In today’s age of dazzling lights and constant motion, the humble glow of a candle may seem too faint, too insignificant to notice. Yet, in many forgotten corners of our cities, such small lights can shine brightest, offering warmth, encouragement, and hope where they are needed most.

In line with the ongoing community efforts of GoodGym, our group received a call for cooperation from such a corner of the city. It was a place that, though overlooked, had long served as a quiet beacon for the surrounding houses. Years ago, the locals had transformed part of their neighborhood into a small green space: a table and several large planters stood there, inviting but worn, needing care and attention. Dust and erosion had left their marks, but not their spirit.

Our group arrived in three stages to restore this space. The table and planters were carefully sanded, with two planters freshly painted. The area was swept clean, giving it back its charm and freshness. While some members worked on sanding, pruning, and tidying, others collected stray items scattered around the neighborhood. The energy was high, the atmosphere warm and lively.

The day became even more special with the arrival of two new members and the long-awaited presence of Ema. Some of us had known Ema only through chats and emails, but meeting her in person added a new spark. Her kind words and cheerful presence doubled the warmth of the gathering.

Yes, in that small corner of the city, we lit a candle once again. The joy was visible not only among us but also in the smiles and gestures of the locals, some waving from their cars as they passed by. Their response was proof that even the smallest light can rekindle a sense of connection and belonging.

After completing the restoration, we shared a short reflection together and then, with a smile, visited what we jokingly named “Ema Lake.” In truth, it was no grand lake at all, just a small pond surrounded by plants, but since Ema had mentioned it a few times, the name stuck and added a lighthearted touch to the day. Standing there, laughing together, it felt like the perfect closing to a day of meaningful work, fun, and renewed friendships.

It was the third Saturday of the month and this always sees Goodgymers attend parkrun at our local Princes Park before heading out for breakfast. We have been doing this consistently since January so we knew we were in for a Gr8 time!

Today was Princes parkrun 666th parkrun. It's a busy parkrun and today there were 606 participants (almost 666) including Amina,Bekah, Jess, Jo, Sian, Steph and lovely to see our dear friend Roz (Goodgymer for many years and Jo's daughter). Everyone ran really well with several people getting PBs.

It was time then to head for breakfast which today was at Rhubarb a nearby cafe that has been on the list for a while. Lucky for us Ellie went straight there as soon as they opened and helped the staff to rearrange tables so we had a big table to sit together.

The thing about the monthly parkrun breakfast is that there is such a lovely warmth (not just from the weather at the moment) its a time of chat connection and coffee (ok i just had to throw that beverage in for alliteration purposes). Far from talking rhubarb conversation ranged from Nelson number, fibonacci sequence, what's on at the cinema, and what to have for breakfast. Leo definitely earned star of the month as he showed everyone how to put their parkrun barcode into their Google wallet.

As another parkrun breakfast morning drew to a close and whilst people's loyalty cards are filling up and another mystery category has been attained (to be revealed in December) and it was time to carry on with our weekend I for one left filled with not just a hearty breakfast but a heart full of time spent with lovely people

A great group of Liverpool Goodgymers met at St Luke's Bombed-Out Church on Leece Street and were greeted by the lovely bar staff from St Luke's Garden Bar and Cafe. Painting supplies and sizeable buckets of Ronseal presented, each Goodgymmer selected their brush and the throng of preservative on oak filled the air. The task in hand, to apply wood preservative to the remaining benches and tables in the gardens to complete some much needed sprucing! With no time to lose everyone jumped into action, brush in hand with the table per hour challenge fresh in the mind.

Well Goodgym by name, Goodgym by nature! This bunch did exactly what it said on the Ronseal tin. Clambering, stretching, bending and avoiding the table numbers - 9 tables protected and the good people of Liverpool may be merry for many seasons to come!

A few words from Kate the contact from St Luke's:

"Thank you so much for painting so many tables yesterday! That's loads more than I was expecting! Please pass on a massive thank you to everyone who came."

Well done all, a great job and we've already been invited back. And welcome to new Goodgymmer Sanda who joined us for her first session!

GoodGym Liverpool meets every Monday for their group runs, followed by a task in the community. Two runners, SallyAnn and Dike, met at The Suitcases (Duke Street) for the run. Only Dike ran, while Sally cycled alongside, providing company and some coaching to the upcoming marathon finisher wannabe (pun intended). They headed to Park Lane, the venue for the day’s task, where they would meet up with Sian, Lucien, Danchito, Clara, Leonardo, and Elaine from the Urban GreenUp Project Liverpool, who would coordinate the task of the day. Previous tasks with Elaine had involved uprooting overgrowth at the Park Lane green corridor, so most GoodGymers who turned up that day expected the same. However, Elaine had a different plan—clearing a pile of green waste from previous weeding sessions. The waste was piled in a corner, some bagged but most left loose. The task was to re-bag the waste and load it into a van. Everyone worked on clearing the waste except Lucien and Elaine, who focused on uprooting more overgrowth. Stem after stem, shrub after shrub, they bagged everything by hand while chatting and laughing. Not even the thorns, the smell of decomposing leaves, or the sight of slugs could dampen their morale. In about an hour, more than three-quarters of the pile was re-bagged. The icing on the cake was an elderly man—probably a local—who, on seeing the GoodGymers clearing the rubbish, pulled out his phone to take photos while praising their efforts. By the end, the walkway, which had been blocked by the pile of green waste, was clear and fit for use again.

On a particularly humid Monday, a crew of Liverpool Good Gymers headed to The Greenhouse Community Centre on Lodge Lane with the aim of doing some good! Heetu led the run from the suitcases with her usual enthusiasm, meeting others at the task. Sian even perserved with a broken single-pedal bike to get there on time!! We were all very excited to find out that this tasked marked 150(!!!) good deeds performed by Sally Ann!! A fantastic achievement, truly worth celebrating. So grateful and proud to have her as part of Good Gym Liverpool. Some of the team soon got stuck in weeding around the greenhouse centre whilst others started the arduous task of shoveling and transporting mulch to various areas around the building. By the end of the task a large part of the grounds was well-weeded and covered with an even level of mulch. Some of the team had also managed to litter pick the surrounding area, helped by Sam, a member of the local community. At the end of the session, the grounds were looking particularly tidy and we were all pleased to have helped out and had some exercise doing so. Well done to all.

Photos generously provided by Andrew AB Photography, official event photographer

On Sunday Goodgym returned to the Palm House at Sefton park to help out at Liverpool's Arab Arts Festival, a wonderful day of events put on every year, organized in part by resident Goodgymmer Afrah. This year our team was set the tasks of staffing the merch tent, collecting surveys, and lending a hand at the children's story tent. As we set up there were rumors of a storm rolling in in the afternoon, but the day set off to a great start with many families showing up from near and far to take part in the various festivities, with craft stalls, fresh food, and of course a range of amazing musical acts in the Palm House itself.

As the weather held up the day passed without a hitch, right up until the final hour, when the dark clouds finally rolled in...the storm broke with gusto and there was some confusion as people fled to gazebos for shelter from the deluge, only to be hurried out due to the risk of lightning strikes. Thankfully no major harm was done in the end, although it did unfortunately bring the festival to a premature close for the day.

While the day's festivities were cut a little short at the end, anyone who attended will be sure to tell you that it went down a storm..!