This session we were back at the Bombed Out Church, completing our excellent work painting the final tables, stools and benches, taking on the Host Stand, and litter picking.

We welcomed new Goodgymmer Colin who joined us for his first task - welcome Colin! It was great to meet you.

Task owner Kate gave us a thorough briefing, and we split into groups, some taking on the painting, and some on litter-picking duty. The site initially looked fairly clear, though with some rummaging the team were able to fill several litter bags, including a pair of shoes (yes, the full pair), socks, and a rather lovely bowl. The painting team took it in turns swapping the large and small brushes, and efficiently finished painting the benches, tables and stools, before turning their attention to the larger Host Stand. Everyone got stuck in, whilst I was on the important tasks of project management, team co-ordination, quality control and torch holding.

The BOC team were again delighted with how much we achieved in such a short space of time, and booked another session there and then. Next time we'll be planting bulbs to prepare for a dazzling daffodil display in the spring!

Alas, every silver lining has a cloud, and the cloud hanging over this session was that our beloved Dan is moving on to pastures new, and this was his last session with Goodgym Liverpool - for now. Dan joined Goodgym Liverpool six months ago, and quickly became an integral member of the group. His love of litter picking, skills with the puns, way with wordsmithery and all-round fabulous company endeared him to all he met, and we're very sorry to see him go. But Dan won't be giving up on Goodgym, he'll be moving to Goodgym Hackney, who don't know how lucky they are to have him - yet. Dan leaves us as a taskforce member with a very respectable 26 good deeds under his belt. He's assured us he'll be back to visit, and the door is always open for him to (litter) pick up where he left off. Dan - it's been an absolute pleasure getting to know you, we hope to see you again very soon.

The team presented Dan with a card and a farewell gift of some thorn proof gardening gloves and his very own litter picking hoop (he already owns his own litter picker!), and he very kindly opened his home to us for some post-task refreshments for a proper farewell.

Goodgym is a fantastic way to get to know some very lovely people, the other side of that coin is it's always difficult when people move on. But you know what they say: 'tis better to have loved litter-picked, than never to have volunteered at all...

I have been wanting to do this mission for a while, I signed up for it twice before but both times had to cancel on the day due to bad weather (second time was storm Amy weekend). Finally the stars aligned and I was able to attend this mission today. Mr K was really welcoming. He showed me a photo of what the front garden had looked like before when he could get out and it was immaculate, he was clearly very proud and it was very sad. He showed me the back garden and I decided that was where I should make a start today while it was dry. I’d need to use the strimmer and the lawn mower so if I can get that bit done in the good weather I can come back and do the weeding in the front another day, even if the weather is bad. Mr K had the most impressive array of garden tools I have ever seen. There was everything I needed and all batteries were fully charged. I hacked away at the tall grass and then used the hover flymo to cut it down. It wasn’t as neat as I would have liked so on my next visit I promised neat stripes! Mr K was really pleased and I felt so happy to help him out. I could really see how important it was to him. Looking forward to returning and finishing the job!

This year’s sun, brighter and warmer than ever, carried us through spring and summer as though autumn might never arrive. But after weeks of drizzle and chill fighting for entry, the season finally broke through. Last week’s GoodGym session had been cancelled because of the rain, leaving everyone eager to meet again.

From the buzz in the WhatsApp group, you could tell how much we had missed one another. When the week’s location was announced, I checked the website. The name looked familiar, so familiar that a picture formed in my mind. I wondered, could it be that place? After running, I arrived and saw the group gathered. Yes, it was the same spot. Years ago, I had passed by here often when it was nothing but a rubbish dump. I used to hope that one day it would be transformed. And now, here it stood, not a forgotten corner but a jewel. Warm, caring hands had not just lit a candle here, they had hung a chandelier. The little olive bonsai gave the place a spirit of peace.

Placed between a mosque and a church, the corner felt like a symbol of harmony, an oasis where people of different backgrounds could meet. That evening, the warmth of the group outweighed the chill of autumn. Seeing Mishael, a new member, added even more energy. Soon, Khan, our host, came from a nearby house. Friendly and full of life, he explained our task, to pull up the weeds so the plants could breathe and grow. Unlike most hosts who specify what to remove, Khan simply trusted us to decide. At first, the task felt uncertain, but with guidance from experienced members, piles of weeds quickly took shape.

As always, conversations flowed. At one point, I asked Khan if his name began with “KH.” When he confirmed, we spoke about the meaning of names. I told him names are small miracles that can shape personality and destiny. When I shared that my own name means “someone who helps,” he smiled and admitted his middle name means “garden.” With a laugh, he added, “I never thought I’d actually be part of building one.” That is the quiet power of names.

By the end, we had gathered far more weeds than expected, pressing them down to fit into bags. Yet the work felt light, the warmth of the group kept the evening glowing. Even after Khan announced the end of the session, no one was in a hurry to leave. We stayed, talking and enjoying the space we had helped care for.

The GoodGym Liverpool family is truly something special. Once again, empathy and cooperation turned a small act into a meaningful transformation. We showed that community development doesn’t come from big budgets or loud slogans, but from simple things, shared effort, warm hearts, and the desire to make a place better.

Because when hands join with hope, even the coldest corner can become a garden of peace.

It had been raining all morning. The first autumn days where it’s chilly and there’s wet leaves on the ground. I think we all thought ‘are we really doing this?’ But, motivated by Sallyann’s loyalty card system (points equal prizes!) - Dan, Bekah, Aminah, Leo, Lucien, Sian, Jessica, Sophie, Sallyann and I all made it out of bed and to Princes Park for the 9th monthly Park Run.

I had originally intended to just go along to take some video footage for the Goodgym advert but something about the atmosphere made me think, you know what, I’m going to try and run! Bekah, very graciously ran/walked with me. Her motivational quotes ‘you are already lapping everyone on the couch’ and ‘those who say they can and those who say they can’t are both right’ spurned me on! Everyone else lapped us I think ha ha! I almost gave up half way round but Bekah was right, the feeling of completing the course makes you feel great and more importantly sets you up for a hearty breakfast.

We stood around in the rain while everyone humoured my attempts to get the footage for the advert. Some fantastic performances! Sallyann gave out a GOLD star to those with their loyalty cards. Who is going to win that prize?! Then some of us went on to have breakfast at a new cafe called Maw on Aigburth Road. It was really nice. The menu had some great options. Most of us went for the ‘special eggs’ which was like a cross between a Spanish omelette and scrambled eggs. Really nice food and lovely staff who said that they would reserve a table for us in future. We then had a game of ‘guess the song’ from the drawings which depicted different songs all around the cafe. We got pretty much all of them.

So the rain did not defeat us! We had a lovely run, discovered somewhere new and many of the goodgymers are on the way to completing their loyalty cards, on to the 10th!