GRIT Studios have been going for 3.5-4 years with bases in Stockport and a studio in Manchester, Deansgate. now they have a space for "Gritters" in Salford. An old natwest bank in Salford shopping centre has been left empty and unused for 6 years(!) so hopefully the space can be put to better use!

Upon arrival, it was clear it would be a big task. With builders in this week to do bits of plastering and filling in holes in the wall and ceiling, the space was safe to use.

Jordan and Stefanie donned their overalls to fill in walls and plaster, including over a disused lift shaft with paint to give a clean slate for incoming artists 🎨🖌. Pavel, Gameel, and Peter helped scrape and clear paint from the windows, clear large items as rubbish🗑, and clear rooms of any bits left from previous incumbents. Ben helped scrape paint, paint over removed wallpaper, and clean windows🪟.

After a couple of hours, we had done what we could with a likely repeated trip back to finish any specific tasks with opening days not too far away.

It was really great to help out and good numbers to get a lot done in a short amount of time. Hope you enjoyed the task and see you soon!

Peel Park opened in 1846 as one of the first public open parks in the UK. In 2017, it was renovated after years of neglect to what it is now - a picturesque and well used park by locals, the community, and nearby Salford University. Next year is their 180th birthday so there are events planned through the year.

David and Stuart from the Salford Rangers volunteers try to arrange a monthly session in Peel Park to keep the park tidy, the beds maintained, and to maintain the park for use by the community. Four keen GoodGymers joined in this morning despite the overcast weather and blustery wind making it a bit colder than comfortable.

Pavel and Gameel rolled up their sleeves to clear leaves from the paths and drains, adding them to the growing compost heap situated inside the park. Certainly put the "Gym" in GoodGym from the sounds of things.

Rhi and Ben helped with scraping up moss and weed growth that had developed beneath the park benches. In all, we covered at least 14 or 15 benches to make them more welcoming to passers-by to use.

Another group was involved in litter picking and managed to pick up 3 or 4 sacks of litter, much of which likely had blown around in the winds. After the hard graft, we gathered for a warm drink and biscuits before a group photo.

Thank you to the Friends of Peel Park for some of the photos and for the warm (despite the weather) welcome! We hope to be back later in March as part of the Great British Spring Clean.

After the flooding, snow, and ice, parkrun was back on the table in Greater Manchester. Juno and Ben were marshaling at South Manchester event #679. A whopping 647 runners took part, which is their 5th highest EVER and the most since the COVID pandemic. 28 volunteers made sure the event went ahead, with some last-minute double funnel action required at the finish line due to the large numbers!

Hope the other GoodGymers had a good parkrun morning

After the New Year flooding, Didsbury Sports Ground was badly damaged after the River Mersey burst its banks. Following the snow and ice, the Environmental Agency were finally able to pump the water out to enable to clear up to start over the past week. Fletcher Moss parkrun planned a last-minute clear up of the storage container also used by personal trainers, cricket team, plus other community group users of DSG facilities.

Despite the heavy mud and water damaged interior, we managed to clear out the storage container, discard any items damaged beyond repair in the skip, and pressure washer items to remove mud, sludge, and sewage leaving things looking at little better than previously. It was much muckier than expected so hope Gameel was able to get clothes cleaned and warm!

After 2.5 hours, we managed to successfully clean, semi-dry, and return undamaged items to the container in the hope that it will remain tidy and used by groups in the near future.