Three regular GoodGym posties — Ben, Mandy, and Hazel — took on round two of the Stockport post distribution mission, aiming to finish the 400 newspapers promised to Post Community News.

Ben, in true Ben fashion, ran from home to the task — a casual 8km warm‑up, because why not start your evening with a mini‑marathon? 🙌 With public transport being a bit of a circus this week, he may actually be onto something. Mandy also parked a good distance away so she could clock a few bonus miles. Clearly, nobody here believes in simply arriving at a task… you must earn it. Broken transport? We still carry on like first‑class mail. 👊

The final 100 papers were folded and delivered door‑to‑door within an hour. Miraculously, the weather decided to stop behaving like a moody ice bucket, giving us the nicest conditions we’ve had for GG winter sessions so far. Along the route, we spotted neighbours going all‑out in a friendly decorating competition. If you can’t match the poshness of the folks next door, you can at least compete in sheer creativity — or comedic value. Honestly, a perfect strategy for making new friends… or confusing them. 😄

After finishing the round, the team went for a short bonus run before parting ways — and before Ben set off on his actual long run home. Stockport posts (Feb issue) - successfully signed, sealed, delivered! 📬

Join us next week for the revamping task for What If? 💪👋 https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sign-up/revamping-shop-and-tool-shed-with-what-if

Perhaps many people wished for a warm Valentine’s Day, so Bramhall saw fewer parkrunners than usual this morning. Bramhall Parkrun Event 824 welcomed 303 runners and walkers, supported by 41 fantastic volunteers. With the temperature dipping to -1°C, the morning offered not just cold toes and fingers, but possibly a few frozen hearts too. Still, Hazel turned up for marshalling —bringing Emily along for her very first parkrun!

Despite the chill, the atmosphere felt wonderfully warm. The sun made a surprise cameo appearance (yes, it still exists!), and everyone greeted one another with cheerful wishes for a lovely, bright day. A lady handed out heart‑shaped chocolates, a man in costume blasted lively music from a handheld speaker, and someone celebrated their birthday. Yey! 🪅🎈🎉

What a perfect day to be active, joyful, and grateful—celebrating fitness, community, and life itself! ❤️

What an eventful night!

Nine volunteers managed to gather to support the newspaper distribution for Post Community News —seven fully signed‑up GoodGymers, one accidental (borderline ambushed) recruit, and one enthusiastic joiner. A warm welcome to Emily, who survived—sorry, enjoyed—her very first on‑the‑day session! 😄🎉

Things kicked off with the traditional folding of 300 Stockport Post newspapers at the backyard picnic table. But the rain clearly felt left out and decided to RSVP “YES” at the last minute… so everything was swiftly relocated indoors. The living room suddenly transformed into a cosy gossip-and-fold HQ, perfect for spilling tea in both the literal and dramatic sense. Just when the plot needed thickening, Meera arrived fashionably late (she got lost) wielding news so explosive it could have competed with the Post’s front page. Honestly, it felt like a mini‑reunion! 🥰🎉

With more volunteers than usual (and a weather system that clearly wanted a volunteering badge), the team put on their strategic hats to plan the house‑to‑house distribution with military precision—no duplicate deliveries on our watch! Group 1, Kirsty, Jamie, Mandy, and Ben tackled the A6 side of the neighbourhood. Group 2 - Emily, Mithra, Meera, Laura, and Hazel - swept across the Shaw Heath side. The rain insisted on joining every step of the route, leaving everyone soaked, soggy, and slightly pruney… but undeniably happy little kittens.

A chaotic, rainy, tea‑filled, productive GoodGym session—just the way we like it. 🌧️💪😄

Sunday is definitely not a day of rest for Valentina, Kirsty, Hazel, and Ben! Fueled by the bottomless, rocket‑level energy of our tiniest but mightiest litter warriors, Noah and Luke, the team set out on a mission worthy of its own nature documentary.

In collaboration with Hazel Grove Mutual Aid, our fearless rubbish ramblers trekked across the car park road and the park by the Hazel Grove rail station, bravely confronting the wild world of fly‑tipped treasures. And what a collection it was: soft drink cans, beer bottles, rogue styrofoam, every McDonald’s item ever engineered — cups, trays, forks, straws, sauce tubs, possibly someone’s hopes and dreams — you name it, they found it.

By the end of the adventure, the crew had filled at least 16 bin bags with plastic, paper, glass, and metal. That’s right — sixteen. Enough rubbish to make even the most seasoned raccoon weep with pride.

Another Sunday well spent. Another victory against the chaos. And definitely another early bedtime for Noah and Luke. Also, it was Valentina's first GoodGym session! Welcome, Valentina (and Noah and Luke)! 😊

📸 Ben, Hazel, Kirsty

Dark, windy, and determined—the newspaper ninjas were out again! More than 200 Stockport homes (covering the area between Shaw Heath and Wellington Road) got their January Stockport Post delivered by the heroic squad: Mithra, Mandy, Hazel, Laura, and Ben. Mandy, Laura, and Ben sprinted to the meeting point like they were late for the Olympics, where Hazel and Mithra awaited—calm but chilling due to slapping winds. The first arrivals promptly glued themselves to the nearest wall in a desperate attempt to avoid being blown into a neighbouring postcode.

Step one of the mission? Folding newspapers one by one, because nothing says “professional operation” like DIY aerodynamic engineering or origami. Luckily, the papers doubled as a personal anti‑wind sandbags preventing the team from being yeeted into the sky by the wind. Despite the chill, the crew smashed the delivery in under an hour—efficiency level: elite. And because they apparently hadn’t suffered enough, they finished the evening with a few extra kilometres of running before parting ways.

Stockport Post: delivered. Team: spirits fying high! Stockport Homes: reading

P.S. Mithra was invited to the session as she got curious about GoodGym 😉

Credits: Laura Boldison - Run Leader

At -3°C, Woodbank parkrun wasn’t just a run—it was more “penguin shuffle with a side of frostbite chic.” With other local parkruns slipping into cancellation mode, Woodbank was the hottest (well, coldest) ticket in town.

Hazel decided to have her own 5k, so she ran to the venue first, mastering the penguin shuffle 🐧. Volunteers were thinner on the ground than the layer of grit on those frosty paths, so Maimoona was called up for the role of tail walker, aka “Chief Frost Wrangler.”

Hazel took up her post at the café marshal station, ensuring runners don't accidentally sled down the hill (or have a coffee break 😉) and instead follow the winter route like obedient snowflakes. Despite the cold turning hands and feet into frozen peas, the atmosphere was warmer than a mulled wine stand—full of frosty greetings, icy banters, and smiles that could melt glaciers.🥰

The cherry on this icy cake? Spotting Laura and Gill braving the chill. Because nothing melts your heart faster than familiar faces showing up when your toes have gone on strike. And yes, we all survived without turning into human popsicles.🥶✨