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.