This year’s sun, brighter and warmer than ever, carried us through spring and summer as though autumn might never arrive. But after weeks of drizzle and chill fighting for entry, the season finally broke through. Last week’s GoodGym session had been cancelled because of the rain, leaving everyone eager to meet again.

From the buzz in the WhatsApp group, you could tell how much we had missed one another. When the week’s location was announced, I checked the website. The name looked familiar, so familiar that a picture formed in my mind. I wondered, could it be that place? After running, I arrived and saw the group gathered. Yes, it was the same spot. Years ago, I had passed by here often when it was nothing but a rubbish dump. I used to hope that one day it would be transformed. And now, here it stood, not a forgotten corner but a jewel. Warm, caring hands had not just lit a candle here, they had hung a chandelier. The little olive bonsai gave the place a spirit of peace.

Placed between a mosque and a church, the corner felt like a symbol of harmony, an oasis where people of different backgrounds could meet. That evening, the warmth of the group outweighed the chill of autumn. Seeing Mishael, a new member, added even more energy. Soon, Khan, our host, came from a nearby house. Friendly and full of life, he explained our task, to pull up the weeds so the plants could breathe and grow. Unlike most hosts who specify what to remove, Khan simply trusted us to decide. At first, the task felt uncertain, but with guidance from experienced members, piles of weeds quickly took shape.

As always, conversations flowed. At one point, I asked Khan if his name began with “KH.” When he confirmed, we spoke about the meaning of names. I told him names are small miracles that can shape personality and destiny. When I shared that my own name means “someone who helps,” he smiled and admitted his middle name means “garden.” With a laugh, he added, “I never thought I’d actually be part of building one.” That is the quiet power of names.

By the end, we had gathered far more weeds than expected, pressing them down to fit into bags. Yet the work felt light, the warmth of the group kept the evening glowing. Even after Khan announced the end of the session, no one was in a hurry to leave. We stayed, talking and enjoying the space we had helped care for.

The GoodGym Liverpool family is truly something special. Once again, empathy and cooperation turned a small act into a meaningful transformation. We showed that community development doesn’t come from big budgets or loud slogans, but from simple things, shared effort, warm hearts, and the desire to make a place better.

Because when hands join with hope, even the coldest corner can become a garden of peace.

It was the third Saturday of the month and this always sees Goodgymers attend parkrun at our local Princes Park before heading out for breakfast. We have been doing this consistently since January so we knew we were in for a Gr8 time!

Today was Princes parkrun 666th parkrun. It's a busy parkrun and today there were 606 participants (almost 666) including Amina,Bekah, Jess, Jo, Sian, Steph and lovely to see our dear friend Roz (Goodgymer for many years and Jo's daughter). Everyone ran really well with several people getting PBs.

It was time then to head for breakfast which today was at Rhubarb a nearby cafe that has been on the list for a while. Lucky for us Ellie went straight there as soon as they opened and helped the staff to rearrange tables so we had a big table to sit together.

The thing about the monthly parkrun breakfast is that there is such a lovely warmth (not just from the weather at the moment) its a time of chat connection and coffee (ok i just had to throw that beverage in for alliteration purposes). Far from talking rhubarb conversation ranged from Nelson number, fibonacci sequence, what's on at the cinema, and what to have for breakfast. Leo definitely earned star of the month as he showed everyone how to put their parkrun barcode into their Google wallet.

As another parkrun breakfast morning drew to a close and whilst people's loyalty cards are filling up and another mystery category has been attained (to be revealed in December) and it was time to carry on with our weekend I for one left filled with not just a hearty breakfast but a heart full of time spent with lovely people

The King’s Guide walk across Morecambe Bay, raising money to help save the Grange Lido was fully booked and there was 500 people in attendance. Bekah, Miriam, Sallyann, Jo and Vikky drove up from Liverpool and Ellie joined us driving from Yorkshire. We parked in Arnside, where the walk was starting from. We grabbed a coffee, Bekah was really pleased to find a matcha iced latte! The local cafes were pleased as punch that 500 people had descended on Arnside as they said it was their busiest day ever. The weather was absolutely perfect, glorious sunshine with a cool breeze.

Michael the King’s Guide gave a safety speech at start point. Don’t feed the dog, walk when the whistle blows and stop when the whistle blows and whatever you do, don’t stop for anything when crossing the river.

We started out over the rocky headland, then we took our shoes off to walk across the sandy bay. It felt so nice. Then the first part of the river. The many dogs that were in attendance barked excitedly. There was a tiny sausage dog who turned out to be an amazing swimmer.

The King’s Guide marked the area for us to cross and we waded in. The water coming up to our knees. We all crossed safely and stopped for a bite to eat. We walked on to the second part of the river, another safe crossing. We walked towards Grange Over Sands and just as our feet were drying in the sand, we came across oily clay, very slippy and our feet got covered. We arrived at Grange and tried to wash off the clay and put our shoes back on. Sallyann was keen to walk back across the bay but thought better of it. We bought some merchandise to support the bay team. We then walked to Grange station and got a train back to Arnside.

An amazing walk, we absolutely lucked out with the weather. As every walk is different it was something that we will never experience again.