There was a change of plan in Liverpool on Monday, the original plan for a meet up sadly had to be rescheduled so the team quickly regrouped and decided to pivot to a litter pick rather than cancel.

Siân had an excellent suggestion of a patch of land which actually linked back by an overgrown path to the green we litter picked last week. She did a quick reccy during the day to check there was enough litter to keep the keen goodgymmers going, and shared the location with a fabulous caption of “here be litter”. And there was indeed! During the reccy she spotted some rabbits, which added a fabulous incentive for the group to make the area nice and clean for the local bunnies.

We met at the Tung Auditorium and welcomed new member Dan, and sadly learnt it was Jake's penultimate session as he’s moving away! After introductions Bekah laid the ground rules as we were working in a quiet dark area – no wandering off alone into the darkness, and everyone to remain in pairs, minimum. We each had a bag and nominated a specific recycling bag, which Sian would kindly take to the appropriate recycling centre the next day.

It was a great spot as the litter was quite dense and we could quickly see the impact we were having as we cleared it. We found new, unopened hair rollers, pint glasses, a tent which the ground had begun to engulf and which Heetu astutely spotted was 1 item, not 2 as it appeared poking out of the ground in various places, numerous umbrellas, and lots of litter!

Due to injury Bekah was limited to the carrying she could do, so acted a human corral and kept the team safely together – catching Sallyannin the act as she was seconds away from heading straight for the dark undergrowth!

It was great to return to the same area the following week, as it really felt like we’d completed the job. The only concern was due to doing so many litter picks recently, we were running low on bags – what a nice problem to have.

Special shoutouts to new member Dan, who originally joined Goodgym in London and sought us out following a move to Liverpool, and Nina who it was lovely to see again after her 4-month break away. The team’s good work means the bunnies can safely hop another day!

It was a drizzly night but this didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the five GoodGymmers who met up at the small field behind the disused Oxford pub, an area much in need of a litterpick. As it was dark, we all agreed to stay together as a group and not wander off, but in practice Bekah had her work cut out making sure the rest of us were accounted for as it's just too tempting to follow a trail of litter wherever it may lead! We were surprised to discover the size of the green as it extended back further than any of us had properly noticed before, even though we all know the area well. It could be transformed from a forgotten, overgrown and litter-strewn patch of grass into a lovely green space if given a little care and attention, which our task tonight went a long way towards; we collected a massive 10 full bags of litter, including 2 of recyclable rubbish which we disposed of separately. A great achievement especially when some of us were dealing with litterpickers that wouldn't close properly, or wouldn't let go! At the end of the task we crossed the road to take our group photos in front of the Tung Auditorium which is a place of happy GoodGym memories, as we've helped out at gigs for the Liverpool Choir With No Name there in the past.

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.