With 4 runners, 1 walker/supporter/cheerer and 2 breakfast eaters...we all deserve some sort of loyalty points for Month 2 of GG does PR. Sallyann is keeping us guessing on categories and prizes.

Well we all started at different points...

I did not see Siân for dust after the start line!

Jo and I chatted as we pottered along the route.

Amina did fab as she went blazing through to the finish line.

Lucien was waving and gathering us together after barcode scanning.

Then we all made our way to investigate the next cafe on Lodge lane and to meet the breakfasters that had come straight from bed after their eventful evenings!

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.

Arrived at Ms G after a big post parkrun breakfast full of beans but not literally!

Mrs G has dementia but would like to enjoy her garden space and plant some new seeds in her pots. So I was so ready to clear her patio of pines, huge pine cones and general weeds.

Mrs G who has 2 lovely carers, who took the charge and provided big bags and tools to clean up the patio, it appeared we filled 2 lots very quickly within just an hour, all three of us. We had to stop as we ran out of green bin space so will have to go back next time as there is still many huge pine cones to pick up.

The task was over much earlier than expected so decided to take advantage of being in the area and run along the coast, getting a little lost at the National trust site, past the aeroplanes to the light house.

Supinely relaxed after my lovely day out doors.

There was a change of plan in Liverpool on Monday, the original plan for a meet up sadly had to be rescheduled so the team quickly regrouped and decided to pivot to a litter pick rather than cancel.

Siân had an excellent suggestion of a patch of land which actually linked back by an overgrown path to the green we litter picked last week. She did a quick reccy during the day to check there was enough litter to keep the keen goodgymmers going, and shared the location with a fabulous caption of “here be litter”. And there was indeed! During the reccy she spotted some rabbits, which added a fabulous incentive for the group to make the area nice and clean for the local bunnies.

We met at the Tung Auditorium and welcomed new member Dan, and sadly learnt it was Jake's penultimate session as he’s moving away! After introductions Bekah laid the ground rules as we were working in a quiet dark area – no wandering off alone into the darkness, and everyone to remain in pairs, minimum. We each had a bag and nominated a specific recycling bag, which Sian would kindly take to the appropriate recycling centre the next day.

It was a great spot as the litter was quite dense and we could quickly see the impact we were having as we cleared it. We found new, unopened hair rollers, pint glasses, a tent which the ground had begun to engulf and which Heetu astutely spotted was 1 item, not 2 as it appeared poking out of the ground in various places, numerous umbrellas, and lots of litter!

Due to injury Bekah was limited to the carrying she could do, so acted a human corral and kept the team safely together – catching Sallyannin the act as she was seconds away from heading straight for the dark undergrowth!

It was great to return to the same area the following week, as it really felt like we’d completed the job. The only concern was due to doing so many litter picks recently, we were running low on bags – what a nice problem to have.

Special shoutouts to new member Dan, who originally joined Goodgym in London and sought us out following a move to Liverpool, and Nina who it was lovely to see again after her 4-month break away. The team’s good work means the bunnies can safely hop another day!

On a cold, windy February afternoon, Heetu, who had already completed a 7 mile trek on Moel Famau, and I made our way to the home of Mr A.

The task; to clear the garden and side entrance of a multitude of items that were blocking access and causing Mr A some anxiety.

Following a motorcycle accident two years ago, Mr A is making slow but steady progress. Having been told he would never walk again, Mr A amazed doctors and is now able to move around his home and garden for very short periods.

He has recently joined a community group who have helped and supported him through his recovery, for which he is truly grateful. As a thank you, Mr A is planning to turn his garden into a communal vegetable plot, where friends and neighbours can spend time and grow their own produce.

As we set to, the task seemed to grow, as extra items were added to the list.... Two sofas, a tumble dryer, planters... as we carried bulky items around corners and over obstacles, it was a case of 'to me, to you....' , hopping over gaps in the paving flags and 'jumping' (well, stepping) over pipes that crossed our pathway.

Undeterred, we moved fences, gates and decking, created space and started to fill the skip. Heetu did a fabulous job helping to manoeuvre awkward items... from inside the skip! 😁

As the light faded, we tipped in the last of the rubbish and tidied up a few broken planters and branches from the front of the house.

Mr A had asked for the old decking planks to be put inside, as he has plans to repurpose them as shelving.

Finally, all was cleared, tidied and put away.

Another job done, and a very happy Mr A.

A cold, windy, 10 mile ride to the home of Mrs J, certainly blew away any lingering cobwebs, following a relaxing start to my day...

Mrs J is a friendly, interesting Jamaican lady in her 80s, who has spent 62 years living in Liverpool.

It was obvious from the first moments that she is very independent, knows exactly what she wants, and takes a great deal of pride in her home of 20 years, which was immaculate.

As it turned out, the task did not involve fixing a kitchen drawer, as I thought, but was actually to replace a facia board that had fallen off and had been causing stress and something of a trip hazard.

The first task was to clean both surfaces that were to be glued back together. The old glue was difficult to remove, and several tools were employed to little effect.

Eventually, I spotted what I needed... a Brillo Pad! With some hot water and a lot of elbow grease, the panel and cupboard were clean, dry and ready to be glued.

Mrs J had a small bottle of super glue, which turned out to have gone off and was just a solid lump. Fortunately, another tube of glue was found and the panel soon put in place.

Then we had to find a way to support the weight until the glue set... several attempts failed, and finally a couple of bricks from the garden were employed.

I advised Mrs J to leave it overnight... and hope that the repair holds.

As I had about 20 minutes still to spare, I was able to create a clear, safe passageway into the garden shed and move two small tables for Mrs J.

She was very grateful for the help and I was grateful for the exercise 😁🚴