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.

"There ain't no party like a Goodgym Party"

Happy Birthday to us! This March, Goodgym Liverpool turns 7, and we were determined to mark it in style.

We were fortunate to be able to use the fabulous Events Space at DoES Liverpool, which was the perfect setting. We had a brilliant turnout with many members making the effort to come along, and it was so lovely to have some purely social time - a rare treat, without those pesky tasks getting in the way!

It was wonderful to see how absolutely everyone contributed to make the event a success, we really took the can-do energy we bring to tasks and saw it come to fruition at our own event. From the bunting and party hats, to an absolutely fabulous buffet which included home-made: fried chicken, chocolate roulade, goats cheese & caramelised onion tarts, a variety of salads, salt & pepper sausage rolls, oat & raisin cookies, & chocolate brownies! Plus a huge selection of sides, snacks, and sweet treats - not to mention a fabulously decorated and personalised Goodgym birthday cake.

Alas, this celebration also marked the final - and 1001st - task of original Goodgym member Pauline. Pauline was there at the very first session 7 years ago and has been a committed and dedicated core member ever since, taking up Coach sessions as well as tasks and missions. It was very emotional to know this was her last session, but we sent her off in style with flowers, champagne, chocolates, a beautiful memory book with photos and memories of her sessions over the years, and a one-off bespoke personalised blue Goodgym t-shirt, in the colours of her beloved Everton FC. Pauline, it's been an absolute priviledge having you as a member, you've supported GG Liverpool and its members endlessly, and your enthusiasm, calm can-do attitude and easy way socially has been a blessing to literally hundreds of people in the community. It's a real loss to lose you but we wish you nothing but the best as your start a new chapter of your life with wonderful husband Miles. The door is always open to come visit us in the future.

It would have been remiss not to celebrate last-man standing Sophie, our dear and dedicated run leader who is now the only remaining member from that very first Liverpool session 7 years ago. The ever-thoughtful Sallyann presented Sophie with a small gift as a token of our appreciation for all the work Sophie does for us.

Sally Ann also had the wonderful idea of us writing down what Goodgym means to us, and taking a photo of the collection of comments for posterity. Check out the photos to see what we came up with - it was quite emotional seeing the impact GG has on the lives of it's members. It's certainly a two-way street - our wonderful members put so much in to helping their community, and in turn the GG community gives so much back. It was lovely for task owner Vicky from Litter Clear Volunteer join us too, Vicky works tirelessly making the local community a lovely place to be, and it was a treat to see her socially and share this special evening with her.

The "thank you" list for last night is long, but in this case it's worth stating, as everyone put in effort to make the event the huge success it absolutely was. We had the best time and it really re-iterated what makes GG special.

With special thanks to:

• Siân, Lucien, Clara for the homemade food and helping with set up & post-party clean up

• Miriam for the amazing birthday cake and all the hard work on Pauline's beautiful memory book gift

• Sophie, Emma, Eleanor, Jo & Liam for the contributions to party-ware and the buffet (including a very generous bottle of champagne!)

• Steph for the homemade brownies

• Pauline for the lovely cakes

• Dan for the festive bunting and homemade roulade

• Asavari for bravely joining us at a social for only her second session - so lovely to see you again!

• Ema for making a huge effort to join us despite ill-health, and for the fun party hats, banners, and decorations

• Sallyann for her tireless hard-work, effort and thoughtfulness which massively contributed to making the event really special

• Bekah for finding that gem of a venue, and the famous salt and pepper sausage rolls

• And shout out to Heetu who sadly couldn't join us in person but was very much there in spirit and contributed her time and effort so generously to Pauline's leaving gift - Heetu you're an absolute genius

It was a really beautiful night showing just how special Goodgym and it's members are. Thank you all for your phenomenal effort both with our party and throughout the year. We all left on a real high, grateful to have so much to celebrate.

This Monday we were back are Park Lane with Elaine from Urban Green Up, helping to lay mulch on the site to avoid the weeds taking over. Elaine was expecting some contractors the very next day so we had to work swiftly to ensure the site was ready for them to start work.

Upon arrival Elaine couldn't wait to show us her new toy - a foldable trolley! This really came in handy with transporting the mulch from the huge pile on the street (the pictures really don't do it justice!) to the other end of the site where it was needed.

We split into teams with one team shoveling and moving bags of mulch and the other raking the mulch out to cover the necessary areas.

We didn't quite manage to move all of the mulch but the sight was looking much neater by the time we left. Well done everyone - we can't wait to see what the summer brings for his amazing space!

On Monday Goodgym returned to the familiar greenery at Park Lane, where a regular Goodgym collaborator Elaine manages a little patch of wild plants, carefully curated to boost biodiversity and air quality. After our midwinter efforts to de-nettle the site, we were this time set to spreading fresh mulch all over the site, to prepare the soil for Spring, and keep the weeds at bay. From the outset this was likely to be a two-parter task, but we launched into it as best we could, to cut the mountain of mulch down to size, so it could later be spread more evenly over the site. As per the Goodgym way, we collected a little litter as we worked away, including even the titular marsupial mascot for this task (see pictures). We didn't quite finish the mulch moving this week, but Goodgym will return next week to finish the job, and I'm sure we'll be back working with Elaine more too as the days grow longer and her plants begin to flourish again.