran had a wheelbarrow crisis shortly before we got there, so like a proper GG Yorkie, she improvised and brought the tools on site in her wheelie bin - and a very well-stocked wheelie bin it was too (though we quickly found that not all tools were equal).

It was Ed's 300th good deed and Leanne's birthday - it wasn't clear who was stealing whose thunder, but in either case, we celebrated with a trip to the pub after our hour of digging was up.

🍫 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 👍