It was March 23rd, 2026 — four days into spring. Just as the sun began to set across the Mersey, six GoodGymers assembled at the "Suitcases" on Hope Street. Dressed in their running gear and ready for action, the group prepared to jog to the Urbanscape community garden on Mulgrave Street to tackle the task of the week.

Run leader Sophie McClellan assembled the runners into a small circle for introductions. The team consisted of Liam, Heetu, Sophia, Sevan, and Dike, with a plan to do a more formal introduction once they reached the venue. After Sophie led the group through a quick warm-up and stretching session, the lively crew set off toward Mulgrave Street. They ran at a comfortable "chatting pace," paired off in twos: Liam with Sophie, Dike with Heetu, and Sevan with Sophia. The smooth journey had a lovely surprise when the team ran into Leo, another GoodGymer on his way to the task. The group slowed down for a quick exchange of greetings before Leo joined the ranks, and they all headed for the garden together.

By the time they arrived, dusk had fallen. Headlights flickered on, and Leo provided extra lamps to keep the workspace bright and the spirits high. While awaiting the arrival of the final members, some chatted while others explored the garden. Heetu expressed a playful concern that the task might end too quickly — she joked that ten GoodGymers could easily devour the work of planting ten plants in under 30 minutes, so they might have to plant them extra slowly!

Once the team was complete, they were joined by the task owner, Khan Odita, along with Bekah, Naser, and Claire. It was a night of milestones: it was Sophia’s very first task, while Sevan — visiting all the way from Ealing — was incredibly marking his 1,281st GoodGym task. Khan shared a brief history of the community garden before dividing the team. Some helped Khan gather the plants, others retrieved tools from the shed, and Sophie got a head start on some litter picking.

Before the tools hit the dirt, the group received a brief demonstration. The instructions were clear: dig a hole slightly deeper and wider than the plant's root ball, place the plant, and backfill with the original soil. As the work began, the garden transformed into a busy construction site. Khan moved between the planters, placing the plants in their designated spots while goodgymers did the digging and planting. Heetu was assigned to weeding the planters, a perfect fit, as she had earlier claimed that her favorite garden activity was "to destroy!"

One of the night's biggest challenges involved moving a massive planter from the fence to the pavement. Khan called for a team of four to handle the weight. It was an arduous lift, but thanks to some clever ingenuity and the combined strength of Naser, Leo, Sevan, and Dike, the planter was successfully transferred to its new position.

Elsewhere, the work was just as intense. For anyone who had underestimated the job, the reality of digging foot-deep holes through rocky, hard soil proved it was no easy feat. Bekah, acting as an astute project manager, coordinated the site to ensure every plant found its home and no tool was left idle.

As the session drew to a close, the team moved into the "tidy-up" phase. Sevan began the watering, Liam swept the paved areas, and others gathered plastic containers for recycling. Just as Khan was giving his vote of thanks, Naser positioned his phone for a group picture, nudged Dike to write the report and surprised everyone by producing a collection of bulbs he had brought along. The team immediately found spots for them, adding one last touch of magic to the garden.

Bekah announced the upcoming GoodGym birthday party and Sunday task, the team dispersed with dirty hands and fulfilled hearts. They left hoping to return by the end of April to see their hard work basking in the full bloom of the spring season.

It’s Not All About the Stickers!

It’s month three of 2026, and our enthusiasm for stickers has not waned—but our monthly parkrun meet-up has always been about so much more.

On this bright spring day, eight GoodGymmers arrived at Princes Park. It was Princes parkrun 15th birthday and the week of Goodgym Liverpool's 8th birthday so plenty to celebrate.

As we gathered at the start line, it was immediately obvious the massive difference Monday’s task had made. It’s a well-attended parkrun, and as overhanging bushes and mud had encroached, there had been less and less space for everyone to gather. Today, the pavements were visible again, the space freed up, and the vegetation looking decidedly healthier after a good prune.

GoodGym got a shout-out at the briefing for the work that had been done, and marshals were calling out their thanks as we made our way around the course. It’s so lovely to reap the benefits ourselves and see just how much it has helped everyone. Kudos to Steph for making the connection with the Friends of Princes Park last month.

The route is two and a half laps. Aatefa flew round as always and despite not being able to come to breakfast ensured that we got the group photos

Huge congratulations Steph on a PB! Steph has been training consistently, and it’s really paying off. With a half marathon on the horizon, she’s more than ready.

Talking of training, Liam is going to do the Run Leader training, which we’re all really pleased about. In true Liam fashion, he arrived after the runners had already started—but still ran strong, overtaking people along the way. Apparently when he passed me, I was chatting (as if!).

Clara continues to inspire —speed-walking the course before launching into a lightning-fast 100m sprint finish. Bekah joined her today and reported she had to skip at times just to keep up… and that final sprint? Phenomenal. And that’s coming from Bekah, who is known for her fast walking—so ............!

Well done to Suren who completed his parkrun beforehand by running across the city from home to the park to cheer everyone on and come for breakfast.

As we gathered for photos, I spotted a GoodGym t-shirt—it was Alex from Hackney/Walthamstow! After a chat (and me delaying her, naturally - have you met our Dan who moved to London? Will you be in our photos? will you come for breakfast?), we had the obligatory photo before she rushed off later than she expected to meet her friends. Lovely to meet you, Alex.

Jo—our parkrun legend with 408 runs and 345 volunteer credits—saved the day when Bekah realised she’d left her bag behind. Jo contacted the team, located it, and arranged for it to be kept safe. Absolute star.

Then it was on to Minna Café, where Eleanor and Steph were waiting with Heetu —who we’ve all missed while she’s been working away. She only got home last night, and yayyy we are so happy to see her back!

Minna was busy as ever, but Ellie had somehow secured a table for ten… and as if by magic, our surprise tenth Goodgymmer arrived—Dike! After a night shift and a short rest, he still made it to join us. Incredible effort.

And huge congratulations to Dike for a phenomenal result at the Liverpool Half Marathon—1 hour 47 minutes! With the Brighton Marathon coming up in April, which he is running to raise funds for Sense we know he’s going to smash it.

So… back to the stickers.

Steph, as always on the ball, handed them out. Liam is already aiming for a full card and was asking if that earns him a holiday in Barbados! As Ellie reminded us, the prizes and categories are top secret—but just in case, don’t go applying for that passport yet…

We meet. We fill our sticker cards. We look for ways to earn more and try to guess the secret categories.

But the truth is—we’ve already won the biggest prize.

A community where each of us is seen, supported, and respected. A space where we come together in unity and friendship. A shared desire to do good, and to give our time to help and support.

We are Liverpool GoodGym.