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! 🌧️➡️🌤️💪

Tanoshi and Ben joined in with the Great British Spring Clean with a few groups in Ardwick. Co-organised by Ardwick Climate Action, Brunswick Parish Church, M13 Youth group, and the local Scouts, around 30 people took part to help clear up in the local area.

We were split up into groups, with some tackling a green space closer to Plymouth Grove, while we joined a group to tackle a spot beyond Ardwick Green. We were provided with gloves, litter pickers of different sizes, and plenty of bags.

In our group, we managed to collect ~26 bags in total, including a couple that were combined, plus a toilet seat (of course) and a few laughing gas cannisters. In total, we collected 65 bags of litter, tidying up the local area and all reported to Keep Manchester Tidy for collection.

Afterwards, we were treated to a warm soup lunch and plenty of sweet treats and cake, a just reward for a couple of hours of hard work.