Tonight we started by welcoming back Christine and George to goodgym, by celebrating Barbara 800th good deed and by awarding Becca the goodgymer of the month! 🤩

We warmed up by saying who our 80s icon was then headed off to York Cemetery, with a quick pause for a photoshoot on blue bridge.

We were met by Clive upon arrival and also welcomed Leonie to her firsf task. We then headed up to the back of the cemetery 🪦💀 to remove poplar suckers. If these are left there would be a poplar forest before we know it and that won't do! Between us we sawed, hacked, snipped and dragged until there were considerably less of the little tikes. 🌳

We then enjoyed a fitness session of circuits which included some skipping lessons!

Then back to base for some of Barbara's brownies and a liquid refreshment in the pub. 🍻

As the drought continued there was a huge outpouring of goodness going on in York at our Monday night group run. Tonight we welcomed Abel along to his first ever good deed. Give him a big cheer 🥳. Nick had also completed an epic triathlon at the weekend and successfully managed to stay afloat during the swimming leg 🏊. Whilst the cape of good deeds would be doing the rounds tonight with David completing his 300th (fresh from an ultra at the weekend, of course!) and James coming along for his 200th 💪. I'm exhausted just thinking about it all!

Tonight we were heading off to Millennium Fields to lend a hand to Nicola who had spent the day clearing a load of the grass on the wildflower areas in order to new growth come through. Ed led the main run out with Laura backmarking, whilst Vicky and Babs weren't far behind in the party pace group. Upon arrival we were straight off to work with Jen, Michael, Martin and James getting stuck in to the composting area in order to make enough space for all of the new grass that was coming across from the field. John had kindly volunteered to do the photography, so you can thank him for the much improved pictures of tonight's session (but also blame him if your photo is missing!) .

The rest of the Goodgym crew got to work in the field collecting the cut grass with pitchforks and rakes then getting it into tonne sacks or onto sheets and then dragging it across to the guys at the composting bays. Abel made an excellent first impression dragging three sacks full of grass at once, whilst Lucy was regularly seen with a smaller (but still very impressive) bag over her shoulders. The dried grass was soon piling up at the composting area where the guys were working flat out to make sure there was enough space for it all.

Matt, Abel and Neil did an excellent job scything more grass down for the guys to take across, and before too long we'd just about cleared all of the dried grass Nicola had spent the day cutting down plus a bit extra for good measure! This meant we just had to wait for the last few backs be taken over to the compost bays and then for everyone to come back, which gave Amy and Leanne time to get creative with the group photo

Then it was time for a quick group fitness session with Vicky, Babs and John demonstrating a game involving collecting cones and competing against the 2 other people in your group to be the first to get 3 of them back to your corner. Everyone had a few quick games before an epic final between Max, Kirsty and Abel, with Kirsty being declared the winner!

After tonight's session we had our summer Task Force catch up with lots of exciting things being planned for Goodgym York over the coming months including our tenth anniversary in January! However one thing to note was that the unfortunately a GGer's bike at the bottom of St Martin's Lane was stolen, so please be super careful with where you park your bikes. Make sure you've got a really good lock and try to park in a busy area

👋33 GoodGymmers gathered for tonight's group run. We were thrilled to welcome Kirsty to her first group run and hope to see her for many more!

🎉 Following that, what began as a distinct lack of things to celebrate turned into a diverse celebration, of new parkruns, birthdays and theatre appearances. We also need to acknowledge the brilliant Claire who got GoodGymmer of the month, not only for her incredible contribution to our very own Tiny Forest (which is absolutely thriving) but also her prize-winning running at her first ever race!

✌After some disgruntlement from Stef about the boring nature of the proposed naming and numbering off, we were invited to state our favourite thing about Stef. These compliments varied from the somewhat superficial (though still justified - Stef's shorts were very nice!) to the positively heartwarming. Allowances were (very justifiably) made for people who perhaps hadn't met Stef before. No such allowances for Steve Rice though, who mistakenly heard that we were chatting about our favourite fingerbowls (so had to say that as well as his favourite thing about Stef!)

🌱 After all that jollity, it was time to run to tonight's task. Ed led the run while Claire backmarked and in no time, we got to Acomb Primary. We were split into Team Courtyard and Team Forest School. Team Courtyard's task was to tidy up the courtyard (other than the floor, which some of the school children will be tackling shortly). Meanwhile, Team Forest School were making space by clearing anything low-hanging, in the way or likely to grow and block the space. Some people had saws, which they used very enthusiastically. Some people used their hands to (try) and pull up newly growing things. Some people tested out the hammocks (making sure they're safe for the children, obviously...) There was also the mission to identify sticks that could be used for den-building, which involved some of us trying to strip small branches off larger branches. It helped make us feel productive anyway...

🌿 About 5 minutes before our finish time, a new pile of sticks was identified, for taking to the rubbish pile. All hands were on deck and determined to finish as much of this task as possible, leading to some selective hearing on some parts...

📷 Time for a team photo and some playing cards-based fitness. Amy's team won, despite cries of foul play and burpees-based bias.

👏 Next, it was time to run back to base, stretch and head homewards/pubwards. We also heard about Jamie's incredible Leeds-Liverpool canal running adventure. More info to follow - we can't wait to hear how he gets on running over 120 miles! Thanks everyone, until next time!

Tonight’s mission took us to Fulford Ings, where two wheels and two feet united for another round in the fight against Himalayan balsam.

Our group split into two, with Ed leading the runners to the task while Vicky guided the cycling crew. After arriving at the beautiful riverside location, it was straight down to business. Armed with gloves and plenty of enthusiasm, we spread out across the Ings, pulling up as much balsam as we could before it had the chance to spread its seeds.

The distinctive pink flowers may look pretty, but this invasive plant crowds out native species, so every handful removed makes a real difference to the local habitat. Before long, piles of uprooted balsam were growing, and areas that had been thick with the plant were looking much clearer.

As always, the task flew by thanks to great teamwork, plenty of chats, and the satisfaction of seeing immediate results. With another productive evening completed, we headed home knowing we’d helped protect this special green space for wildlife and future visitors, with a few folk putting the ribbons around tansy friendly plants en route so the farmer wouldn't chop them down.

A big well done to everyone who ran, cycled, pulled, and piled. Same time next balsam season? 🌱🙌