Restocked CIC have recently moved into the ground floor of the Kingston House site of GRIT Studios. With lots to move in, sort, and set up, Laura and Ben went along to help out with painting of the roof tiles.

As a CIC that upcycle furniture and upholstery, it seemed fitting to reuse the scratchy or damaged roof tiles to add a bit of colour to the room.

With rollers and paintbrushes, we covered 11 tiles with a splash of yellow and a grand 27 tiles a vibrant orange! With the radio on, it was a very therapeutic evening of painting and glad for an indoor task with the rain outside.

It was great to see how much the space has come along since we were last there, and look forward to seeing all the exciting workshops and projects that come out of it.

Sam and Ben got a run and a litter pick in on a damp Manchester November evening.

Starting from St Peter's Square, we looped down Canal Street towards Sackville Gardens, collecting a solitary bag in an otherwise tidy area.

Next, we headed towards Vimto Park to clear any bits of sparse litter before hitting the A6 near the Marriott Hotel, collecting a few big sacks of discarded cans, bottles, fast food waste, and plastic bags.

Next, we moved down Grosvenor Street, unearthing a hefty stash of nitrous oxide canisters (9 in all), an umbrella 🌂, and a whole host of bottles and cans, plus a wing mirror.

6 bags in all plus some larger/heavier items, all reported to Keep MCR Tidy for collection.

Good run out 🏃‍♂️💪 we could do with some custom holster for litter pickers whilst running.

Big effort today for Hazel, Fanette, and Ben! 💪

Hils from Albermarle allotments needed 2 tonnes of top soil/compost shifting from the drop off location near the car park/main entrance to the community allotment site. This was no small task, not just given the amount and distance to cover, but also needing to lift it into the raised beds.

With various bags, several wheelbarrows, spades, and shovels plus David and Liz (?) as other volunteers from the site, we chipped away at the large bags of top soil.

As we approached half way, we had a break for tea, coffee ☕️, cake 🍰 and biscuits 🍪. The sugar boost and refreshment was much appreciated on a mild November day, and helped to spur us on with the task at hand.

Little by little, the piles got lower before we finally found the bottom of the bags and managed to wheel the remaining soil down to the community allotment site.

Top effort all round, and certainly a good arms, legs, and upper body workout with the shovelling and lifting. We're back on 6th December to help clear some of the pathways on the allotment site.

Juno and I were helping the set up and marshalling at Fletcher Moss parkrun event number 270. 290 runners and walkers completed the 5 km course.

We were at Old Bedians marshal point. Very wet and muddy. Well done to all who took part and thank you to all the volunteers!!

Welcome to Gary for his first GoodGym Manchester/Stockport session.

This evening, we were mural making as part of the Plastic Shed bus station mural. With most of the lids added by local children and visitors during the half term open shop, we were able to fill in some of the spaces left to add.

Our task was to fill in the river surface, with a slightly lighter blue than deeper water, but not too light... henceforth known as Goldilocks blue (although there were splashes of dark blue added in for good measure). Once lids were in place and Caitlin gave the all clear, we secured them using drills and screws, with some lids easier to secure than others.

As Lily Allen's new album played in the background, we got through all the boards required, including saving them from falling under the weight. The mandarin duck and well camouflaged dragonfly were particular highlights.

Very impressed with Gary's GoodGym tattoo and hope to see you all again soon either in Stockport or Manchester. The grand opening for the bus station mural is Saturday 8th November from 10am so get along if you're free.

Happy 1st Birthday GoodGym Manchester

This evening, we met up for a jog followed by exquisite pizza and beer at Sandbar on Grosvenor St.

A ~4.3 km route covering the city centre near Bridgewater Hall, Hulme, Manchester Science Park, the UoM, and Oxford Road before settling on a watering hole.

Special kudos to Pavel for his first running workout 💪 for a while and was a good chatty run and pub trip discussing Halloween 🎃, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, Glossop, hot pot, gardening, GoodGym, and mushroom growing.

We were well lit, with an umbrella 🌂 on hand for the Manchester rain. See you all soon for more GoodGym Manchester exploits.