Princes Park is the Goodgym Liverpool’s Parkrun home ground, and we’ve litter picked the areas around it – Princes Avenue, Kingsley Street – in the past. There’s a little patch of green just off Granby Street, home to the locally beloved Granby Street Market, which previously was very overgrown and unaccessible due to brambles. The green patch has recently been cleared right back, which revealed both the depth of the greenery, but also a lot of collected litter which was crying out to be collected.

The first pre-task task was hunting down the scattered litter pickers, many thanks to Sallyann for going on a little tour of South Liverpool to collect litter pickers from various goodgymmers and taking them to the task so the others could run unencumbered from our usual spot at the Suitcases on Hope Street.

With litter pickers, hoops, and bags, we met at the corner of the green patch for the task briefing. Bekah stressed the importance of remaining in groups of minimum 2, and gave strict instructions no-one was to wander off on their own!

The task was more challenging than expected, as the overgrown site seems to have attracted some fly tipping. Amongst the litter we could collect were larger items such as a mattress, plywood, and larger household items. Jess commented it was like trying to litter pick a tip! We came across an array of items plus quite bizzarely a load of vegetables, including red cabbage, parsnips, and lots of sprouts. We saw a saw and a saucepan, collected a kettle, and passed a plate. Whilst we had to choose our battles on what we could realistically remove, there was a lot of litter and after filling 16 full bin bags, a crate and a bucket, we had to admin defeat when we ran out of bags!

Given the area has recently been cleared right back, we’re hopeful that was the first step in reclaiming the site. Although there’s still a lot of work to do, we’re happy Goodgym had a solid contribution in making it that little bit clearer.

Personal thanks to Steph for being organized enough to have a spare torch and kindly loaning it to me when I foolishly forgot mine! Congratulations to Naser on his 15th task, and welcome to Mohamed, who we met at Parkrun and who joined us for the first time this evening.

Next up: the first ‘Sticker Saturday’ of the year, there’s much excitement for the return of our monthly Parkrun stickers which so captured our imagination in 2025. The listing is live for sign up and you’re welcome to join us for the run, for breakfast, or both to earn one of the prized stickers for your loyalty card. See you Saturday!

Lovely dark dry night we headed off to a new spot, with Urban Grow Liverpool. Several runners from the suitcases, some from home, couple of cyclists and others met us at the urban growing space. It was a great turn out and also so lovely to have our smiley Laura Laura back!

We sadly needed to help dismantle Urban Grow’s raised beds as they were being moved out of their current home trying to find a new one.

So we all got into the task immediately all our hands like little piranha teeth removing all the “mattress-meat” in the raised beds leaving only the springs and frame carcass behind!

The original planters better described as a hugglekultur beds with logs and wood at the bottom with all the soil around them were swiftly turned into 15 plus a car full of compost bags (full of very huggly cultured soil).

We could not believe we devoured the task in less than 40 minutes which was very satisfying plus being likened to efficiency of piranhas made our day!

We can’t wait to hear where the huggly cultured soil ends up and wish Urban Grow lots of luck in finding their next new home!

This session we were back at the Bombed Out Church, completing our excellent work painting the final tables, stools and benches, taking on the Host Stand, and litter picking.

We welcomed new Goodgymmer Colin who joined us for his first task - welcome Colin! It was great to meet you.

Task owner Kate gave us a thorough briefing, and we split into groups, some taking on the painting, and some on litter-picking duty. The site initially looked fairly clear, though with some rummaging the team were able to fill several litter bags, including a pair of shoes (yes, the full pair), socks, and a rather lovely bowl. The painting team took it in turns swapping the large and small brushes, and efficiently finished painting the benches, tables and stools, before turning their attention to the larger Host Stand. Everyone got stuck in, whilst I was on the important tasks of project management, team co-ordination, quality control and torch holding.

The BOC team were again delighted with how much we achieved in such a short space of time, and booked another session there and then. Next time we'll be planting bulbs to prepare for a dazzling daffodil display in the spring!

Alas, every silver lining has a cloud, and the cloud hanging over this session was that our beloved Dan is moving on to pastures new, and this was his last session with Goodgym Liverpool - for now. Dan joined Goodgym Liverpool six months ago, and quickly became an integral member of the group. His love of litter picking, skills with the puns, way with wordsmithery and all-round fabulous company endeared him to all he met, and we're very sorry to see him go. But Dan won't be giving up on Goodgym, he'll be moving to Goodgym Hackney, who don't know how lucky they are to have him - yet. Dan leaves us as a taskforce member with a very respectable 26 good deeds under his belt. He's assured us he'll be back to visit, and the door is always open for him to (litter) pick up where he left off. Dan - it's been an absolute pleasure getting to know you, we hope to see you again very soon.

The team presented Dan with a card and a farewell gift of some thorn proof gardening gloves and his very own litter picking hoop (he already owns his own litter picker!), and he very kindly opened his home to us for some post-task refreshments for a proper farewell.

Goodgym is a fantastic way to get to know some very lovely people, the other side of that coin is it's always difficult when people move on. But you know what they say: 'tis better to have loved litter-picked, than never to have volunteered at all...

This mid-October task began with four Goodgym runners assembling at the Hope Street Suitcases. Run leader Sophie led the group through a sequence of stretches, warming us up ready for a steady run over to the evening's task destination: Mulgrave Street Action Group (MSAG), where another five members joined up to make an overall team of nine. [If you want the extra exercise, the pre-task jog remains a strong (optional) feature of Monday evening activity.]

For the uninitiated, MSAG is the L8 oasis, headed up by local resident, Khan Odita. The stuff of local legend, Khan's efforts brought about the transformation of a small patch of roadside waste land into a vibrant community garden, and Goodgym have regularly supported its maintenance over the years since.

The MSAG task ahead: planting out seventeen small shrub plants to introduce a new lease of green leaved life to the garden's flower beds.

Before devoting ourselves to shrubs, another special arrival merited priority attention, that of a truly extraordinary member of Goodgym Liverpool Taskforce... Bekah, whose attendance this evening saw her reach the awesome milestone achievement of 100 tasks completed! A(nother) centurion in our midst at Goodgym Liverpool 😀

Bekah, ever slick, casually trotted up to task, in the flow of volunteer business as usual. But such an ordinary and low-key arrival would not do. Siân stepped in with polite firmness, requesting that Bekah might leave and arrive again, allowing time for final touches to the intended honorary reception.

And so it was that Bekah re-arrived, breaking through the streams of blue ribbon strung up between two gateposts, further decorated in balloons and pompoms. Cue whoops of applause from smiling friends, blowing bubbles of Goodgym cheer all around (thank you to Lucien's ever-ready supply of bubbles!). Dan presented Bekah with a shiny golden rosette medal, adding a touch of red-carpet glitz and glamour, with paparazzi snaps and clips from Clara, on camera.

All this highly dramatic and low budget fanfare was, or course, in recognition of Bekah's century of dedication, kindness and supremely thorough organisation, supporting 100 good deeds of community action across Liverpool. Congratulations and thank you, Bekah West.

Floating on the high of celebration it was, predictably, err, Bekah, who got us back on task, facilitating our opening circle time for Goodgym introductions, before handing over to the task owner, Khan, conductor of much MSAG magic.

Khan talked us through his grand garden design plans: to bed in new shrub life amongst the garden's flower bedful of existing surprises. Then, before letting loose our untamed horticultural enthusiasm, Khan helpfully shared a few basic and vital planting-out tips: (i) locate the potted shrubs he had already laid out in their intended positions, (ii) prepare the earth by making a hole big enough to contain them i.e. dig deep, then dig deeper and then dig deeper still, (iii) apply tender pressure all around the outside of the pot to help gently loosen the shrub, and then, finally, (iv) lift and place the shrub into the hole, filling in the sides and pressing it firmly down into the crumbly soil foundations of its new home.

We all set about the task with a degree of relaxed confidence. We'd been (sh)rubbing shoulders with a centurion after all (or two or three, with Sophie in the mix and a special guest VIP on the way). Selecting from the digging tools provided, wiser gardeners of the group ploughed forth with the heave-ho might of a trusty spade, whilst the less experienced picked up trowels and proceeded to scrape away tirelessly at the ground, to little or no effect.

Success stories included Claire, who had arrived early and begun gardening ahead of time, clearly well in the groove of shrub re-housing work. Naser procured a pair of protective gloves to enable him to get stuck in, and some, combining his characteristic strength and speed. Leonardo's technical nous and eye for illumination saw him transform more shadowy spots of the garden, by activating the long beam feature on the portable night lights, with a couple of simple clicks. A well-earned cheer here, please, for each volunteer.

By the end of an hour, each shrub had vacated its pot to find a new permanent home sunk into Mulgrave Steet's own Mother Earth. The stand-out beauty amongst the new set was a blooming, white-flowered hydrangea. In case unaware or unclear of hydrangea colour magic, some hydrangeas produce different coloured flowers, depending on the soil: blue flowers in acid soils and pink flowers in alkaline soils. White hydrangeas, however, mostly remain white whatever the soil type, though may turn pinkish in maturity. Watch. This. Hydrangea.

Congregating back together with the task completed, Khan treated us to thank you refreshments sourced from the mosque restaurant diagonally opposite the garden. Eleanor was thrilled to receive an unexpected chai tea latte, all the better to toast the arrival of, as described in recent media coverage, Goodgym Liverpool legend, Pauline. Did you know that Pauline achieved the spectacular record of 1000 Goodgym tasks, no less!

And so, members past and present basked in the beaming satisfaction of time and effort spent together, sharing around celebratory small oranges and individually wrapped chocolates. The group then gently dispersed from Mulgrave Street, with runners crackling through fallen leaves along the pavement. I (Dan) felt a refreshed spring in my running step, stirred by admiration for Bekah and pride in Goodgym, in all its glory! Yes, I had (sh)rubbed soldiers with a new centurion joining the Goodgym Liverpool Great Hall of Kindness, prompting my shoulders, I divulge, to shimmy, just a little, with more than just a little joy!