It was a cold November evening and many of us met at the task wrapped up in as many layers as possible. Sophie, Sallyann and Aatefa braved the cold and ran to the task. Here we met Khan who asked us to do some targetted weeding and litter picking. We formed into different groups. Miriam took on weeding the tree; Sophie and Jit (a very warm welcome Jit) took on weeding at the bottom of the community garden. Heetu took on weeding the perimeter. While Sallyann, Bekah, Aatefa, Craig, and I took on litter picking and clearing some rubbish. During the litter pick we found some interesting items including a bath, some cups and interestingly a bag of lentils. Aatefa and I continued to litter pick the area while the others went to support with weeding. Heetu and Craig made light work of tidying the weeds around the garden - making the entraceways look much neater. We posed for a photo and tried our best to show our goodgym tshirts. We also realised it had an interesting light, not too far off from the colour of the lentils we'd found earlier. During the weeding we learnt that Jit grows his own fruit and veg and knows quite a bit a about weeds. Excellent knowledge to have as I, for one, am often unsure. We also found out he is a writer so we were all talking about reports for Goodgym - we hope to read your first report soon Jit. Well done everyone for an excellent job on a cold November evening. Congratulations also to Craig on the 15th task!

The Bronte centre really lies in the heart of Liverpool, tucked away behind the new Liverpool John Moores campus, a short walk from Lime Street station next to the famous Bullring. It started in the 1960s as a boxing club and grew to be a hub for local youth and the community. Sallyann had met David at the Everton Park Gardens Summer auction, he had been the auctioneer and they chatted about what Goodgym does and what the Bronte do and how Goodgym could help the Bronte with a Monday evening task. So this was our first time at this venue. It was our biggest turnout of the year with fourteen in attendance. Six Goodgymmers; Sallyann, Heetu, Dike, Laura, Max and Aatefa ran from the suitcases on Hope Street, others walked and we met David who showed us what needed to be done. We had some stones to shift, some brambles to uproot and a front garden to tidy. We set off in three groups:

Group 1, the brambles: Miriam, Heetu, Tsi Tsi and Leo were in the bramble attack team. Tsi Tsi and Miriam had both bought bramble proof gloves along with them so they were keen to get stuck in. At one point we had an enormous turnip situation where we all pulled on the stubborn bramble until it gave way, honestly it was the biggest bramble we had ever seen with a trunk like a small tree.

Group 2, the rocks: Meanwhile Ellie, Steph, Laura and Sophie got stuck into clearing the rocks and bricks to make the outdoor space more usable. As the shortest member of the team, Laura volunteered to climb into the storage cage, whilst the others got to work doing the heavy lifting. What started off as a neatly stacked and layered pile, utilising advanced Tetris skills, soon became a precariously balanced mound of rubble! Either way, by the end of the hour 90% of the material had been successfully transported to its new home, leaving the lawn corner much clearer and ready to be put to better use.

Group 3, the front: Liam, Max, Dika, Sallyann, Bekah and Aatefa were assigned the important mission of clearing the front garden and entrance area of the youth centre. The front area had clearly been enjoying a little too much autumn decoration! Fallen leaves had covered the grass and hidden some of the beautiful plants, while litter had also decided to make itself at home. Armed with rakes, brushes and plenty of determination, they got straight to work. They raked away the thick layers of leaves, collected the scattered litter and carefully cleared the areas around the plants. Little by little, the greenery started making an appearance again. The plants were finally free from their leafy blankets and could enjoy a little sunshine! They continued by gathering the collected leaves and rubbish, brushing the pathways and tidying the surrounding areas. By the time they had finished, the entrance looked considerably cleaner, brighter and much more welcoming. It was lovely to see how much difference six pairs of hands could make in such a short time. The leaves may have put up a good fight, but the GoodGymers certainly won this round!

Afterwards David seemed impressed and booked in a return visit with Sallyann. They very kindly made us drinks and we congregated for a short while in the seating area at the centre where we said congratulations to Sal on her 200th mission…

Sallyann joined in June 2019 so has been a part of Goodgym for 7 years. She's undertaken sessions in 3 areas, is a member of Taskforce, and a trained Run Leader.

What the 200 tasks doesn't show is all the work and effort she does behind the scenes: the tasks organised, the time spent with task owners, helping others, supporting member's running journeys, arranging socials, being a welcome committee for GG tourists, welcoming new people, ensuring everyone feels comfortable and included, encouraging people to engage further with both GG and their running, organisation of admin, and, of course, she's the architect of the phenomenon that is Sticker Saturday.

So a massive well done on your 200th task, and thank you Sallyann for everything you do for Goodgym and the people in it.

After completing our task, Heetu, Ellie, Leo, Laura and Aatefa set off on their run back to Suitcases. With another community task completed, a little exercise under our belts and plenty of smiles, we brought a beautiful GoodGym session to a close. What a lovely way to combine running, teamwork and giving something back to the community!

This report was a collaborative effort by Miriam, Laura, Aatefa and Bekah

On the day we were scheduled to take on this task for Mr J, I needed to do a training run of 50 minutes. My thought process went thus:

Instead of doing my run, going home, and going out again, I should just run there > yes that's more efficient and in the spirit of Goodgym > but I don't want to arrive all tired and hungry, I should have a break between finishing the run and arriving > ooooh I wonder if Miriam fancies getting breakfast with me before the mission

I was delighted to get the reply "That would be lovely Bekah" with a big smile and so we had a plan. On my run it was lovely to bump into fellow Goodgymmer Aatefa, who was just finishing up Parkrun at Princes Park, both of us representing GG in the iconic red t-shirts. Miriam and I met at a lovely local place, Little Owl Cafe, and had a great breakfast and a catch up before the mission. But then it was time to get to work and, refreshed, we headed over to Mr J's.

Mr J had moved from a 4-bedroom house to a flat, and although he'd tried to cull some things, inevitably has more belongings than space. Our task was to make the floor space a little safer, and move things around so Mr J can access them and therefore sort through them and continue his clear out.

Mr J showed us the bedroom and explained the problem: a) there were boxes too high and inaccessible for him to reach, b) there were boxes blocking his chests of drawers, and c) the boxes were blocking a chair he ideally wanted to use for his computer desk. As there were so many boxes around, it was a bit of a crystal maze challenge working out where we could make space to start moving things. We cleared the dining table, to then put other boxes on the dining table, to make space in a corner which we'd then utilise more effectively with boxes from the bedroom. Some of the boxes were super heavy, and Miriam put me to shame by casually carrying some I'd declared to be a 2-person job. As we worked, Mr J explained he used to have extremely useful storage space under the bed, which he could easily access despite his mobility challenges, but someone had given him a spare mattress which now took up all that space. Our ears pricked up at this and we both felt getting that space back would be a real help to Mr J. Lifting the bed and removing the mattress underneath was for sure this time a 2-person job but we did well, with my eagle eyes spotting the perfect place to store the mattress and Miriam's tactical thinking on how to manoeuvre the mattress there.

We returned to the living room with 4 pieces of good news for Mr J. The chests of drawers were now accessible, the chair was by the computer, the ottoman had been moved and could be used for easy access storage, and he had his under bed storage back. Mr J took a look and was delighted with the improvements. We then cleared some recycling for him which had built up and took it out to the recycling bins outside, and had a re-organise of the living room to get Mr J his dining table back and make the floor space just a little bit safer.

Soon time was up. This was a mission where to the untrained eye you wouldn't necessarily see a big difference. But it made an improvement in Mr J's day-to-day and that's the important thing, and it'll also enable him to progress with his clear out.

Abergele was the lovely destination this time for goodgym to tackle another 5km and 10km race.

Sallyann and Vikky arrived early for the 5km and after a quick dabble in the arcades, headed off to do their 5kms. Soon after, the 10 kers arrived ( Eleanor, Bekah, Liam and Laura) just in time to watch Sallyann finish in the bright morning sun. We all gathered together soon after to greet each other and congratulate the race finishers. Despite being an organised double race, it wasn't a huge event which meant it had a calmer atmosphere which we all appreciated. And despite the chilly air temperature, the bright sun meant we could warm our backs in the sun (and some even found it too warm for running!).

The 10km race soon started and we all set off at our own paces. While Bekah and Liam were seasoned runners, it was Laura's first 10km in several years and Ellie's first! We ran along the seafront to the sound of seabirds and waves until a rather steep (and surprise) hill! Not long after was the turning point which meant runners at the front could high five those running the opposite direction which was a nice uplift on a long run. The 10kers all finished the race within the dreaded 1.5 hour cut off time and everyone was pleased with their result.

In the meantime, Sallyann and Vikky were enticed into the arcades once more and became well acquainted with the 2p machine, so much so that they managed to win a bunch of tickets! Unfortunately this was only enough for a fraction of a small fluffy key ring so they kindly donated them to a family with a young child nearby. Luckily aftwards there was still time to snap some photos of the 10kers as we neared the finish line.

After collecting medals and discussing the course, we headed out together to Llandudno for a well deserved lunch. We had a quick (and notably uphill) walk round the sites before choosing our favourite Welsh cafe for a delicious lunch. Afterwards we parted ways and went in various car shares back home for some R&R till next year!

A surprisingly mild evening led 9 Goodgymmers to the Greenhouse Project, a multicultural play and arts project on Lodge Lane in Liverpool. Sophie & Aatefa ran and beat everyone else to the task, arriving first, whilst most of us took a more leisurely approach and walked to the task. We were pleased to welcome Michelle back who returned for her second task - great to see you again Michelle! And our Goodgymmer of honour, Jo, quite rightly arrived on a chariot – well, a bike – and we headed inside for our task briefing, introductions and announcements.

And what an announcement we had! This evening marked a phenomenal achievement from Jo – it was her 200th task! Jo joined Goodgym in 2018 so has been a dedicated member for over 8 fantastic years. And it’s a family affair, both Jo’s daughter Roz and son Ben are members, and have done tasks together with Jo, Ben having joined the Ealing chapter too. And Goodgym is just one feather in Jo’s many-feathered-cap, she’s a devoted volunteer and dedicates time to other organisations including but not limited to Foodcycle, providing free community meals and reducing food waste. The team presented Jo with a card, some gifts to take home, and some chocolate pastries to share at the end of the task in her honour.

After our congratulations it was time to dive in. This time our task was split in 2: covering the fence with tarp to provide some much needed privacy to the children’s garden, and adding leaves back on to the plastic bushes which decorate the yard. Sophie gave some great ideas on technique for covering the fence before heading over with the team to the bushes, and Naser, Jo and I worked on the fence. Once we’d established approach, which involved weaving the tarp at intervals to help keep it in place, and attaching from the top at regular intervals, it was steady work to cover the whole thing. Jo’s idea of how to weave ended up being exactly the right decision and soon the fence looked great, secure and private.

The leaf task sounds unusual (putting leaves back on a bush?!) and is surprisingly therapeutic. The little leaves on the plastic bush can fall off, so our job was to reattach them so it continues to look nice and full and doesn’t have empty patches. With 6 pairs of hands working methodically, the bushes were soon returned to their former glory.

After admiring the result of our hard work, we headed inside for the group photo and the all important chocolate pastries to celebrate our Bicentenarian Jo. Much to our surprise we were then presented with a very kind card from the Greenhouse Project, thanking us for our hard work and support over the years. This was a lovely gesture and we were very touched to receive it. We had a quick debrief, with a busy Saturday coming up with Parkrun Sticker Saturday, followed by a lovely task at the Bombed out Church planting daffodil bulbs to prepare for a beautiful display in Spring. And it was time to head off back into the mild evening for home. A nice task where we could clearly see the impact we’ve made in such a short space of time, and a great opportunity to celebrate our lovely Jo and her dedication. Huge well done and congratulations Jo, what a huge number of hours doing good things for the community in Liverpool.