Tonight, six dedicated GoodGymers came together for a successful session of Balsam Bashing in Happy Valley.

Armed with gloves, determination, and a shared love for nature, the group spent over an hour clearing the invasive Himalayan Balsam from the area.

This fast-growing plant, known for outcompeting native species, was carefully removed by hand to help restore balance to the local ecosystem. We worked efficiently and with great spirit, managing to clear a significant section of the valley.

It was great to welcome Jonny for his first GoodGym task and welcome Jamie who's recently relocated from GoodGym Cardiff.

4 GoodGymers joined 3 others to carry the baton for Route #103 as part of the charity Relay Your Way 2025.

Maimoona as the first to arrive at Didsbury Sports Ground was handed the baton from the previous stage, and was quickly joined by Hannah, Laura, and Ben, plus 3 others who had signed up for the route.

With split groups, we hugged the bank of the River Mersey to carry the baton. Unfortunately, a flat tyre on the scooter meant another direct route was needed for Hannah, while the remainder made it to the finish point at Longford Park athletics track along the route.

Welcomed by medals 🏅 and a ceremonial passing on of the baton to a cycling group, we completed the course and wished the best of luck for the rest of the relay.

Big kudos to Laura for completing her first 10 km for a while, Hannah for sticking to it to make it to the finish, and Maimoona for carrying the baton the whole way 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃‍♂️👣👟

Welcome to Eloise for her first GoodGym MCR outing this evening! Great to meet you and hope to see you at another task in the future.

This evening, we met at the task at Gorse Hill Studios, to help make the first steps in the development of their Green Rooms initiative. With lots of weeds, overgrown raised beds, and a grand plan in mind, there was plenty of work to do 🌳🍃

Hannah, Peter, Stefanie, and Ben took on the raised beds and bushes nearby, while Eloise tackled the ivy and bushes on the other side of the green space along with Katie from Gorse Hill Studios. In amongst the ivy and bushes, several Christmas trees were found 🎄 still with the stand attached, alongside a few footballs ⚽️. With loppers, clippers, and plenty of elbow grease, they managed to prise out the overgrown vegetation.

Meanwhile, the wood being rotten on the raised beds made it easy to disassemble but the weeds made it a much tougher task. After removing the plastic undersheet through which many weeds had taken root, we kept digging away, making sure to allow the local moths and snails 🐌 to safety. In amongst the weeds, we found strawberry 🍓 and gooseberry plants, still thriving despite the weeds, many of which we managed to save and plant into pots to perhaps use in the Green Rooms fruit & vegetable garden.

We managed to remove as many of the weed roots as possible and thoroughly dig over the area, removing the wooden border around the area too. Peter was a dab-hand using the loppers and made light work of the hedges growing through from next door, unearthing a bug hotel 🐛🪲🐞, while some nifty saw work from Ben removed the majority of another bush growing through. The disused compost bins were emptied of weeds and rubbish and the soil dispersed.

A final sprint finish saw us weed the path to the shed that made the area looked more welcoming, especially after the removal of a wall several days before. The break for tea & biscuits was very much needed to keep us going ☕️🍪, with the weather closing in a bit too 🌧

Really active and fun task that made a big difference to a local community group. We will be back in stages to help out when we can so keep an eye out for those in future! Great work team 💪👏

The Green Rooms Idea

The 'Green Rooms' project at Gorse Hill Studios aims to transform under-used outdoor spaces into vibrant, accessible green areas that engage the community and enhance biodiversity.

The 'Garden Rooms' will feature a sensory garden, vegetable patch, and wildlife habitats (including a pond), while the 'Green Theatre' will provide a multifunctional outdoor learning and performance space.

The Rhubarb Community Cafe, run by volunteers and young people, will serve produce grown on-site, providing work experience and nurturing community connections.

These spaces will support horticultural therapy, environmental education, and local events, promoting well-being, sustainability, and a deeper connection with nature.

Ben, Hannah and Laura returned to Castle Street in Edgeley to complete a litter pick.

Another week of successfully dodging the rain, we filled 3 litter bags (mostly with mini wine bottles!) which we left next to the public bins to be collected by the council.

Another great session!

Tonight, Hannah-May, Laura and Mai returned to First Steps Pre School for the first time since 2018!

We took the scenic route down by the river and discovered a new path (when we were heading in the right direction 😂).

We helped with staining the fence in the lovely garden.

We met the lovely Helen and her daughter Ffion and over the course of 1.5 hours, discussed our lives in depth and told our funniest stories.

We hope to return to First Steps for future tasks! We received some lovely feedback from Helen after the session 😊