There were a few tired bodies as we made our return to the Monday night group run after an epic Goodgym camping weekend in Derbyshire. But that didn't stop our group from shifting a load of cuttings from the stunning wildflower meadow that we'd previously helped to plant at Clarence Gardens 💪

We started the night with a small but perfectly formed group celebrating the new male half-marathon wolrd record by naming the things that they believe they could hold a world record in. Turns out we all really back ourselves when it comes to eating challenges! It was then off to the task with Vicky and Babs heading out in the steady group, Jenna on bike and Ed leading the main group with Abigail backmarking.

Upon arrival we met a few other Goodgym Yorkies who had gone straight to task, and after some very simple instructions (basically shift the cuttings from A to B) from taskowner Iain, we were soon up and running. Nick and Micheal armed themselves with the tarp and made great progress shifting huge mounds of the cuttings whilst the rest of the gang raked and collected what they could into ton sacks.

Over at the skips James and Kit worked their hardest to trample down the cuttings to ensure that we could fit in as much as possible. Such was their dedication to the cause the Kit almost managed to get himself buried under a tarp load of cuttings at one point! But with the skips filling up and time running out attention turned to raking up and shifting as much as we could before calling it a night.

After a quick stop for a photo we then had time for brief fitness sesh which involved 4 teams competing against each other to see who could jump the furthest and run the fastest whilst shifting a cone from one end of the field to the other. It was a photo finish and to be honest Ed possibly wasn't paying close enough attention to see who actually won but it was definitely Jame's team or possibly George's!

We'll be back at Clarence Gardens in a few weeks to finish off the job!

Tonight we saw a bumper turnout for Holgate Community Allotment which meant there were plenty of hands on deck for a proper evening of GoodGym gardening.

Before we set off we celebrated PK and Leanne's epic hike up Kilimanjaro, as well a some great 10k running from Stef at the weekend.

When we arrived we were met by Helen who had a long list of jobs. We got stuck into turning the compost, cutting back brambles, watering trees and clearing the school plot, giving everything a much-needed tidy-up. There was also a group of scrumpers sorting the windfall apples. 🍎 Because there were so many of us there was lots of opportunity to stand about and have a chat too!

We rounded off the evening with a lively game of Fitness Splat, proving that even after all that digging, chopping and clearing, there was still plenty of energy left in the tank for a bit if fun!

A bumper turnout, a bumper workload and finally a bumper crop of apples. A very productive night at Holgate! 💪🌱

see you next week!

🏅 A gaggle of excellent GoodGymmers gathered for our weekly group run. First of all, we heard about some incredible running over the weekend. David Barrett won a race and not just any race, a (very) extended bleep test! Much kudos to David! Meanwhile, Matt won a parkrun (not a race, apparently...) And Ed did a Hardmoors half (but sadly got injured partway round, and still completed it, somehow!)

🦸 Next, it was time to celebrate 3 more heroes, of the 50 good deed variety. Huge well done to Jen, Matt and Jamie, who got to split the 50 cape between them!

🪏 After a quick warm-up, it was time to start running/cycling to Greenfields Garden for some (slightly) guerrilla gardening. We were helping the no-dig crew tonight, digging up grass to put on layers of cardboard to mulch down onto the bed below. There were a few tool options available to assist, including spades and loppers, or some of us used our hands...

🦗 A few grasshoppers/crickets were spotted (hence the pun), leading to a discussion about how to tell one from the other. It turned out no one was quite sure how to tell them apart but the internet tells me that crickets have longer antennae and are nocturnal. So we probably saw grasshoppers...

🍎 Anyway, it was hard work digging up grass so when we given the option to search the orchard for windfalls, many of us took it with open arms.

💪 Soon, it was time to down tools and start fitness with Nick. He claimed to find a way to make squats and planks fun and was almost right, though our moving tunnels of planks ended up in some particularly itchy grass!

🍪 Time to head back to base for a cool-down stretch and birthday biscuit-beer combo at the pub (thanks Nick!) We heard about lots of fun things coming up this week so plenty to get involved with. Thanks everyone!

We started tonight's session by celebrating all the goodgymers who ran York 10k. We had pbs galore as well as Matt getting a P1 at parkrun. We also welcomed Christine to her first task.

This week’s GoodGym adventure then took most of us to Scarcroft Allotments, a mere 800 metres away, to help keep the site in tip-top shape, whilst Mitch took a splinter group to Hull Road park to do some raking.

Our first task was giving the hedges a well-earned trim, tackling overgrown branches to leave the paths looking neater and more welcoming. A group also did a bit of heavy lifting - dragging a pile of old carpets down to the car park. This upset a nest of wasps and unfortunately Nathan got stung a few times.

This us what the Hull Road gang got up to-

We arrived at Hull Road Park and needed to clear dried and cracked plants. It was important we cleared the tinder as it was a massive spark risk in this heat.

We quickly filled 10 Tonne bags and cleared the area...luckily in time for the rain tonight!

With the allotment looking smarter and the park clearer, we finished the evening with a fitness session. The highlight (or depending on who you ask, the toughest part!) was teddy bear rolls, which had everyone rolling, balancing and laughing in equal measure. A fun way to round off a productive evening of volunteering and exercise.

A huge well done to everyone who came along and helped make a real difference at at both sites. From hedge pruning to carpet shifting and teddy bear rolling, it was another brilliant example of GoodGym combining doing good with getting fit.

We started today's session by saying our geeky interest in honour of Embrace your Geekness day! There were mentions of spreadsheets, cloud spotting and jigsaws to name a few.

We also congratulated the group of goodgymers who completed the 58 mile ultra in the lakes in the heatwave and the group who ran up and down Snowdon despite their race being cancelled.

Mitch then led off a small splinter group to Acomb Library.This is what they got up to-

We arrived at the library not to new raised bed, but old rotten beams of wood. We quickly got to work moving them from the garden and out to the drive. These will now be used for the path at fishponds woods.

After half an hour the garden was left crystal clear.

The remainder of the group headed to New Walk to drag many sacks of grass to the collection point. In goodgym style this was completed much quicker than expected so we headed off for a bit of fun fitness in the form of goodgym scrabble.

Despite stretching it out we still had a nice early finish so a few thirsty folk headed to the pub where in true geek style, Paul showed some strava tricks which got us debating each others' popularity!

👋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!

A small but mighty crew headed down to the riverside this evening to tackle a familiar invasive foe: Himalayan balsam.

After a run or cycle to the task location, we split up along the riverbank and got stuck into pulling up the plants before they have a chance to spread their seeds. The recent weather had left the ground soft, making it satisfying work as roots and all came free with a gentle tug.

Working our way along the path, we soon created impressive piles of balsam and opened up space for native plants to thrive.

With plenty of plants removed and the area looking noticeably clearer, we gathered for a group photo before heading to the memorial gardens for fitness, feeling pleased with another practical contribution to keeping our local green spaces in great shape.

Tonight we did some exercises around the circle then froze into different positions. It was then back to base for a stretch out.

We also congratulated all the impressive runners who completed races and relays over the weekend, cheered Mitch for doing his 600th deed and Neil his 100th, and welcomed Yashodh and Nada to their first group run.

Great effort from everyone involved!