Stockport’s creative future is looking brighter — literally! Tonight, five GoodGymers rolled up their sleeves (and maybe a few paint-splattered cuffs) to help transform Grit Studios’ newest space, recently acquired from Stockport Council, into a welcoming hub for community art projects.

Armed with rollers, brushes, and boundless enthusiasm, the team brought fresh white colour and energy to the walls, turning a once-empty building into a space brimming with possibility.

Between brush strokes, ideas flowed for exhibitions, workshops, and creative collaborations that will soon fill the rooms.

This new home will be a place where artists, residents, and curious visitors can come together to make, share, and celebrate art in all its forms.

Grit Studios is hugely grateful to the volunteers whose hard work has painted the first strokes in this exciting new chapter for Stockport’s creative community.

Peter and Ben both decided to combine a foodbank run with another ivy clearing and planting session at Gorse Hill Studios. We joined Katie, Duncan, Cathy, and Rebecca.

We dug, hacked, chopped, cut, pulled, sawed, and pickaxed our way through the never-ending ivy growing around bushes and fences.

We burned some of the vegetation and piled it ever higher. We found lots of spiders 🕷 and saw the plans and prep for the pond. The cup of tea 🍵 and a kitkat also helped on a warm and sweaty evening ☀️ There was also some planting of other plants 🪴 in between the hedge trees 🌳 we had planted a few weeks ago.

Following the session, Ben took a collection of tins 🥫 milk 🥛 crackers, strawberry 🍓 and raspberry jam, rice pudding, tinned fruit and veg, and some spaghetti 🍝 hoops to a nearby drop off for Manchester South-Central foodbank.

Juno and I did the course check and marshalled at Fletcher Moss parkrun event number 259. 449 runners and walkers completed the 5 km course.

Warm and sunny day with a bit of wind. First placed finisher had a dog. Last RD for Stephen as he is moving away. Ran 20 km in the process getting there, and then to work.

Peter and Ben joined Katie from Gorse Hill Studios to help out at the allotment where EVERYTHING had grown, including the weeds 🌱

We arrived to a green carpet mostly of bindweed and other weeds, plus the polytunnel tomatoes 🍅 had grown out of control.

While Katie tended the polytunnel, Peter tended to his pumpkin 🎃 patch, which was looking very good and growing, and Ben aggressively attacked the weeds around the site, forming big piles in his wake.

We made friends with a few frogs 🐸 caterpillars 🐛 slugs, ladybirds 🐞 and a few spiders 🕷.

In just over 2 hours, we made serious progress, even planting out some chilli 🌶 and salad 🥗, and harvested plenty of plums, apples 🍎, and a courgette. The onions 🌰 were left out to dry too.

Great effort 💪 just imagine how much we could do with a bigger group.

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.