There’s something great about doing something on a Friday night after work, it extends the weekend and there’s something extra special about running to the Hilbre Islands off West Kirby in the River Dee estuary. Until about 3pm this particular Friday it had been overcast and drizzly but miraculously the sun came out for us for this run (and walk). April is lovely because you’ve shaken off the winter and those dark nights and you get your evenings back. There was a great group of Goodgymmers for this special run. Heetu and Liam drove joined by Steph, Ellie, Priyanka and her friend Aisha, Vikki, Miriam, Jess and her partner Jono. While the runners warmed up on the shore at West Kirby, Miriam and Ellie got a head start walking and made it past the little island before the runners set off. When the walkers reached the middle island, the runners caught up. The sunset was so beautiful. The runners ran all the way out to the old lifeboat post at the end of Hilbre Island. The walkers made it to Hilbre island and had a good nosy at the Nordic style properties, even waving at some residents through the window (probably unwelcome ha ha! Pesky visitors!) We all made our way back to the mainland at our own pace in the gorgeous last rays of the sun. Liam had been prepared and bought a towel for wet feet, others stewed in soggy socks until they could get home and showered. A lovely group run that cleared out the cobwebs and started the weekend right.

The mid April weather being what it is, our latest group run began with a mix of a rain deluge and sunshine at the Suitcases, which rewarded us with some beautiful rainbows before we even started. A nervous Liam stepped up to lead the run for the first time, leading Aatefa, Sallyann, Heetu, Steph, and Laura on a short but sweet run through the Georgian streets toward the Cathedral. It was a great way to warm up before the main event.

By the time we reached the gardens, the sun had come out fully as we were joined by the rest of the group. We were delighted to celebrate two big milestones: Aatefa completing her 10th task and Miriam reaching her 50th! To mark this milestone Bekah brought a box of chocolates for Miriam, which she kindly shared with the group. We’re all looking forward to seeing Miriam in her new black GG T-shirt soon!

After a helpful briefing from the Friends of St. James Gardens, we got straight to work in high spirits. Heetu and Sophie did a great job clearing litter to keep the space tidy, while Aatefa, Sallyann, Jess, Pri, and Ellie planted new flowers near the Parliament Street end. It’s always rewarding to add something lasting to the gardens and the new flowers will be a lovely addition for the gardens.

The rest of the team headed to the old towpaths at the back of the gardens, working together to clear branches and foliage from the walls. Some of the branches put up a fight but the team weren't accepting defeat and managed to clear a large section of the walls. This essential maintenance helps preserve the site's history, and the team made light work of it with plenty of chat and energy.

The time really flew by and before we knew it we were back at the Huskisson memorial in the centre of the gardens to wrap up the task under the shadow of the Cathedral. A special thanks from Liam to the rest of the group for making the task go so smoothly. It was really appreciated!

A huge thank you to everyone for your hard work and for making the session so enjoyable—we look forward to seeing you at the next one!

The news has been bad this week so it’s always nice to be able to do something good in the world when everything else seems so out of your control. Even if it is just a small corner doing something feels like getting back a bit of control.

It was a bright fresh spring Saturday morning and Vikky, who is both a GoodGymer and a coordinator for Friends of St James's Gardens had booked us for a task to help keep the gardens fresh for the spring.

Stef, Nasser, Ellie and myself went with Vikky onto the St James’s mount side of the beautiful Anglican Cathedral. We all said it was a part of the gardens we hadn’t realised was there and Vikky explained that it was a part that was often overlooked. For this reason it had become overgrown. We set about litterpicking on the mount and Nasser and Ellie got stuck in pruning back the privet hedge. The litterpicking was wild, the mount had attracted some unwanted attention and there was all manner of crazy items to be found in the bushes from tents to saws. The hedge made great progress. It was very satisfying to see.

Once we finished the task. I had a wander back through the main gardens and saw some of the fruits of our labour from last spring in the shape of some snowdrops looking so beautiful beneath the graves. The news at the moment might be deeply troubling but small shoots remind us that we are not helpless in making change.