We launched our Starter Sessions in York with a task at St Nicks. Apparently, elsewhere in York and the surrounding area there was heavy rain and thunder, which might account for why only a few people showed up. In the meadows of St Nick's it was a mild and sunny evening, perfect for some scything.

We welcomed along Lauren to her first ever GoodGym session - so she definitely deserves a cheer.

Maria from St Nicks delivered an extraordinary safety briefing about the scythe. It was the stuff of a risk assessor's dreams. In three minutes we knew how to hold it, how to carry it, where and how to store it, how you sharpen it.. seriously everything. Amazing.

After a scything demo with coaching points, we joined some other volunteers from the Eco-Active group and set about scything a patch of the meadow. After the grass was cut, the cuttings needed to be raked and transported to a big compost heap.

The team at St Nicks were amazing, giving us loads of pointers and helpful advice. An hour whizzed past and left us with achy waists and forearms - but a beautifully cut section of meadow with just a few rogue tufts left.

I think I should be worried about how much Becky likes blades! - Leanne

It's just so shiny - Becky

We then completed a running technique section with a focus on drills to promote a good running style. After this we used the drills in a fartlek session and finished with some run/walk intervals whilst maintaining our running form.

Our next Starter Session is at St Nicks on the 13th September and you can sign up here.