On a mild Monday, March night, an intrepid team tackled a task that neatly showcased (or suitcased 😉) the dynamic "Living Life on the Edge" (Hill) spirit of Goodgym volunteering...

A group of seven volunteers assembled at the junction of Earle Road and Tunnel Road, where there is a small and beautiful corner park. It is the home of the Edge Hill suitcases, an art installation consisting of pieces of luggage cast in steel on a Victorian hand trolley, created in 2013.

Local resident and Litter Clear-Volunteer (LCV) leader, Vicky, briefed our group on the sprucing-up jobs that needed our attention and efforts.

Emmaand Clara attended to the flower bed corner: identifying and removing weeds to allow the buddleia (butterfly bush) and other plants to grow unheeded. Dan, Sallyann and Liam led the clearing of one of the two circular flowerbeds. Faced with a few stubborn dandelions, Sallyann deftly demonstrated the necessary technique to apply the "twister" (also known as a claw), passing on one of Vicky's many hortiucltural tips and tricks that guided our endeavours. The final pairing of Dike and Bekah set to sharpening up the path edges, with notable speed and strength.

Whilst busy weeding, clearing and neatening, two passer-by cyclists stopped to find out how they might get involved, a family walking through thanked us, and a locally-based driving instructor came over and offered everybody a bottle of water, as a gesture of support and appreciation.

Particular praise to Dike who set those borders straight, before heading off to work and Emma who joined the task following on from a workout at the gym (the actual gym!).

By the end of the session, the park was looking like it had just come out of the barbers - all tidy and slick. However, further styling still needed in other areas of the park, which Vicky will strive onwards keeping shipshape. Vicky is part of LCV, which is a campaign aimed at turning untidy greens into welcoming community spaces.

Finishing up, our group stowed away all the tools and looked ahead to the Goodgym Liverpool 7th birthday party (on Thursday 26th!). Vicky revealed how each of the suitcases in the sculpture contains artwork produced by pupils at local primary schools and residents of a sheltered accommodation, for future generations of residents to enjoy when they will will be opened again one day! The inspiration for the sculpture came from Edge Hill’s rich railway heritage: the first passenger railway station in the world (dating from 1830!)

With the Goodgym gardening gusto this evening, the park space now smartly sets off this proud tribute to Edge Hill’s pioneering transport history and more recent creative communities 😀

We welcomed a new member Ellie to our group and set off for a new year challenge to take the fear out of hills.

Well four of us met to try the new challenge running up and down Liverpool's bread streets not quite Rio's sugarloaf but certainly felt like it as we tried to get back into fitness after xmas holidays.

The idea was to try and make hills less daunting, we just tried to keep going to get up them for about dozen streets! Everyone did amazing, a bit of cheating while I stopped to take photos mid hill!

I think we all went home with some tight calves but sense of achievement making it up all those streets and a set of herculean dockers steps too.

This week we were back at The Greenhouse project with a slightly less festive task than last time - slotting leaves back onto the hedge outside. Not as strange as it sounds! The artificial hedge seems to shed it leaves like the real thing so we were tasked with replacing the leaves to cover some of the balder spots.

As there were a good bunch of us, we split into two teams, one team tackling the hedge outside and the other scrubbing some chairs inside. The outside team were quickly finished and came inside to lend a hand.

After a good scrub the chairs were gleaming! Sadly we forgot to get a before picture, so you don't get the full effect, but we certainly left the place a little brighter.

Well done everyone and particularly to Dike who came on his way to work. That's true goodgym dedication!

Santa said he loves coming to Lodge Lane because he loves getting a shawarma from the Lodge Lane Bakery. He was chatting to Pat from the Greenhouse project when we arrived, delivering a few extra presents and seeing the toys that had been donated.

The Greenhouse Project enables children, young people and their communities to access support. They offer indoor and outdoor activities and every Christmas every child gets a gift. It’s really special and the most amazing, wholesome, festive good gym community mission in the calendar.

Good Gymers help to wrap all the presents. Pat said that this year they were short on gifts and Santa had no more in his sack as they were still in production at the North Pole so Good Gymers came to the rescue, we arrived with games, crafts and toys and then there were more than enough gifts for every child.

We bought snacks to enjoy and played Christmas songs as we wrapped away. Heetu was the quality control ensuring we didn’t waste any paper. Ema, our area coordinator was ill so couldn’t make it but she sent all the Good Gymers gifts to say thank you for the year which was a lovely surprise. Santa also gave us some mince pies that had been baked by Mrs Claus.

The wrapping production line meant that we were finished well before the end of the session. We said goodbye to Pat and Santa feeling as festive as can be!