On a lovely, crisp autumn Monday evening our team donned headtorches and hi viz and gathered for another session in Princes Park. Sallyann, Heetu and Ellie were raring to get stuck in and make a visible difference to one of our favourite local green spaces.

Joining forces with the Friends of Princes Park, our small but mighty team of Sallyann, Heetu, Ellie, and (eventually after being fashionably late) Liam set to work along a key lakeside path. Overgrown branches and heavy layers of accumulated leaves had encroached on the walkway, making passage tricky for park visitors.

Though our numbers were lower than usual, we made light work of the task, cutting back the branches and cleared the path edge to edge, tucking a surprisingly large mound of swept leaves (see pics) neatly out of the way so parkgoers could enjoy a safe, accessible route once again.

To round off the evening, we had a special milestone to mark! At the end of the task, the team presented Liam with gifts to celebrate his 100th GoodGym task. As the moon emerged to light up our final wrap-up, it made for a wonderful finish to a lovely evening.

Extra message from Liam:

When I first signed up to Goodgym, it took me about 6 months to actually sign up for a task and attend. Like a lot of people I'd fallen put of the habit of getting out and seeing people during Covid and wasn't sure what to expect or whether I'd like it.

From my first task (shoutout to Sallyann, Heetu and Laura from GG Liverpool!) I was made to feel really welcome and valued, alleviating the nerves I'd felt and making me want to keep going and helping all of the great causes that we support across the city. Soon, Mondays became something to look forward to, especially after a hard or stressful day.

I would say to anyone thinking of joining Goodgym is that you always feel better after attending a task, spending time with warm and friendly people and making a positive difference to your community.