With a lucky break in the weather (but a wee bit chilly), we welcomed Ramani to her first GoodGym task after she arrived for a documebt check and hadn't realised she could stay for the Group Run - hope it's the first of many!

We were all soon being let into the loading bay of Sparks and being let loose on taking down their communal area Christmas decorations, many of which we'd tied into the ceiling back in November. They'd stayed up much better than expected!

Spread over three floors, there was strategic lift manoeuvring and stair climbiing having found cardboard boxes to pack away decorations for use next year (if they survive!) and carefully squished paper lantern decorations to their flat state.

A quick team sport of small LUSH box collapsing and a human chain to over-fill a cupboard and our job was done.

Indoors again next week for our Group Run, in case that tempts you back!

What a night for Harsheh to decide to join in the fun with Bristol GoodGym!

We were spreading cheer throughout the city as three teams set about a Taskmaster-style scavenger hunt to create three photos, which had to include a team member, one for each of three Bristol categories * Brunel * Cabot * Concorde (not a Bristol person, clarified on the night)

Most of you will have heard of Brunel (top engineering bloke, designed railway gubbins, a ship and a bridge or two, see one of the his best. Cabot is well known to people who grew up in Bristol but is just a shopping centre/circus and tower to some later arrivals, is John Cabot, actually an Italian explorer who went to Canada in 1497 even though they didn't have parkrun then. Lots of Concorde was designed in Bristol, with the help of some other people. Concorde Alpha-Foxtrot now lives at [Aerospace Bristol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerospace_Bristol0, which is actaully in South Glos, not Bristol.

Anyway, three teams each of 5 intrepid GoodGymmers set about town, running and walking and using local knowledge or creative crafting, thanks to the Task Bags provided by Richard B who came up with the whole idea, armed with a trusty GG Bristol rechargeable light to enable better photo lighting on a gloomy and, it turned out, soggy night.

So much creativity, the teams were buzzing (or dripping, I can't remember which) when they returned to base, specifically Workout as it was so wet Melanie didn't have to stand outside to judge the team's amazing entries. Setting aside the task was to create three photos, they had so many brilliant creations it would be wrong to not upload them all for everyone to enjoy.

Stars of the show (as well as Richard B for designing the task) are * Jason for coming up with the idea that the Lego store might have a Lego Concorde, which they didn't but the bloke instore happened to have an actual model out the back which he was more than happy^ to bring onto the shop flower and be photographed with it and Jason * Vaguely Northern Darren lying on a cold, wet bench, dressed as Santa, to be a human Concorde * Paul (who hadn't signed up to the run, surprisingly, so I'm now going back to the register to add him and tag him), Jason and Richard also being human Concordes, at a bus stop with a Concorde sign * Alexis boldly wearing a crafted Brunel top hat in the dark, holding up Cabot's ship, The Matthew * A whole family of Brunels/friends of Brunel down at the SS Great Britain (two of them have beards, not sure of all IDs, I think Darren, Ed, Alexis, Matt and Richard B?) * Tim giving John Cabot a reassuring arm hug (is that a thing?), John also sporting a GoodGym t-shirt and Santa hat in another photo, and a Concorde paper plane in a third * A googly eyed Brunel being looked at by another set of googly eyes (there aren't enough googly eyes in the world, and they're not single use plastic they're reusable) * Googly eyes also featuring on a stylish Cabot rendition with some photo-bombing tourists * The Bristol insitution that is Brunel's Buttery, Brunel being famous for his love of doorstep bacon sarnies, which was up for sale in summer and I don't know if it sold, introducing Harsheh to an important Bristol landmark * A photo of Cabot at Brunel House (the hand holding the phone being the GoodGymmer in the photo?! * Clo, Freya, Roddy and Frances successfully avoiding all photos?

And then time for pizza, chips, snacks, chocolate Christmas Pudding prizes, pink wafers and party rings (GG Bristol staple foods) and few mince pies and festive bakewells for good measure.

Thanks for making it a fabulous GoodGym 2024, here's to 2025 being just as good if not even better!

^he might or might not have been bribed

A dry night and a short walk or run over to Brunswick Cemetery for a bit of path finding, either through the grass or through the mountain of leaves.

With a shortage of tools (who stayed in the dry) we were equipped with gloves, lights and pieces of repurposed cardboard to clear multiple bags' worth of leaves plus a couple of heavy grass to leave the area much tidier and less slippery for all the park users. And hopefully less space for the weeds to grow as we continue to make the space even better.

Next year, the spiral will be back to its full glory - thats our first New Year's resolution sorted!

A bumper night of GoodGymming for regulars and new GoodGymmers alike - six lovely people completing their forat ever task, welcome Rob, Wendie, Charlie, Emma, Kirsten and Marta who's no longer a mystery!

Almost half-and-half walkers and runners, 6 of us made the most of the transit time to walk and talk, the 8 runners making a quicker arrival and getting some introductions done in time for our arrival - thanks Vaguely Northern Darren for run leading and Dave G for backmarking having already helped with document checks. Jason was most excellent as a walking group back marker as we struggled more keeping six of us together walking through the city centre.

The delicate tram-moving proved way too anxiety inducing for me but the excellent TaskForce were much better at it, supported by the not-so-strong yet team whilst those already warmed up somehow shifted an incredibly heavy ex-House of Fraser cosmetic counter out of the way - apparently it felt like solid granite (though so did the blatantly perspex tram cover).

The transport zone was ready for a make-over with fabric being stripped from walls, shelves cleared and a low wall (astro-)turfed as the new location for the "Do not touch this" tram which we all made sure we touched, obviously.

Meanwhile, lots more wood and metal was shifted to clear space to a door which led to another room of wood and metal that all wanted shifting to another mystery room that already contained wood and metal - that's just our sort of job! Some of the wood was from theatre sets - Sparks is a creative space and they've developed contacts all over the city to make use of items which may otherwise be chopped up - this time is was mysterious black shapes and a couple of arrows, plus fluffy white boards just too long to be easily tipped or moved. our speciality.

Before we knew it, our time was up and it was "find somewhere for the final task photo", knowing that we're back to Sparks next week for a planned task - this had been an "eek, can you come along, we really neeeeeed you" request. So Chiristmas decorating it is for next week, what with it being November by then...

All of this was rounded off with a drink and more chat at Club Haus, pots of tea winning hands down again, Caroline, Marianne and Helen playing teapot tetris to get all the tea things back on a single tray whilst Ed supervised wearing a t-shirt that he'd received for completing an event instead of his usual volunteer wardrobe.

A great night, same time, same place next week?

Listen up, y'all, 'cause this is it.
The beat that I'm bangin' is delicious.

Frogalicious, definition make them goodgymers go loco.
They want my treasure, so they get their pleasures from my pond yo.
You could see me, you can't squeeze me.
I ain't easy, I ain't waiting in my pond see.
I got reasons why I tease 'em.
Goodgymers just come and go like seasons.
Frogalicious (definitely not delicious).

Word to your mother.

(we also did some planting and made a fence but really hard to fit into the song!)

Six brave GoodGym heroes came out when the weather was atrocious! The weather surprisingly cleared so we remained dry while we weeded, and used the stepping stones in the underpass. (despite Richard and Caroline recreating the iconic Gandalf/Balrog battle!). Four runners made it all the way back and were treated to some excellent donuts from Ed as it was his birthday! Delicious and of the 11 donuts, 4 people ate a total of 9 :-).