On a crisp autumnal Saturday morning 12 spritely Goodgymers assembled at Middlethorpe Hall a beautiful National Trust historic hotel. The first few to arrive quickly spotted a bountiful breakfast spread of juice, hot beverages, pastries and bacon or egg butties, incredulously they were all for us! But as Goodgymer Lionel was our task contact we shouldn’t have been surprised at such generous hospitality! But enough about the breakfast (which was delicious if you succeeded in getting it into your mouth - case in point Katie).

Our task was to refresh the sunken fence paintwork (not a ha-ha to be exact). And as we had generously been provided with new metal bristle brush scrapers and paint brushes, we got to work. It was decided to concentrate on the first half of the long sunken fence to make sure both prep and paint could be finished but as our busy team of 12 cracked on we were able to extend our progress even more, powered by good company and a brilliant buffet.

By the time 12 rolled around we had managed to complete the sections we set out to refresh much to a delighted Lionel. After doing such a good job we’ve been invited back on the 17th of October, so sign up now as it’s sure to be another great GG task.

What better way to spend an evening than swapping trowels for bowls and heading to the bowling green for an evening of competitive fun!

There were some impressive deliveries, a few questionable ones and plenty of good sportsmanship — all washed down with a few beers! 🎳🍺

Once everyone had worked up an appetite, it was time for a buffet, which was very kindly laid on by Lynne at the club, followed by an all-important selection of cakes. Because no GoodGym social is complete without cake!

Then came the Yorkshire quiz, testing our knowledge of everything from Yorkshire traditions to local legends. We now all know how big our Yorkshire Puddings should be!

A brilliant evening of bowls, beer, buffet, cake and Yorkshire trivia — GoodGym definitely knows how to roll out a summer social! 💚

Saturday evening sunshine meant there was no better place to be than getting stuck into some GoodGym gardening!

Tonight’s mission was weeding and removing black plastic — a satisfying combination of pulling, clearing and uncovering what had been hiding underneath. The weeds didn’t stand a chance as we worked our way through the area, while the stubborn plastic put up a bit more of a fight!

With plenty of sunshine, teamwork and fresh air, we soon had the area looking much tidier. Who needs Saturday night fever when you’ve got Saturday night weeding fever? 🌱💪