Robert, Sam, and Ben met up for our winter monthly foodbank run to donate tins, cans, and other non-perishables to Manchester South-Central. With the Easter holidays around the corner, they are always in need for additional items.

With Rob having recently moved and Sam returning from a trip to South America, they picked the smart option to run to ASDA (the drop-off point) to buy items to donate. Ben on the other hand was laden with lots of tins, cans, rice, and UHT milk partially from home and some donated from a recent GoodGym mission. We managed to donate lots of tinned veg, pasta sauce, rice, tinned meat, microwave noodles, rice pudding, plus some toiletries too (the bread and eggs were already there when we arrived...).. The donation of old books and children's books is a nice touch too!

With a lighter load, the run back via Manchester Met University campus was a bit more straightforward. Lots of stories from Sam from his travels abroad, with Rob having done a similar trip last year. We're also counting down to the lighter evenings in a few weeks for some more gardening or other tasks!

Litter pickers were at the ready this morning, as a fab four GoodGym Manchester contingent joined the Withington Civic Society for a March litter pick as part of the Great British Spring Clean. Welcome to Laura for your first GoodGym session!

Lots of bottles, cans, takeaway packaging, and e-cigarettes were picked up (the latter going in a separate waste route) from the side streets in Withington. After a few nights of heavy rain, lots of sodden waste was making the bags extra heavy too, providing a upper body/arm workout as we strolled around the area. The discovery of an area with lots of clear plastic security boxes, an old clock casing, shed roofing (we think), and other odd items provided a book-end to the litter picking power hour.

With hi-vis, bag rings, bags, and litter pickers provided by Keep MCR Tidy, we got some photos as a group with some props, before enjoying the homemade cake and a cup of tea or coffee in the Methodist church. A great way to spend a bit of Saturday.

Great to meet Gill again from GoodGym Luton this morning and a big welcome to Aniedi for your first every GoodGym session AND first parkrun volunteering credit!! Clear, fresh, and crisp morning following a couple of wet evenings in Manchester.

Gill was our expert timekeeper this morning for Fletcher Moss parkrun event number 288. Almost in-sync with the finish tokens (pesky funnel duckers...), alternating hands in and out of gloves seemed to help a little bit on a chilly March morning. Aniedi was marshalling at the river bend (#2) cheering on participants going out and then returning for the final turn of the parkrun. Ben as RD was able to delegate the roles to a well-drilled 16 volunteers who enabled the event to go ahead without a hitch.

394 runners and walkers completed the 5 km with lots of puddles around the course keeping the people on their toes.