The rain clouds cleared and the sunshine came out as 7 runners set out from the leisure centre along the towpath. We came to Nest just as Nicola met us on her bike.

The Nest Project is a charity that provides new and second-hand clothes for children aged 0-5 for free. You can read more about what they do here: http://thenestproject.co.uk/.

Pip met us with a nice big pile of baby clothes to sort into age (and weight) categories and we spent an enjoyable half hour squealing over onesies.

We ran back to Leisure centre to finish off with 8km and a double rainbow over the abbey!

10 GoodGym volunteers put on their gardening gloves to help out at the community garden at Donkey Lane in Bath. We removed bindweed, controlled some rampant mint and cleared some overgrown paths. It was a hilly run but we were rewarded with amazing views over Bath!

Welcome Richard!

After meeting at the leisure centre we gathered into a group and welcomed a new runner, Richard, to his first GoodGym run. Thanks for coming along and helping us out last night, Richard. We hope you will come back again and give us a hand in the future!

Congrats on 50 good deeds, Allie!

A massive congratulations to Allie who was earning her 50th good deed with us at the task! Getting to 50 is a fantastic milestone and you will be rewarded with a shiny new black running top!

Hilly run, time for a silly pun

We ran through town, up the hilly Lansdown road, down Camden Crescent and along Perfect View to Donkey Lane. This was a particularly hilly route but it was fantastic training for us. Plus we got to see some of the best views over Bath (after all, the place is literally called Perfect View!!).

What a time to be a-chive!

Our hosts, Sue and Jeremy, welcomed us to the garden and, as we caught our breath, gave us an overview of the project and the tasks at hand. The community garden is maintained by Sue and Jeremy but anyone is welcome to help out and enjoy the fruit, veg and herbs that are grown there. Some of the things grown there include apples, Japanese wineberries, chives and mint. We had three main tasks and we split into groups to make sure we got everything done on time.

Pathway to heaven

One group was tasked with clearing the path that meanders around the garden. With the recent good weather, the path has become overrun with weeds and plants and it was very hard for the gardeners to move around and tend their produce. The group used an array of tools (and a good deal of determination!) to clear the path. This makes the path far more accessible and a lot safer and the volunteers who maintain the garden will now be able to get to work.

We prefer to shear-mint instead of spearmint!

Another group were in charge of controlling a patch of mint. It has become overgrown and is invading other parts of the garden so the team of volunteers used their shears to cut it back to a manageable level. The breeze was blowing up the hill and we were all rewarded by the refreshing scent of the freshly cut mint.

One pun to rule them all ... and in the darkness, bind(weed) them!

The final group had a task that required concentration and a great deal of patience. They spent the evening using their nimble fingers to untangle bindweed from the shrubs and plants it was strangling. Bindweed is a very aggressive plant that wraps itself very tightly around stems, shoots and leaves. The team had to be careful not to pull up any of the 'host' plants by accident and make sure just to remove the bindweed. It was a very satisfying job once it was done.

Sue and Jeremy were really pleased with the work we managed to get done. We managed to get so much done in such a short space of time, and it just goes to show what a positive impact we can make to community projects like this.

To say thanks, we were kindly offered some Japanese wineberries that we plucked off the vine. What a delicious treat!

Thanks!

Thanks to Mary for the pun this week and thanks to Emily for backmarking for us to make sure noone got left behind. And many thanks to Sue and Jeremy for hosting us! We shall return!

Upcoming runs

• There is a fun Community Mission happening at the weekend in Bristol
• Further afield, it is the GoodGym Olympics in London on Saturday. Having been to the inaugural event a few years ago I can definitely recommend it as a really fun day out
• On 17th/18th August we have the GG West Summer Party. Go to the event listings change the filters on the right to 'all areas' and 'all events' to see all that is going over that weekend.
• Next week Alison is leading you to The Nest

12 GoodGym runners braved the summer heat to help out the National Trust on the Bath Skyline walk. We pulled up Ragwort and organised some bales of hay. Our hard work has helped maintain the beautiful space and helped keep it safe for cows that fancy a snack!

Welcome Iona and Jamie!

We met outside the leisure centre and welcomed two runners to the group. We were delighted to welcome Iona to her first GoodGym run and to welcome Jamie who usually runs with GG Croydon and is earning his 'GG on tour' badge with us! After a warm up we were on our way.

After running down the river Avon we turned off Widcombe Hill and onto Church Lane to get to the fields by the lower entrance to Prior Park. Despite the heat we were keen to get some extra training in and we paused to do some wall-sits by the Co-op in Widcombe. My quads are still burnin'!

Get a mooove on, we don't have all night!

The first part of our task was to scour the field by the Prior Park entrance to look for Common Ragwort. The fields are very species-rich limestone grassland which is really important for pollinators such as bees and butterflies, but some plants, like Ragwort, need to be controlled quite closely. Ragwort is poisonous to cattle if they eat it in large quantities and it also spreads very easily.

Cows are an important part of the management of the fields as they keep the level of the grass low and stop the grassland getting long, rank and full of nettles. So we combed the field, walking up the hill, like a forensics team and managed to pull up a hefty bunch of the weeds. We did a similar task a few weeks ago, so we were well practised in pulling up these tough old weeds!

"Hay jude ... take a bad pun, and make it better"!

Once we made it to the top of the hill by the 'Park Run steps' (as they seem to be known...), the second part of our task involved organising some bales of hay. The fields near where we laid a hedge with the National Trust earlier in the year have now been cut to hay, and the bales were left where they were formed.

We worked in teams to shift the bales and move them into an organised pile. They weren't as heavy as we thought, but were quite awkward to carry. Another great job done!

And it was all yelloowww...

The third and final leg on our journey was to remove any Ragwort from the field next to where we started. Luckily this meant walking downhill for a change (except for Mary who offered to go back up and leave the Ragwort at the top on her way home - thanks Mary!).

Among other things, we spotted a buzzard, lots of butterflies and some buzzing bees too. It was a real treat to be outside surrounded by nature enjoying the views over Bath on such a spectacular evening. Last night was a classic example of how getting involved with GoodGym can make a huge difference to our mental and physical health ... at the same time!

Thanks!

Thanks to Emily for backmarking for us on this one, and also thanks to Emily for the pun this week! And thanks to Tabi and her team of Rangers at the National Trust for organising for us to come along and help out. We had a great time and can't wait to work with you again!

Upcoming runs:

• Next week we are gardening at Donkey Lane
• On 17th August we have the GG West Summer Party

It was very humid last night, but nonetheless 10 GoodGym volunteers put on their running shoes and came out to help their community. We ran to Alice Park Community Garden and got involved in all manner of tasks to help the project. We really enjoyed being surrounded by nature and clocking up over 5km in total.

Welcome everyone!

I welcomed the group in our usual spot (outside the leisure centre) and shared the running news. Lots happened at the weekend! Allie wore the GoodGym red in one of the Two Tunnels running series (doing really well to get 3rd in her age category - well done!) , Mary wore the Tardis blue in the Tardis 10 race organised by GoodGym Bristol (and won 'best dressed'!) and Emily, Max and I ran along to Cleeve Hill campsite to help Bath Scouts maintain the camping area.

After a warm-up we were on our way along the canal. We paused halfway to get in some extra training by doing some squats. After those legs were burning we set on our way again and made it in good time to the garden. Kathy, our host, gave an introduction to those of us who hadn't been along to the garden before.

The Community Garden at Alice Park was set up 10 years ago by a team of volunteers from Larkhall who wanted to create a community space where everyone and anyone could get the benefits of growing and enjoying fruit and veg. They host regular volunteer meet-ups and everyone is welcome to join (see the pictures above for more info).

Kathy had a whole whiteboard of tasks for us to get on with. We only had 45 minutes ... but we love a challenge!

A Damson in distress!

Some of us spent time weeding the plot where the Damson tree lives. We harvested from the tree late last Autumn so it was great to help it on another year of growth. Once we did that we also did a bonus task of weeding the bed where a Cherry tree lives.

Water way to spend an evening!

Some of the runners got their step count up high yesterday as they watered the plants in the garden. I estimate that we walked over 200 litres from the filling station to the watering beds. Good work!

My love for volunteering has flowered!

We also spent time dead-heading the flowers in the wild area. This is important to allow the plants to put their energy into growing new flowers, and it also makes the area much more attractive to bees!

A favourite task of ours by now, we turned some of the compost pile into another container. This needs doing regularly to make sure that the organic matter mulches down effectively. This was tiring work, especially as the compost at the bottom was quite wet! But we love doing exercise and volunteering at the same time, so we were happy (but also mucky!)

There's a leek in the bed!

Two of our runners embraced their inner farmer and dug up some potatoes that have been growing in the garden. This is a fantastic example of community gardening at its best! In their place we planted some leeks into the garden bed to start growing.

I made sure to rotate us around each of the tasks to make sure that everyone got a chance to try something different and to swap between less and more physically intense tasks due to the heat.

Thanks!

Thanks to Emily for back marking for us and thanks to Nicola for the potato-themed pun this week. And thanks to Kathy for hosting us last night. We had a great time and can't wait to come back again soon!

Upcoming runs:

• Next week we are helping out on the Skyline Walk with the National Trust

It was a very humid July evening and nine GoodGym volunteers ran up Widcombe Hill to part of the Bath Skyline walk. We worked with a National Trust ranger to pull up Ragwort growing in the fields. It was a tough task and it was very warm but we really enjoyed being outside and making a difference. We ran a hilly 4.3km in total and had a great all-body workout with all the weed pulling!

We met at the leisure centre and I shared the latest news with everyone. We have a Community Mission coming up this weekend where we are helping at Cleve Hill campsite in Weston. It will be a fun one, so make sure you come and join us!

Bath running routes aren't just funny, they are hill-areas!

After a warm-up we were on our way. We headed down the river and up Widcombe Hill where we joined the Skyline Walk. Our host, Tabi, met us near Rainbow Woods. Tabi is a ranger working with the National Trust and part of her role involves leading volunteer groups to maintain the Skyline Walk. The Skyline Walk is a 6 mile circular route and it is a fantastic way to take in the sights of Bath. I strongly recommend giving it a go!

Dancing along to Rag(wort)-time!

Tabi gave us an overview of our task. We had to sweep through the fields like forensic detectives and pull up any Ragwort that we found. The fields are due to be cut next week to produce hay for cattle and Ragwort can be poisonous to cattle if they eat it in large quantities. So our hard work will help keep the food safe for cows in Bath.

Putting the GYM in GoodGym!

Ragwort was easy to identify in the fields of grass. It is a yellow flower with thin ragged petals. The hard part was actually pulling it up! The roots were quite deep and some of the plants were nearly as tall as us. There was some great team work to make sure we covered as much of the field as we could and sharing the load to pull up some particularly tough weeds.

Couldn't think of a butter way of spending a Tuesday evening!

We really enjoyed being outdoors surrounded by nature on such a glorious summer evening. As we walked through the waist-high grass flutters of butterflies erupted and danced all around us. We saw some interested orange bugs and a few spooky spiders, too!

We also had the chance to inspect some of our hedge-laying work we did earlier in the year at a Community Mission. It is great to see the hedge we laid becoming thicker and creating a natural barrier for the fields. Long may it continue!

Thanks!

Thanks to Tabi for arranging for us to come along last night. Thanks to Emily for backmarking and thanks to Chris for the pun this week.

There is more work to do and we are doing a similar task in two weeks time, so make sure to come along and help out again!

Upcoming Runs

• Next week we are helping out at Alice Park Community Garden.
• At the weekend we are helping out at a Scout Service Day in Weston
• In 2 weeks time we are heading up to the Skyline walk to complete the second part of our task