Sallyann Hardwick

Jo and Sallyann arrived to assemble a flat pack storage cabinet for Mr S.
Mr S welcomed us and was interested in knowing how Goodgym started. We initially rearranged and sorted some items in the room so that the cabinet could be assembled in situ before unpacking the cabinet. It came with a LOT of screws all mixed together in one bag which was strangely satisfying to sort into different pots all the different types and confirm that we had the right amount of the right types.

Now to start to build the cabinet..... sadly every single screw hole in the flat pack was larger than the screws so with the best will in the world the cabinet was not going to be able to be built. We were so disappointed but Mr S assured us that he didn't want it be paced up to be sent back he would have a think and work out a way so asked for us to stack the pieces for another day. He thanked us for the rearrangements we had made in the room and mentioned how nice it was to chat.

Sometimes the flat pack gremlins don't let the task go ahead as planned but it never means that the visit was a wasted trip

We have been asked by Liverpool City Council to help Mrs D and her husband get their Christmas decorations down from their loft. They also need support hanging curtains in their home as they cannot do this themselves. GoodGym has listed this mission for one or two runners. Two GoodGymers can go together, but the mission will still go ahead with one if only one person signs up by the deadline. If you are concerned about going solo, please do not feel under pressure to attend. Instead, please send us an email to missioncontrol@goodgym.org. If you let us know, we will not confirm it unless we have a second runner.

The long awaited day arrived for our Goodgym social which had been organised by Pauline. https://www.goodgym.org/runners/pauline-harrison Sadly the winter lurgies and life events took hold of some of Liverpool Goodgymers and people had to cancel. Flying the GG flag today were the dynamic duo Jess https://www.goodgym.org/runners/jess-vickers and Sallyann (dynamic now as we both had had our share of lurgy earlier in the month).

The tour was amazing and well worth the visit. We learnt about the eccentric 'mole of Edge Hill' and walked through some of the tunnels that form a warren of tunnels (still being discovered) underneath our city. Over the years the tunnels had started to be used to pour rubbish in. So as the team continue to excavate they unearth items that had been thrown down holes into the tunnels. These include Victorian pottery oyster shells inkwells from a nearby school, jars from a local hospital and a model of a Dr Who Tardis!

As we resurfaced to daylight we found that it had started to snow. As we walked out of the tunnels into the snowy empty car and bike park we thought about our missing Goodgym mates - Snow - one here said Jess and a pun was born

Running a lap or two of Sefton Park with good company is not the worst way to spend a Thursday evening! We met at the Obelisk, got a gentle warm up in the bag and got to the chatting and running. The kilometres passed by so much easier while catching up. Fair play to Heetu on her first training session. During chats a few of us agreed that running in a group made it much easier for us to get motivated. Whether it was one lap or two, it was a good work out and possibly good training towards our monthly parkrun visits too! Thanks to Sallyann for doing a recce in advance and keep an eye out for future sessions. Well done all!

We had an urgent request for a food bank and a fuel card top up from a local organisaton for Mr B. Mr B was so pleased with the delivery and generosity of the local organisations. Within the food was a bag of flour and he told me how he makes bread in the microwave with flour milk and an egg and its the best bread ever. I am always struck by how much I gain from a mission and this mission was no different - and I even got a bread recipe to try as well. Thank you Mr B

Another glorious autumnal Sunday morning dawned, clear and dry...perfect conditions for our intrepid tandem trio:

Sallyann, was attending her first session at Bradbury Fields, an organisation supporting blind and partially sighted people in the Liverpool area. As such, there was a certain amount of nervous excitement, as she met the ride leaders, service users, and tandems! However, as soon as Sallyann was paired with Lyn, and had a quick ride around the carpark, her 20 year old tandem riding skills came flooding back.

Rowan, now a seasoned tandemer (with two rides under their belt 😁) chose a brand spanking, shiny new machine, which she rode with Mat, one of the SAVI team leaders. After a few teething problems (incolving some very sensitive gear shifters), they were soon eager to show off their speed and headed to the front of the tandem train whenever they could.

I managed to grab hold of a coveted mean, green machine. I'd had my eye on it for a couple of months, but soon regretted my decision, as the gears were a bit tricky to master 🤦‍♀️.

Once we were all paired up with our cycling buddies, we set off for an 18 mile round trip, partly along the Liverpool Loop Line, now a beautiful, tree-lined walk and cycle way. The highlight, of course was when we descended on an unsuspecting Yew Tree Farm Café. They were not prepared for 12 hungry cyclists to suddenly appear, but thankfully managed to fit us in. After an hour of resting and refuelling, we headed back to our bikes and set off for the return journey.

As always, there was much chatter and laughter, as riders got to know each other, working together to make the ride as safe and enjoyable as possible, for all.

It never fails to amaze me, how much we volunteers gain from these experiences...and how many wonderful, caring people we get to meet.

As usual, we three GoodGymers found an opportunity to pose for one last photo, this time on the triplet (Goodies style 😆)! Maybe next time, we'll actually manage to ride it - if only around the carpark 😉