25 GoodGym Yorkies and a GG Yorkie task owner got together to make Improvements at Danesmead Wood.

We started out by awarding the Centurian Cape of Good Deeds to Ellie who was embarking on her 100th good deed - well done Ellie! Then, instead of the warm up, we did the Time Warp (with added squats and star jumps) to get us fired up for the task ahead.

At Danesmead Wood, we met Carl, who explained that there were a plethora of tasks to complete. Before long, small teams were dispatched to the far ends of the (fortunately small) wood. Egg seems to have a habit of leaving the tasks where people are spread far and wide to me!

Just a stump to the left

One team were charged with sawing up bits of chopped-down trees so that it could be carried to the other end of the wood to build a dead hedge.

Some local teenagers had already used some of the branches to make a den and were guarding it closely when we arrived. In spite of the run report title, no sticks were nicked in the making of this task- there was plenty to go around for everyone.

When I got to this sub-team they were discussing what to name their saws:

• "My saw is called predator!" (Craig)

• "How about Jeremy Sawdon? (Ellie)

• "Paul? Most things in GoodGym are called Paul anyway." (Ellie)

• "Shorn?" (Craig)

And a relay to the right

Meanwhile, another team were working out appropriate distances to stand apart so that they could relay the sawn up branches to the other end of the wood. To me, it looked like a lot of standing around so I advised them to 'look active' if they saw me coming.

It wasn't long before they actually were incredibly active, running constantly with massive branches to get them to the other side of the wood to add to the dead hedge.

Tim managed to cut his arm whilst doing the relays (nobody knows how), so I got to crack open my first aid kit and dole out an antiseptic wipe and a plaster.

Pull your rakes to your hips

One team of two raked up a large area of pre-cut nettles to pile on top of the dead hedge.

Apparently there was another larger team doing a similar task in a hidden glade. I managed to find them with 5 minutes to go, and insulted them by telling them I didn't even know they existed, then asking them what they'd been up to. I defended myself by referring to the recent 'allotmentgate' incident. After all, finding a team 5 minutes before the end of the task isn't nearly as bad as leaving them behind... Fortunately Carl had been looking after them and they did a fabulous job of clearing their patch.

And sting your knees through tights

The rest of the group were charged with seeking out Himalayan Balasm. At this time of the year, after it has already flowered, it isn't quite as simple as just pulling it out of the ground as the seed heads can burst, causing it to spread farther afield.

This group were armed with plastic bags to put over the seed heads as they removed it. Nick was soon found to be complaining "why is all the balsam in amongst the nettles?" There were similar cries of dismay from the rest of the balsam group and some of them jumped at the chance to join the relay, just to get away from the nettles.

Lucy, however, stuck it out and was later found looking worried, holding two big sprigs of balsam, no plastic bags in sight, and shouting "I've got some live ones!"

It's the damn squat thrusts that really drove us insa-a-a-a -a- ane

With the task done, I managed to find everyone and get them together for the group photo... just after we'd all been given locally picked apples to munch on! Then it was onto the fitness session.

We split the group in two for a 'choose your own adventure' style fitness session that I've named 'I went to GoodGym' (It's a bit like the shopping list game, but with an increasing number of exercises as each person has a turn.) Since Becky has recently gained her run leader crown she took charge of the second group, making sure they didn't all choose 'sitting down' as their exercise.

In my group, Stef shocked us all by confessing that he didn't know how to do lunges, and then followed up with adding a set of squat thrusts to an already challenging list of exercises to do. Max gave us some light relief at the end -instead of adding 12 reps of a new exercise, he chose 'I went to GoodGym and all I got was this lousy t-shirt'

Meanwhile, in Becky's group, Tim was heard to include '10 seconds of silent contemplation' as his exercise of choice and Mel finished off the round with 13 high fives for our fellow GoodGymmers.

Let's do the GoodGym again!

By the time we were running back to the Premier Inn for the cool down, it was already pretty dark - next week will almost certainly be headtorch time. Bring them along if you have them folks!

P.S. Big shout out to the pub gang (Craig, Stef, Tim, Max, Katie, Huw, Tim & Becky - hope I haven't forgotten anyone) for insisting on a Time Warp themed run report and helping with the puns. It was a real team effort tonight!