Perhaps reflecting the need for the #ThisGirlCan #LetsLiftTheCurfew initiative to improve the safety for running in the darker, winter months, it was just the one person running this evening 🏃‍♂️🔦🏃🏼‍♀️

Warm evening and much better weather with little wind and rain making the running conditions better than over the weekend. Nice couple of pints of finest Yorkshire stout at Sandbar afterwards with Fanette who came straight from work.

Super task this evening for a magnificent seven GoodGymers in Withington!

🧱 We joined Ed from Withington Walls to give a couple of spaces a thorough clearing in preparation for some upcoming street art pieces.

Robert and Sanjeev start on a wall in the co-op car park, removing the weeds before slapping on a lot of masonry paint as a base layer, Sanjeev opting for the overalls for added protection.

Meanwhile, Jodie put her climbing skills to the test to cover up some street tags high up, and went along with Peter to cover a wall near the Red Lion. Julia filled in some spots near the opticians in Withington, while a team effort of Fanette, Ben, and Peter cleared a lot of brambles and shrubbery from a larger wall before covering it with masonry paint 🎨

We got a lot more covered than expected, covering two large walls plus some smaller, fill-in side quests too. Thankful for head torches and bike lights 🔦🕯 to provide some light, although may need to invest in some portable floodlights in future.

After applying the finishing touches, we cleared up and look forward to seeing what will become of the walls!

Saturday September scorcher with bright blue skies and sunshine welcoming Fanette and Ben to Albermarle Allotments for their community allotment muck-in.

🪵 Fanette was on wood chip delivery duty with 5 or 6 barrow runs to cover some of the ground around the new shed base, with some help from the local cats 🐈‍⬛️. The new shed is due to be put together later next week.

🍎 Meanwhile Ben was picking up windfall apples from the community orchard before a thorough strim and cut of the overgrown grass. There was time for filling up a bed with manure and compost to cover for the winter too.

Good cake and coffee as usual ☕️🍰

Hamza went along to help Withington Civic Society with a village litter pick. Plenty of bags collected!

The famous five made a fab job of harvesting and maintaining the community plot at Gorse Hill Studios allotment this evening.

After a stop-start run from Deansgate, we convened onto the plot in the overcast sunshine, ready to get a good session in. Scott and Ben harvested a surprising number of potatoes 🥔 of many sizes, with more and more being unearthed as we scoured the plot.

Meanwhile, Sanjeev and Fanette were on bean harvesting duty 🫘 with lots of runner beans picked out, while others continued to grow. There were also lots of tomatoes 🍅 harvested from within the polytunnel, with some not quite ready to pick, so plenty more to come.

Peter was lead waterer, planter, planner, and coordinator, making sure plots were seen to and planning ahead for next year.

There was also a lot of corn 🌽 harvested plus any apples 🍎 that were ready to pick.

Very productive session, and we dropped off all the bounty to Gorse Hill Studios for them to use in their community groups.

Afterwards, we had a well earned Wetherspoons tea and beverage, making full use of the Monday night deals, before making our way home in the Manchester rain 🌧

New task location tonight as we went to help out 422 Community Hub based in Longsight. The group carry out a range of community activities including a baby bank, cafe, pantry, meeting space, and local hub.

This evening we loaded our bags with a list of items the pantry was short of, including: tinned tuna, sweetcorn, baby wipes, tea, coffee, squash, and long-life milk. 4 or 5 carrier bags full of food to go towards the pantry over the school holidays.

After placing the items safely in the Keter box at the back of the centre, we used the Clean Up UK litterpicking supplies to clear up discarded litter from the surrounding streets. In just over an hour, we filled up 4 refuse sacks of rubbish, with lots having blown around in the wind. We placed them next to a public bin and reported them to Keep MCR Tidy for collection.

We'll likely be back at the community hub in the future to help with sorting baby bank items and for some painting, so keep an eye out for that.