Tonight we started our group run by welcoming Alacia then naming and numbering off. In honour of the Boston tea party, we stayed which British institutions we’d chuck into the sea!

Pete led a small walking group, whilst Ed led the rest back to Park Grove for a second indoor wrapping task. This time we were wrapping water bottles and prizes given for the most speedy wrapper and the neatest.

We soon made our way through 250 bottles, counted them into bags and cleared away for our Christmas edition of pass the parcel fitness. Each layer unwrapped a treat and a fitness task. Mainly for Vicky’s entertainment, everyone embraced walking like Santa and turkeys and passing a smile, as well as some more traditional exercises like press ups and lunges. Sadly we ran out of time for musical statues of pain - we’ll save that for January!

Time soon flew so the gang headed back to base one last time in 2024.

Hope to see lots of you on Friday at the Christmas party! If not, happy Christmas!

Tonight we had a bumper turnout for one of the favourite festive tasks of the year - present wrapping. Maybe it was also the rare treat of being indoors!

Rich led out the group to Park Grove, with Ed in the middle and Laura and Barbara back marking.

Once we arrived we celebrated James' 50th good deed, then set to work wrapping. As some gifts hadn't arrived some of the taller members of the group offered to help put up some decorations instead. Once we all finished, we packed up and fueled up with a mince pie ready for fun fitness.

We decided to make use of the gym and had a few games of dodgeball. The idea was to hit members of the opposite team to get them out. Turns out some goodgymers have quite a competitive streak!

After a few rounds we headed back to base for a stretch and run through of the tasks for the week ahead. We also asked claire to pass on congratulations to Alistair for doing 50 good deeds.

The ever hard-working Gary at Park Grove had already dismantled the decking when we arrived so we were able to get stuck straight into the task of shifting it to the skip. Those planks are pretty heavy but we managed to make fairly short work of it and thought we might be in for an early finish. Gary had us covered on that one too though, and quickly unearthed an enormous pile of willow that also needed to go to the skip. The more we shifted, the more willow was unearthed. This kept us busy for a while until the skip could take no more - they don't mean it when they say "level fill only" do they? ;-)

After neatening up the skip to Vicky's satisfaction, we headed off to the next task.

It was medal Monday at GG as we celebrated lots of runners successfully making it round the York 10 Miler including Max who set a new personal best in his first 10 mile race. We kept the applause going for Max who was also celebrating his 300th Good Deed. Amazing effort. Give him a big cheer 🎉

We then warmed up and numbered off by listing our favourite buildings in honour of the birthday of the Guggenheim Museum. With suggestions including people's own homes, Durham Cathedral (but not York Minster?) and lots of love for Gaudi. It was then off to the task with Ed leading the way and Laura and Abigail back marking.

At the task we met Vicky who had already set the Govers and Martin off leafleting. They were joined by two other groups of 3 who were given very strict instructions to be back by 7.20 and take some photos (more on that later). The rest of the gang got to work painting the fence at a lovely shade of blue which happened to match Lyndsey's top perfectly. Who knew you a bright blue running top could act as camouflage!

As time ticked away, the painters realised they could get the whole task completed before the anticipated return of the leafletters so put in a big final effort to make sure no spots were missed before it was time to start the fitness session, little did they know (although they probably could have guessed) that the group of Max, Mitch and Nick would return almost 10mins later, sans photo.

But we didn't have time to wait for them as it was starting to get cold, so we started tonight's fitness session which was a ladder workout involving 30 seconds of an exercise followed by 30 seconds of rest, but adding in a new exercise on top every round. We started with step-ups on the tyres in the playground before adding in standing crunches, squats, tricep dips and of course finishing with burpees. Unfortunately we couldn't add in Abigail's new invention of the reverse star jump as there just wouldn't have been enough time to teach everyone how to do it. Maybe next week!

Then it was back to CVS but only after narrowly avoiding a wandering hedgehog on way out of Park Grove 🦔

Tonight we started our warm up by saying which drink we'd like to get rid of - suggestions included pernod, cider and whiskey! We then celebrated Cara's 200th good deed and welcomed Nick to his first run, before heading off to Park Grove for a final session of fence painting.

Once we arrived we made a prompt start on turning the rainbow fence blue. Within no time one side was done so a few nimble folk jumped the fence to do the other side (Then vicky found the keys to the gate in her pocket!)

The session then finished with a coconut shy relay race! Lots of people knocked one off to take home (whilst others just stole them!)

Once back at base and refuelled by Amy and Cara's biscuits, a bumper group headed to the pub to discuss the use if coconuts in more detail!

19 GG folk met to brush up on their painting skills at Park Grove School. we welcomed Claudia to her very first GoodGym and were also joined by Amy for her first group run.

After owning up to our favourite Karaoke songs - Boney M Lucy - really? and a quick leg swing warm up we headed off to meet the gaffa Vicky at the school

on arrival Mitch along with 3 other GGers went off to the Secret Garden to help out Tracey of Fairy Trail Fame. They were tasked with clearing a pile of compost, rubble and other fly tip to clear the area for a new garden to be installed.

They got straight to work digging, bagging and trying to find the strangest item (tied between computer mouse and tiny bathtub...).

Meanwhile back at the school the rest of the crew had moved some heavy podiums and were painting up the old rainbow fence while Jamie showed his sense of hue-more with a steady stream of paint themed puns. Laura was caught blue handed wearing the cape of good deeds while painting - congrats on reaching 400 awesome good deeds Laura!

we got a good chunk fence painted and then it was onto the sports field for a quick round of squats and burpees to AC/DC's Thunderstruck before we had a mini sports day.

Abigail's team won the well known quoit on the head relay race with some dubious use of the hair bun, Lyndsey exhibited an extremely unorthodox lunge technique in the quoit on the head lunge relay and Claire really came into her own with some very dainty backwards running in the famous quoit on the head backwards running race.

it was then just a short trot back to base before no-one went to the pub - the horror!