GoodGymers where out in force this morning making events happen North and South of the the city.

Up in Northstowe, Becky and I were supporting Cambridge Acorn Project at Northstowe Running Festival by managing a water station on the half marathon route. We took a lovely cycle from Cambridge arriving with plenty of time to fill 100s of cups of water and master the fiddly job of setting up the rubbish sacks.

We had a great time handing out water and cheering on runners who were doing a fantastic job! The rain held off for a while, but about 2 hours in, it started pouring, with the cups filling themselves. Water, water everywhere (and a drop to share) 🌧️

We took cover while the worst passed and had even more respect for runners persevering in those difficult conditions. 💪

After a swift clear up, we headed to a local cafe to warm up with a much needed cup of tea ☕

Further south, Harriet and Caroline were reunited at Fulbourn Hospital parkrun, and were joined by Jacob to make a volunteer dream team. All went smoothly with Harriet as Run Director, supported by Jacob on timekeeping and Caroline on number checking. This new role for Caroline meant a new parkrun challenge badge 🎉 Aligning perfectly, there was plenty of cake to enjoy from parkrunner milestone celebrations. Yum!

Shout out to Scott who was representing GoodGym and in charge of pre-course checks at Coldham's Common parkrun last week when the sun was still shining ☀️

When Maggie had a surprise grass cut at the church yard, she put the emergency call out and four super GoodGymers answered to help clear it 💪

Scott arrived off the back of a 10km training run, Harriet cycled across town, and both Jacob and myself being local, could take an easy stroll. Convening in the church yard, we welcomed Jacob to his first session 👋 Although a familiar face, it was great to have him join a task!

We were met by Chris, who is a pro at grass clearing, having been involved for a number of years and sometimes clearing 8 lots a year! From first glance there didn't seem to be much grass, but it didn't take long to realise there was plenty to be collected!

We raked and chatted, catching up on fine dining experiences, The Odyssey and, of course, race training. We had a lovely little pause to meet a very cute pup who joined us in a bit of grass clearing, but was mainly interested in a bit of fuss, which we were all more than willing to give 🐶

It's warm work, so the refreshment break was very welcome. Both elderflower and lime cordial on offer this week. We heard more from Maggie and Chris about the Churchyard Conservation Awards, which support parishes to protect biodiversity. St Andrew's is going for Silver, which requires active management including wildflower areas, wildlife information boards, animal boxes and clearing of grass cuttings.

Within an hour we had cleared 3 large bags of cuttings 😅 With the judges coming in the next few weeks, we were glad to be able to help. Good luck 🙌

Pun credit: Scott 🍰