Goodgym Liverpool are frequent supporters of The Choir with No Name, mainly due to the support given to both by our fabulous area activator Ema.

Today was the CWNN fundraising Abseil at Liverpool Cathedral. Around 17 brave souls took the plunge - so to speak - including two Goodgymmers Steph and Steph! The event is so lovely that two bystanders were inspired to join, and took on the abseil there and then for a donation to the charity (shout out to Charlie & Terri!)

The choir serenaded the 'danglers' with themed classics such as Rod Stewart's "We're Abseiling" and Enya's "Abseil Away (abseil away abseil away)", and were supported by the Bebbington Bitterman who kindly took over during the choir's well earned break.

It was positively blustery, but that didn't stop our abseilers, nor the crowd from forming to watch and admire. We saved several critical pieces of paperwork from blowing into the ether, and frankly I doubted the MC's claims that due to a micro-climate, it was completely calm and still at the top of the drop. Lucien was proactive in abseil registration, gift giving and furniture moving, and I was on photographer duty making sure I captured the moment the abseilers gratefully reached dry land.

Well done to everyone who took part in this fabulous event and raised money for such a great cause, and huge round of applause and respect to the abseilers who braved the drop, it really is no mean feat.

Same time next year!

Mrs D greeted me warmly and welcomed me in, she'd been referred to Goodgym for some help with weeding the garden. She used to be a keen gardener, growing tomatoes and looking after raised plant beds, but recently ill health has meant she's struggled to keep on top of it.

It was a lovely south facing garden and she enjoys sitting out in it, but the overgrown weeds were dampening her spirits so I was happy to get to work to clear it up for her.

We were soon joined by Ellie, Mrs D's beautiful cat, who kept a keen eye on me and my progress, frequently checking the bag of weeds to ensure I was doing the job properly.

We went through the list of requirements: weeding the paving stones, cutting back some plants, weeding the paths and pots, and Mrs D was delighted to see the progress I'd made in a relatively short space of time. I even had time to remove a large plant from a pot which had recently died, freeing up the pot for another plant for Mrs D's next trip to the garden centre. We got to chatting and before I knew it it was time to leave to get to another Goodgym task, supporting the Choir with No Name at their fundraising cathedral Abseil - but that's another report...

Mrs D commented how lovely it was she was able to see clearly to the other side of the garden, and I left her glad she could enjoy sitting out in the fresh air. It was lovely to meet Mrs D - and Ellie the cat - thank you for the warm welcome. Hope you have some purrfect summer's eves sat outside together.

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.

It was a rainy morning, which might have put off some runners but not our intrepid GoodGym gang, we are far too focused on collecting stars for our parkrun loyalty cards to be deterred by weather. Bekah, Sian, Leo and Steph ran while Lucien watched the runners and the ducks and took photos. A big cheer to Leo for his first official parkrun, although certainly not his first park run! The rain was in fact a welcome relief compared to the hot sun of our June parkrun, although by the time we crossed the finish line it was muggy and humid. Unfortunately no one was able to join for our usual post-run breakfast today, but we look forward to the next one!

A balmy mid-week July evening saw three valiant Goodgym runners participate in the Tony Barnes Memorial 5-mile Race, at Sefton Park, south Liverpool.

This run, organized by Mossley Hill Athletics Club, commemorates Tony's contribution to his running club and the wider running community, which remains highly regarded and fondly remembered.

The five (or was it 5 hundred?!) mile route welcomed approximately 200 runners in total, all stretched and set to take to the start line for 7.30pm.

Goodgym was represented by Bekah, Jess and Liam, a mighty trio of athletes, united in their upbeat determination to take on this challenging distance, even under the strong gaze of a golden late-day sun.

Dike, Liam, Dan and Steph clapped, whooped and cheered their support, as the field of runners completed the distance. The course twisted and turned along park paths, circling the large lake, before winding up to the finish, a final 200 metre stretch beyond the second full loop.

Sallyann and Siân added their support, as all three participants rose to the task of this Goodgym mission, crossing the finish line with strong performances each, showing notable swiftness, grit and bounce. Well done to all three, receiving commemorative mugs, certificates and a T-Shirt, for their efforts.

With the runners' pulses easing from their exertions, a Goodgym crowd gathered to further congratulate them and share in a celebratory picnic. Food and drink was spread out and shared, with Miriam and Ellie adding their enthusiasm to the post-race gathering.

Well done to each and every supporter for joining the event, adding their praise and positivity for the Goodgym runners, and all others taking part.

Food-wise, top-notch feast dishes included the (Chinese spice) salt and pepper sausage rolls (available in meat and veggie options) - thanks Bekah; inaugural home-made hummus with baked goods from a local bakery - thanks Siân; and divinely intense chocolate brownie squares of indulgence - thank you Steph's girlfriend 😋.

Distribution of leftovers and slick tidying up ensured our patch of grass at Sefton Park was left as spotless as when we arrived. Each Goodgymer dispersed to respective living quarters across Liverpool, as the sun dipped below the height of the trees.

And so the moonlight served to glow the runners and supporters safely home, tired and satisfied by the evening's warm success... "Da-da da da (Da-da da da) Da-da da da (Da-da da da) Da-da dum diddy dum diddy dum diddy da da da..."

4 goodgymmers met on Hope street and ran our way past the cathedral and through china town onto Park road where we met Elaine and two more goodgymmers to continue our war against the weeds.

This week the targets were thistles, nettles and bindweed. And I really think we broke the back of it - by the end of our session you could actually walk through from one side to the other. Huge progress! Well done everyone. Elaine will now be able to focus on maintaining the plants and the site and really making it a beautiful space for all.