What a lovely group we have in Leeds!

This weekend, we headed to the Lakes on a star(less) gazing weekend. Lots of activities were planned with a great walk up Helm Crag in Grasmere where the sun came out for us. We then checked in at the YHA after watching Jubz trying to park in the very tight car park! After an afternoon of clear skies & a lovely meal, we made our way to Grizedale Observatory as the clouds covered the Lake District sky. Despite this, the astronomers gave us a talk, we touched meteorites from both Mars & the Moon & had a visit to the planetarium which is equipped with a dome which gave us an awe-inspiring view of the sky. Despite not being able to see the stars, we had a great night.

The next day, after a run by a small group & some breakfast drama, we hired some self-drive boats for a jaunt across Lake Windermere! It was a great way to end our trip.

Thanks to everyone who drove, to Jason for leading walks/runs & to everyone for coming!

It was also nice to meet Sam & Ben, who are now honorary members of GoodGym :)

We met at HEART and took a gentle run over the park before encountering a bonus uphill stretch before arriving at Shire Oak Primary. Janie met us and soon put us to work applying a second coat of green paint onto the walls of the quadrangle (the school's sensory garden). We also pruned an unruly shrub and gave the flower beds a tidy-up. Janie kindly kept up supplied with cups of tea and banana cake. Apparently Monday was Banana Bread day...who knew!

Tonight, we mainly stood in amazement at Christian's speedy digging skills!

We were digging trenches at Bedford Fields , filling them with logs and garden waste to create mounds. This is a permaculture technique that uses decaying wood as a base to create nutrient-rich, moisture-retaining garden beds. The buried wood acts like a sponge, absorbing water during wet periods and releasing it during dry spells. As the wood breaks down over several years, it provides a consistent, slow-release nutrient source.

It was a freezing night but we managed to keep warm (ish) with our hard work.

Thanks for coming out in the cold everyone:)

It was great to see so many of you come out on a wet Wednesday evening! We had the muddiest run of winter so far as we made our way to Meanwood Valley Farm. We were split into 3 groups, one group to do compost turning (it always surprises me how up for this job everyone is), another group were moving pallets & the third group were cleaning the walls & windows in the greenhouse.

The phrase 'boys and their toys' came to mind when Adam got hold of the pressure washer! He was enjoying it so much we were worried he might flood the place :)

We always love visiting the animals at the farm & we found out the donkey's names...Reggie, Benny & Alfie (if I remember correctly)?! A kidnap plot is being hatched...

Well done to Rachel, tonight was her 90th good deed!

Another great night, thanks everyone!

Last Sunday, 6 GoodGymers ran along the canal as part of the annual Christmas Cracker race. Well done all, there were some sore legs the next day!

Tonight was our Christmas party where we got to celebrate all we'd achieved this year & to have some fun! We met at a church hall to have pizza, sweet treats and play games including charades, silly games with cups & the cereal box game (I guess you had to be there)! We finished off with a quiz & celebrated GoodGym Leeds' numbers this year. We did a whopping 709 good deeds, helping 26 different, local organisations, had 12 socials including our first camping trip & we did 2 races (with 2 more to come in December). What a great time we've had doing it all! From members who have been here throughout, to new members who have become part of the team, thanks so much for making GoodGym Leeds so great!

Shall we do it all again in 2026?!

Thanks to Chloe & Rachael for running games tonight.

Happy Christmas everyone!