Who says sticker reward charts don't work?

Motivated by Sally Ann's mystery prize system of everyone who attends our Goodgym monthly Parkrun session getting a sticker, with secret categories for prizes at the end of the year, I dragged myself out and jogged to Princes Park on Saturday morning to be sure I didn't miss a valuable May sticker.

At the start line it seemed despite the large Princes Parkrun crowds I was a solo Goodgymmer, always representing GG in the noticeable red t-shirts. However, during the first lap, I was delighted to be greeted by Siân & Lucien, who had very kindly made the effort to come along and cheer Goodgym runners on before they caught their train for a well deserved weekend away. Both were quick with the camera and got a few action shots, and I'm looking forward to seeing some (no doubt very flattering) images of me mid-run & mid-wave.

I continued on around the course with enough in the tank to pick up the pace for a strong finish, and it was so lovely to see Sian & Lucian again waving me on as I rounded the final corner. We caught up at the finish line for a quick chat and photo, before heading our separate ways - me to lightly jog home with an eye on increasing my mileage in preparation for an upcoming 10km, and them to grab bags and head to the train station for their weekend break.

Thank you guys for the support, it's really lovely to see familiar faces in the crowd during a run. Looks like the 3 of us May-de it and get our sticker for May ⭐

This task found us at our regular location St James's Gardens, the graveyard of the Anglican cathedral that is a much-appreciated oasis in the city for many. The day leading up to this task was filled with suspense as we anxiously checked various weather forecasts, trying to work out what we'd be dealing with. A storm was predicted for the evening, but it seemed it would clear up and be sunny by 7pm. After our last scheduled session at St James's was called off due to the weather we were really hoping to go ahead tonight.

The runners - Sophie, Sian, Dan and Bekah - met at the Suitcases at 6:30pm and were greeted by both sunshine and a sudden downpour. We got soaked but dried out quickly as it was warm, and luckily it stayed calm for our task, where we were joined by Steph, Lucien, Ellie and today's task owner Vikki, combining her roles of GoodGym member and Friends of St James's leader, alongside two Friends volunteers.

Vikki's plan was for us to clear brambles and litter from an archway. Considering the immense tangle of bramble we faced, she was worried that it would be too big a project for one session, but we all got stuck in and were finished in under half an hour. It was a really satisfying task as we transformed the area, revealing two gravestones marking the resting places of the Cow and McKinsley families that had previously been completely buried in thorns. Everyone did a great job and we were not put off by encountering a pair of soiled shorts and an unidentifiable furry object along the way! I do think that we earned the appreciation we got from passers-by, including someone who offered to donate trees in the future.

With this task completed we still had lots of time left over for weeding and scraping between flagstones, and Steph taught us some local history by pointing out the gravestones of Edward Rushton who set up the first school for the blind, and Robert Cain who opened a brewery. As we gathered for the team photo we realised that it was a very special occasion - every GoodGym member was wearing their GoodGym T-shirt! Well done to everyone for their hard work tonight, especially Vikki for leading, Bekah for organising, Sophie for leading the run, and Steph for bravery in turning up despite the storm forecast.

On a hazy, hot May Sunday morning, a quartet of Goodgym helpers joined forces with the Friends of Festival Park to rejuvenate a corner flowerbed of the Chinese Gardens site. And, we packed a punch of "p" plant love with some gardening heave-ho to boot! Festival Park friend Kate guided us in the necessary steps to plant out a peony tree (frilly flowers will come), a paeonia (related but different), a pittosporum (completing the "p" theme), all rounded off with a row of hebe (no shebe) shrubs. So, with that lot of plants lined up in their pots, we had work to do. Bekah and Dan cleared the mulch topping from the flowerbed, and unpegged the underlay to expose the bare soil ready for digging. Lucien and Sian swiftly and neatly snipped back the ivy overhanging the stone wall. Thank you secateurs. Kate pointed out that however glorious the sunshine, the lack of recent rainfall has dried up the nearby lake and hardened the earth. That left our trusty spade trying to dig holes for planting out, but to no avail. So, out came one mattock (a tool akin to a pick-axe), followed by a second, heavier specimen, sourced by Kate's husband and Festival Park friend Steve. Dan quickly got a grip on mattock number two. He unleashed a surprisingly zealous degree of power to achieve the planting depth required. Bekah set about distributing the water brought in from off-site, to hydrate the plants comfortably into their new homes. Nurturing attention. Lucien and Sian gently loosened each plant's roots, all the better to dig themselves in and set firm foundations. Then, delicately sprinkling soil back in and around, they completed the re-housing job together. Tender and touching. The team reset the underlay and raked back the mulch evenly, standing back to look proudly across a new border-full family of plants. They already looked at home, and with plenty of space to grow in the months ahead. Zooming our gaze out of this one flowerbed, Kate and Steve relayed the value of their team's volunteering at Festival Gardens. Regular efforts keep the park tended for horticultural and recreational enjoyment alike. More friends had been simultaneously restoring neat and safe order to the children's play area towards the promenade, now fit for fun for little-uns once more. The spot we worked on is part of the Chinese Gardens, which received a major makeover back in 2011. That restored some original features from when it was created, as part of the hugely popular International Garden Festival, in 1984. That event transformed the site from an industrial wasteland and welcomed over 3 million visitors, all those forty-one years ago. Alongside our flowerbed, the Chinese Gardens also include a moon wall - a circular gateway feature which is typical of Chinese garden design. Around the other side of our spot is a large pagoda, standing impressively atop a wooden platform, beside the (currently dry) lake. It includes decorative tiles sourced in China and offers a strong flash of fiery red against the green vegetation, even with its slightly tired, mature paintwork. Above today's flowerbed once stood a second, upper pagoda, which was removed in 2015, to protect it from further damage. Our work today should contribute to a new view and experience of the Chinese Gardens. It is a Liverpool park area which holds mixed legacies of dockland communities, festival celebration, housing developments, community toil, and also the perfect place for a peaceful picnic. Back to those "p"s 😀