Cutting turf is a tough task, but that was GoodGym Huddersfield's job for Saturday morning. We were helping Golcar Environment Group remove a grassy area in the village park in order to create a more interesting flower bed area.

So spades in hand, Kati Law, Louise Galvin, Heather Wilshaw Jones, Catherine Gormley and SallyAnn Maish set about cutting whilst I ran up and down with the wheelbarrow removing and stacking the sods at the opposite end of the park.

Two hours later, much effort expended, a few biscuits eaten and plenty of chatting done, we had completely removed all the turf from the designated area. There is however still more digging to be done, and now we have proved ourselves as excellent turf cutters GoodGym will be returning to Golcar again in the coming weeks to continue cutting.

Thanks to everyone for your help this morning, another great GoodGym task completed.

It will all end in Orienteers!

GoodGym Huddersfield very impressively turned their hand to a bit of urban orienteering today. With 15 checkpoints to locate, individuals and socially distanced teams of two spent two hours racing around the Huddersfield area with a map and a list of questions to answer relating to the checkpoints.

Ranging from the mundane "What is the name of the Stadium Way roundabout sponsor?" to the more obscure "Which two birds are mentioned in the Lemn Sissay poem painted on the wall of the university's Richard Steinitz buliding?", the event required swift running, quick thinking, plus the ability to plan the shortest possible route to find the answers at all 15 locations.

It was good to see a few new GoodGymmers giving the event a go, in addition to the regular crew and also one or two who we've not seen for a while. With the option of starting anytime between 8am and 2pm, the early birds got the best of the sunshine but possibly also cold fingers when using phones or good old pencil and paper to record their answers. By late morning most of the runners were out on the course, or back and messaging through their answers and finishing selfies of themselves outside Huddersfield station.

Just after 3pm everyone was home, impressively no one exceed the time limit and incurred time penalties. There were also a number of "Full Houses" with both individuals and teams managing to clear the entire course, visiting every checkpoint...particularly well done to you guys.

The results at the sharp end were tight with just minutes separating then top 3, proving that time really matters in this type of event. In third place scoring a maximum 250 points in a time of 1 hour 50 minutes was Zena & Steve Whalley. In second, again on 250 points and just a single minute quicker were GoodGym first timers John Lambe and Mick Lunn.
But todays winner was a solo runner and a GoodGymmer who we've not seen for a while. Heather Wilshaw Jones cleared the course, scoring 250 in 1 hour 45 minutes making her GoodGym Huddersfield's Urban Orienteering Champ. Well done Heather a great result and good to have you back.

Well done and thanks to everyone who took part, another successful GoodGym lockdown event I think.

The first thing to say about last night’s run is that we had thirteen, lucky for us and definitely lucky for the task provider! Another attendance record for Huddersfield GoodGym.....we are certainly on the up! Some Huddersfield old timers, Kati Law, Ben Godfrey, Louise Galvin, Heather Wilshaw Jones, Mark Donnelley, Wendy Redmire, Vicki Knight Phillips, Peter Phillips and David Bilton were joined by GoodGym newbie Rachel McCormick and second time GoodGym returnees Richard Byrne and Laura Merriman. It was fantastic to see so many people up for a run and doing a good deed in our town.

And what a good good deed we had lined up. Longtime Huddersfield GooodGymmer Louise Galvin also spends her spare time volunteering at the Lawrence Batley Theatre and had got us a great gig clearing weeds from its impressive courtyard. Seldom has GoodGym Huddersfield done job in such a stunning location. But as ever before the work came the play, and we had 3.5K curtain raiser run to get there first. Fortunately it was a very flat 3.5K along the canal towpath into the town centre, and making good time we arrived at the theatre a fraction after 7pm.

Without any drama and with typical commitment the GoodGym crew were straight into the night’s main performance, grabbing the available tools and swiftly getting on with the job. The theatre which was formerly a Methodist Chapel is arguably one of the grandest buildings in Huddersfield, with an imposing frontage and a large courtyard area paved with Yorkshire stone. However it is these Yorkshire stone slabs which gave us our task. Weeds, moss, dandelions and various other unwanted vegetation needed scraping from the cracks between them, so the crew divided into four teams of three and immediately set to work. It was actually quite relaxing sat on the stone, warmed from the August sunshine chatting away as we wheedled the weeds from the crevices. Fortunately the recent rain had softened the soil making the weeds easier to remove, and with so many hands at work progress was relatively rapid.

After 60 minutes of endurance weeding it was pretty much job done, and following obligatory group photographs to mark the occasion the final act was to run the 3.5K back along the canal from whence we came. A stretch in the sunshine and a standing ovation from the assembled GoodGymmers almost concluded the night, but a final encore was provided by Kati who had kindly organising a ten pin bowling tournament. Eight GoodGymmers contested the inaugural Huddersfield GoodGym 10-Pin Trophy, with Wendy Redmile narrowly beating Heather Wilshaw Jones to the title.

Thanks to all 13 of you who took part in yet another top evening, I hope to see you all again next week.