Smithdown in Bloom is a community group which looks after the popular Smithdown Road and surrounding streets, by adding planters, bringing some colour and greenery to the area, and other maintenance aspects like litter picking.

We received a last minute invite to join them for their planting event on Bank holiday Monday. We ummed and aahhhd over setting up the community mission, as it was a) only 3 days notice, b) bank holiday weekend, and c) set to be a scorcher. There was a little interest so we listed the task, and I prepped the task owner that we wouldn't be expecting a large turnout, but I'd be there and it would be nice to meet them with a view to arranging a session for our weekly group run some time.

Much to our surprise, a fabulous 9 Goodgymmers braved the heat and turned out to support the group. Smithdown in Bloom are developing as a group with founder Ian sadly due to move away, so they're reviewing processes, structure and looking at putting things in place to maintain consistency. The group were well prepared with lots of plants to plant, tools, water bottles and watering cans. They kindly advised the water wasn't just for the plants, we were encouraged to drink some too! It was super hot and collectively we got round all the planters: weeding them, adding new colourful plants, and giving them a good water to take root. We were approached by a group of 6 young teenage boys who asked about what we were doing, and who then kindly got involved and helped plant some plants, even refilling the watering can for us from the local shop. It was lovely to see such young people in the area getting involved.

After just over an hour we wrapped up the session and headed for a well needed iced drink (iced matcha latte with coconut milk for me 👌), cooling off before our regular Monday evening task later that same day. It was great to meet the Smithdown in Bloom team and we look forward to helping them again - we've already been invited back.

Well done everyone who attended for a great turn out on this gloriously sunny bank holiday weekend, we really demonstrated what Goodgym is all about ☀️

Another fine Monday evening, and we were back again at the Mulgrave street community garden. The garden has been growing away over the winter, and we were back on the scene to clear out all the weeds which had built up, and make space for the flowers to flourish properly. With no time to lose we got down to business and made swift progress, tallying up four hefty bags of weeds by the end of the session.

It was a classic Goodgym Monday, if you'll forgive a little sentimentality from the writer, it was a much needed boost for me. I've been recovering for much of this year from a major operation and a lot of work stress, and this session was my first day back in the wider world after my surgery. The community of Goodgym and our wider collaborators has become such a pillar of support for me and so many others, and I couldn't imagine a more welcoming community for faces old and new.

This Saturday was a truly special and uplifting gathering as nine enthusiastic GoodGym members came together, bringing energy, positivity, and a shared spirit of community and wellbeing. The morning began with many of us taking part in the fantastic park run, where everyone showed determination, encouragement, and great team spirit. It was wonderful to see members reaching milestones, improving their running achievements, and supporting one another throughout the event.

The day became even more memorable as we celebrated Jo’s fabulous birthday. In true GoodGym style, Jo spent part of her special day volunteering by helping with token scanning for the parkrun, showing once again the kindness and dedication that make our community so special. And of course, the theme of the day had to be:

“Go, Jo, for Six-Zero!”

Turning 60 was celebrated with smiles, laughter, and appreciation for Jo’s amazing energy and contribution. After the run, the team gathered for a lovely breakfast at Coffee Lodge, where everyone enjoyed great food, meaningful conversations, and time together. The atmosphere was warm, cheerful, and filled with friendship. Good luck to Steph, who wisely skipped the run in preparation of her first half marathon on Sunday, and joined us for breakfast. Good luck Steph, you'll smash it!

A special highlight of the morning was receiving the charming golden star stickers, thoughtfully given by the kind-hearted Steph. These small tokens brought big smiles and perfectly reflected the supportive spirit within the group.

The gathering ended on a high note after breakfast, with plenty of chatting, socialising, and celebrating our shared achievements. The day beautifully represented what GoodGym is all about: physical activity, volunteering, friendship, and promoting both physical and mental wellbeing. It was a memorable Saturday filled with movement, celebration, kindness, and community spirit.

Happy Birthday, Jo, and here’s to “Go, Jo, for Six-Zero (60)!”

Tsitsi and I managed to get our steps in from our respective start points to get to the task of trimming the tree for Mrs B. Both of us grateful to take a short break from the working week and enjoy, as Tsitsi called it, a "bright and breezy, perfect day for a mission".

We were very warmly welcomed. Our task was to tidy up some of the overhanging branches to support less leaves on the ground and better light. After some guidance, we assessed the tree and considered the best plan.

Tsitsi took the lead on trimming and I tidied (even more steps got in today with little trips to and from the green bin). Tsitsi did a fantastic job of giving the tree a little makeover and Mrs B was very pleased with the result.

Monday evening brought another brilliant GoodGym Liverpool session, this time on the Mount at the beautiful St James’ Gardens by the Anglican Cathedral. As always, the evening started with movement and good company, with part of the group meeting near famous Suitcases for a run before heading down to the task location together. After a warm-up and an easy run through the city, we arrived ready to get stuck in.

The gardens were waiting for a bit of love and it didn’t take long before everyone found a job to tackle. Armed with tools, gloves and plenty of energy, we spread out across the space to help tidy and refresh the area. Some of us focused on clearing overgrown sections, cutting back vegetation to help reopen parts of the pathways and make the gardens easier to enjoy. Others got busy cleaning, litter picking and generally sprucing things up to bring a bit of order back to the space.

Bit by bit, the area started to transform. Paths became clearer, corners looked brighter and the gardens felt more open and cared for. After plenty of teamwork, laughs and muddy hands, we wrapped up the session feeling accomplished before heading back, knowing we’d made a real difference to a much-loved local space.

After weeks of planning, Goodgym finally went off on our weekend adventure to the Isle of Man! After a dramatic ferry ride over, we got to know each other, tackle the hilly Noble park parkrun, meet the locals, hike up the famous Snaefell Hill and be in awe of the view, see the stars and coastline by moonlight, tour a tall ship and explore Manx history at the Manx museum all before heading back on the ferry exhausted but buzzing from the experience. Thank you everyone who helped to organise the trip, especially Amina, Heetu and Liam!

Heetu Well the weekend started off a little crazy… with last minute logistics arrangements to include one more, Deekay, with help from everyone-so thank you all! Sally Ann forgot lots of bits and went running back for them all but did come back to the ferry thank goodness! Then Amina was at the wrong ferry terminal with 5 mins to go and our hearts all stopped until she made it into the boat! After that it was all plain sailing as we came together as an effective goodgyming team and made the whole weekend just work with no other major hiccups… we did a parkrun with a goodgym breakfast to make parkrun friends, caught an electric tram, climbed the highest mountain, experienced the TT road curves with no speed limits, ate loads, stargazed while traversing a coastal path and finally a museum. Had an amazing weekend with some extraordinary lovely people that was the best bit!

Amina Favourite moment for me was the team bonding activity and getting to know each other. Another thing I enjoyed was the park run. The course seems fairly ok and along the way I chatted with another runner and we encouraged each other to the finish line. The most memorable moment for me was seeing the relief on your faces when I eventually made it to the ferry. I had already resigned myself to my fate but luckily I made it. Defo, spending time together with the group is another favourite part. Another good thing I enjoyed was the Airbnb - it was centrally located and well equipped. I was a bit nervous with the hike because of it's steepness but encouragement from Steph kept me going to the top. It was also interesting how much we could pack in to such a short time.

Steph We chose a lovely sunny weekend for our trip which allowed us to fully enjoy the ferry ride and the sunset as we approached the Isle of Man. Special mention to the large number of wind turbines on the ferry’s route.

I’m a big fan…

It was so lovely to spend time with my fellow goodgymers to chat and get to know everyone better. Me and Amina got very lucky with all of our timings, allowing us to do everything we planned and more. Next time I’ll make sure I can stay for the whole time.

Miriam This trip was full of highlights it was such an incredible trip. One stand out for me was getting the electric train up to Laxey from Douglas. I heard about a study in Sweden where dementia patients were put into a made up setting of their youth, like a whole village street constructed to look like the mid 20th century. It really helped the patients to function. Well, in a completely positive way, that’s how the various modes of transport we encountered on the Isle of Man felt to me. A steam train, a horse drawn tram, an electric railway. All the original features on the wagon were beautifully maintained. The upholstery on the train could’ve been from the 1960s but it had clearly been recently reupholstered as there was no signs of wear. The wooden interior, the sliding doors. There were smells, sounds and sights that took me back to my own childhood in the 1980s when there were relics like the old wooden district line and slam door British Rail rolling stock still in use. The Isle of Man is comforting in its mix of old and new.

My second highlight that was also a confrontation of history was seeing the abandoned mines on our walk. Looking at how the slag heap had poured over the derelict building ruins, it was so haunting.

Then in the museum the next day we saw a painting of how it looked in the 1960s. The Isle of Man is rich in visible history.

Ellie I'll never forget the friendliness of the locals. But after meeting several locals who had stared at us in bewilderment when we said we were hiking the 5 miles up Snaefell, we set off on our hike thinking what fools they were for not enjoying the glorious sunshine and Manx countryside. We passed idyllic houses we wanted to live in, the famous Lady Isabella waterwheel (the biggest in the world), cute new born lambs and so many spring flowers! But we were soon eating our words when we found out just how brutal this climb was as we clambered up steep grassy slopes and dodged bogs all the way to the summit. I have to give an extra shout out to Miriam who persevered despite her fear of heights and Heetu who conquered the hill despite her sore knees. Three hours later, we finally emerged onto the top of Snaefell sweaty and panting (at least in my case). But the views over the seven kingdoms were incredible and we soon forgot our pain.

Another moment I won't forget in a hurry is how well Goodgymers can lie in Amina's 'Two Truths, One Lie' game. While these truths shall stay with the group, we learnt Miriam had not had a film nominated for an Oscar (which was quite unbelievable of course), Steph had not played darts with Ozzy Osborne (turns her dad did though!) and I had not been caught in a shipwreck. Sorry for deceiving you all!

Dike The dip in the pond was especially meaningful for me. It was my first time swimming in a body of water since moving to the UK nearly five years ago. What made it even more special was how it happened, right in the middle of a hike, surrounded by friends, chatting, enjoying the sunny weather, and then came across this fresh pool of spring water flowing down the mountain. Without overthinking it, I immersed myself in it. It’s hard to fully describe how I felt in that moment, definitely felt refreshed and also my Goodgym friends who captured it on camera. Unplanned, it cooled me down from the scorching sun and nothing went wrong. I wouldn’t have envisaged a hiking experience like this.

In the evening we ended up walking over three miles along the coast, beside steep cliffs and a beautiful shoreline, with laughter, conversation, and the night sky above us. It’s not something I would have ever imagined myself doing, but it turned out to be an incredible experience were I learnt a lot of new things in our cosmos amidst banter and laughter. I’d happily do it all over again.

The visit to the museum brought everything together, the places we had visited, the people we had met, the electronic train ride, hike to Snaefell, the mine, the lost Manx language and the drivers/bikers we saw revving their cars/bikes. It was the last activity and my best. The Digital elevation models in the museum put the areas we had visited in perspective. The short film helped in understanding the artefacts on display. I was particularly fascinated by the documented decline of the Manx language, having to listen to the recorded voices of people speaking Manx was the icing on the cake.

Liam As the sun dipped and moon rose over the Irish Sea, we headed out for a night walk along a rugged old coast road. The Irish Sea was unnervingly still and it looked pretty eerie shimmering under the moonlight. Away from the town lights and the boy racers, the cliffs felt massive and silent, with only the occasional splash of a tiny wave against the rocks to keep us company. The sky was pretty clear with only a bit of cloud cover. We managed to spot Vega and Arcurus shining brightly, as well as Jupiter and Venus. Everyone arrived back at the house really happy but very tired after a long day outdoors.

Sallyann At Noble parkrun we learned “Traa dy liooar” — “time enough.” Which sounds lovely… until you’ve been stargazing, it’s nearly midnight, and Miriam’s 5-month Norwegian Duolingo streak is hanging by a thread Made it back with minutes to spare. Lesson done. Streak saved. Crisis averted. Time enough… just.