Solid workout and well done for persevering to remove as much of the wall frames as possible! 💪

The Plastic Shed refurb of 2026 has kicked off this week, with the previous shelving space used by Shuropody needing to be dismantled and removed to install murals, actual shelving, and other arty paraphernalia.

With a wide array of screwdrivers 🪛 drills, GoodGym elbow grease, and a handy crowbar, we managed to remove as much as possible, with some clinging on as a future problem. At times it felt like a rage room, with banging and drilling filling the air along with the resulting dust.

With the health and safety book firmly out of reach, the Treatment Room 2 upstairs is now filled with wall panels, wood planks (some with screws still attached...), and after some scraping and sanding from Sophie, Caitlin seemed happy with the progress made.

Top effort and teamwork from Hazel, Mandy, Fanette, Tanoshi, Sophie, and Ben!

Welcome to David for your first GoodGym task!

After a ~4 km run along the canal from the city centre for Peter and Ben, we collected the key from Gorse Hill Studios and met with Katie to see what seeds could be planted out. They had some potted up and boxes of seeds so we took what was ready and able to be planted outside in late March and met up with David in the allotment.

With 2 project managers and a biochemist, we set to work. Weeds were pulled, tarpaulin was pulled up, and we managed to make another 3 or 4 new beds ready for the volunteers in the studios to plant things out of the coming months. We planted some lettuce and rocket in the salad beds, planted carrots, onions, peas, and broad beans from last year, with space made for footpaths and the future potential shed to go in. We shifted bags of compost and emptied some out.

All in all, a productive session and we hope to be back before too long to help with planting, maintenance/weeding, and shed building. All things GoodGymers are specialists in.

Despite half the sign‑ups bailing at the last minute (classic British weather sabotage and they can't be blamed for canceling 👌), Lee, Hazel, and Ben heroically stepped out into full‑blown monsoon conditions for today’s litter pick collaboration with Hazel Grove Mutual Aid.

This outing was extra special because it was Lee’s very first GoodGym session — welcome aboard, Lee! 🎉 And he even brought along his son, Luca Codling, who braved the elements for his Duke of Edinburgh volunteering. Fun fact: the weather clearly sensed a new recruit and decided to give the full “authentic GoodGym baptism” of drenching rain. How thoughtful!

The original plan was to tackle Hazelwood Road… which turned out to be annoyingly clean. (How dare it!😜) So the team scattered across nearby streets, becoming soggy, determined litter‑seeking ninjas. In the chaos, the group sadly missed bumping into Lee and Luca — presumably they were somewhere nearby, also being rained on and valiantly filling bags. Still, drenched or not, everyone did their bit, every bag made a difference, and another Sunday was chalked up in support of Hazel Grove Mutual Aid’s mission. And, another half marathon completed by Ben.

Here’s hoping Luca’s DofE assessor appreciates the commitment demonstrated in near‑aquatic conditions — and here’s hoping we see both Lee and Luca (preferably in fewer inches of rainfall) at the next GoodGym Stockport session! 🌧️➡️🌤️💪