Wednesday 27th November 2019
Report written by Aron Fulton
Every time we head to Growing Better it seems to be a wet one, and tonight was no exception.
The rain put a few people off, but we still had an amazing turnout, and Catherine, Mia, Ciara and Charlie all chose tonight for their first run with us. They definitely deserve a cheer for coming out in weather like that.
It's also great to see that people are bringing along their friends to GoodGym which is exactly what we want to see!
Our HUGE news tonight was that it was tenth event, and two amazing runners have been to all ten! Adam and Katie both deserve a massive cheer. Click on their name and then find the loudspeaker symbol next to their activities to give them a warm fuzzy glow inside! Or better yet, hit support and you'll see all the amazing stuff they get up to every time you go onto the GoodGym website!
This is the third time we've been back to Growing Better as they're always looking for things for us to do, so most of our crew knew the drill by now. We had a quick 10-themed warm-up in celebration of Adam and Katie, and then made our way down the hill towards Kirkstall, with Katie back marking.
As we reached the cricket club, we let the speedy bunch head off down the hill at a quicker pace, with Adam taking the lead, and Helen stepping in to backmark.
As we all arrived at Growing Better the rain was really coming down and we set about our tasks. While a small group tried to work out the logistics of attempting to build some compost bins, the rest of the team grabbed their tools and headed over to the allotment site.
There was more orchard clearing and pallet fencing to be done and the team got straight down to it. It seems that for some people GoodGym is about more than just going for a run and socialising with new people, particularly when they have a spade in hand:
"This is better than therapy!" Riobhne, GG Leeds
With the Orchard looking even better than before, and another section of pallet fencing completed, thoughts turned to the potential of building compost bins. The Pallet shifting crew had brought a huge stack of pallets across the field to the allotment (which is no mean feat when it's so wet) with Adam and Alex even getting an extra workout by carrying two at a time!
As we started the task of digging in for the compost bins, we realised the ground was just too sodden, and it wasn't going to be possible, and so we called time on our attempt. I'm sure there will be a next time, possibly when the weather is a little drier!
We then all made our way back to base in the same groups as before with much of the conversation revolving around how amazing it would be to eventually get home and dry out! One anonymous GoodGymer (to protect their modesty) was most concerned about what to wear for the journey home:
"I think I might have to drive home in my pants!"
Hopefully everyone got home safe and has finally dried out and warmed up! Our next three tasks leading up to Christmas are all in Kirkstall, meaning a similar distance run. They're all inside, and Christmassy, so hopefully we'll all start to get in the Christmas spirit!
See you next week!
Aron
Leeds
By supporting CAMHS with their Christmas project