Meeting again on Hope Street, this week we were thrilled to welcome Bekah for her first group run!

After a quick warm up, we headed off up the hill towards Kensington Fields Community Centre for some serious weeding!

When we arrived we were met by Ema and Tafwauli.

The task was to help prepare a community growing space to be used once more. The space had been used pre-covid but was in serious need of tlc. We set right too it digging out all sorts of grass/dandelions/nettles/mares tail and had soon rid the beds of weeds.

A quick slice of cake saw us on our way down the hill. (apologies that the strava is missing, but I forgot to turn it off once we were back)

There is still plenty to do, so I suspect we will be back again soon! I can't wait to see what they've done with the space when we return!

A team of 6 Goodgymers zipped around to help Care4Calais sort clothes donations. We started with an initial 2 k run to explore the grounds of Hope Cathedral. A sneaky sprint or two was sprung on the group who burnt up the hills to tick the cardio box. Winding our way out of the grounds, we thankfully found Ema who directed us to our destination. In teams of two, Ema and Heetu, John and Joanna and Eimear and Roz worked on different age and gender categories, separating the clothes ready for boxes. Seamlessly working through the clothes, everything was tidied on each available surface ready for boxing. Soles were laid bare as the shoes were sorted and we got to know Steph and her friends. No one was left shirt of work, but within no time, what was left was immaterial! Well done all, your work garment a lot to Care4Calais and a big shout out to Heetu in particular who bagged her 15th deed this evening

On a sunny evening in Aigburth, Goodgymers united together from various locations to meet at the Sunflowers Centre. Jennifer and Joanna cycling 8.5k in total tonight and many running or walking. This was a task with a strong message of hope behind it. Sunflowers clearly want to show that they are vibrant, extending out into the community and bringing hope to the area for those affected by cancer. So in the back yard of the centre, there was mulch to do. Nobody was seedentary for very long! In two teams of four, working in slick efficiency, a blend of compost and mulch was fitted into each biodegradable pot. A perfect bed for each seed. With the greenhouse filled and every surface near Serena, Heetu, Eimear and Chris covered, we counted 430 pots filled. Over a third of the way towards the 1260 total.

Kudos to Joanna and Serena for hitting your fifth good deeds each this evening, great work. We’ll be back in a few months to help plant the sunflowers which be an incredible sight to see on Aigburth Road. So keep it on your radar and well done for your work tonight. P.S. You have voices like angels so thank you for the birthday song!

On a lovely crisp, bright and slowly warming, early Sunday morning a fabulous five GoodGymers got together at the 9 mile point of the BTR Liverpool Half Marathon to set up a water station. Experience of previous water station tasks meant the team came equipped with rubber gloves (makes a HUGE difference when opening hundreds of screw top bottles, guarding against the usual blisters!), litter pickers for the post run clean up, the GoodGym flag to fly, and some warmed up voices ready to cheer and cheer and cheer!!

We were in the middle of Otterspool so surrounded by trees and just by the gorgeous Mersey River, a beautiful place to spend a spring Sunday morning.

Setting up a table either side of the route, filled with opened water bottles ready for the first runners and then the crowds, we handed out bottles as people hurtled past us, catching their names on their bibs and shouting well done, you're doing great, you got this, and other phrases of encouragement for what felt like a thousand times. All while swiftly opening more and more bottles ready to hand out, working at speed to keep up with the crowds. But the real work began when it was time to clear up the sea of discarded water bottles stretching from the tables and all the way down the prom.

We worked hard emptying out the remaining water in each bottle (watering all the plants as we went) and filling a whopping 36 bin bags! With offerers of help from a couple of young kids and a group of older women on their way for Sunday lunch and lots of thank you's from passers by.

To be fair it took us a good while to clear the entire stretch but the sheer satisfaction of looking back and seeing it all clean, and fresh with no trace of 2000 runners that had just raced, jogged and plodded through was worth every minute.

A huge well done to all who took part in the half and 10 miler including GoodGym friend Jak and new member RJ!!