It’s not every GoodGym mission that turns into an educational experience but Cleveland Pools is rather special. Opening in 1817 it is the UK’s oldest public open-air swimming pool. I knew this - I even swam there as a teenager with its big pool, children’s pool and fountain.

What I didn’t know until this visit is that there is a third pool tucked behind the crescent-like architecture. A ladies pool cut off from the main pool where, in its early days, men used to swim in the nude, and allowing women to gather and relax. It now serves as a place to display the history of the site but in my head I could hear the gossip and chatter of a bygone age and see the women bathing and showering and giggling about the boys the other side of the wall.

It was a lovely insight into the history of a lido which may be closed at the moment but has a trust that is striving to revive it.

But enough about history and bringing us up to date - GoodGym were called in to help keep the site neat and tidy, ready for the moment it reopens and - more immediately - spick and span for the World Heritage open day in September.

Five of us dug in - mainly weeding the slopes. Paul had already done his bit by mowing the grass during the week but that didn’t stop him wielding the secateurs. Max and Cosmo went the extra mile, helping a neighbour with some rubbish clearance - and, on her first mission, Laetitia showed the weeds she meant business. Hurrah!

Special mention must be given to the fig and banana cake made by trustee Sally Helvey to sustain the volunteers. Yum!

It's been a while! I can't tell you for certain but I think it's been about a year and a half since we've been to Bath City Farm, so it was great to be back.

Slowly we've been able to add the regular missions, that we had prior to the organisational changes, back into the Bath calendar and this one was one of the last. Reaching out was the start but our offer to return was met jubilantly by the City Farm; our regular contact (Helen) still being there to enthusiastically welcome is back.

I always used to joke that Missions at Bath City Farm mainly involved manure, but this was an exception (I have a feeling though that some were actually hoping for manure).

A lot has changed since we were last here, many more outbuildings have popped up including a Yurt (a circular tent of felt or skins on a collapsible framework, used by nomads in Mongolia, Siberia, and Turkey). Our job was to wheelbarrow soil down from the top of the farm to the edges around the yurt, where they plan to plant a bed of strawberries.

Bit of a trek between the soil pick up and the soil deposit, but it was the right way round. Full wheelbarrows on the downhill and empty ones back up the hill.

We achieved our goal though, and still had time to lay some woodchip down along the path we'd been using.

Keep an eye out, I will be posting more missions throughout the year, Bath City Farm is BACK on the calendar :)