It may have been wet and dark but that never stops the warmth of a Goodgym Monday night. With the prerogative of report writer I am writing this from my perspective as someone who has been unable to get to a Monday night for a month. This was my first week back and if I'm honest I had been a little sad as the day was going on and the rain was not stopping - little did I realise that I would be so heart warmed and happy by the end of the session.

December can be busy with everyone having lots of demands on their time, however five Goodgymmers arrived at Lark Lane to do a litter pick. What is the collective noun for litter pickers? The Lark Lane Neighbourhood Association (Wombles) are an active group that work hard to keep the Lark Lane area litter free despite the large amount of people at this popular street full of cafes and bars. We met with Helen who provided our litter pickers and who asked that we tackle the main street that runs at the bottom of Lark Lane - this is a busy road which proved to have a lot of litter on it.

As we litter picked we found various items depicting the time of the year - some packets of halloween sweets unopened possibly dropped out of someones trick and treat pot and parts of an artificial Christmas tree which mustn't have made the grade for this years decoration later weer treated to the smell of real Christmas trees as we passed the florist. Further along the street and unrelated Jo had found a rose which she dutifully posed with and Jake found a light saber and needed little encouragement to pose for some action shots.

The great thing about litter picking is the interactions you have with people , we had many thanks from people as we made our way down the road - its always heartwarming to hear and it makes you realise that people appreciate their environment being clean. The great thing about litter picking in our wonderful city is that you never are far from some great banter. We had a lovely greeting from one man booming out to us that we were doing this for the 'looove of litter' he encouraged us to repeat the term several times with such emphasis it was almost like he would burst into song. The great thing about litter picking with Goodgym is you get a chance to chat as you go..... so of course there was chatting too. Im sure it wasnt just me.... or was it?

Before we knew it we had collected five big bags of litter and although we were wet and it was dark the darkness was lit up by the warmth and joy of Five Goodgymers (and a light saber)

On a frosty morning with the winter sun and blue skies above three Goodgymers ran at Princes parkrun. It's a a popular parkrun and one that we all know. At the finish we were issued our tokens by Goodgymer Eileen who is part of the parkrun core team. Run done and after a few poses for the camera we set off to meet two Goodgymers for breakfast and a good catch up. Five Goodgymers around the breakfast table at The Third cafe on Lark Lane. Goodgym does parkrun and breakfast sums it up.

On a wet, slightly windy Sunday afternoon, 5 Hardy GoodGymers made their way to Everton Park, ready to take up their marshalling positions, for the 2023 Blue Run Challenge event. Ema, Heetu, Aditya, Sallyann and Pauline were warmly welcomed by the Friends of Everton Park. This annual 3K run is held in Everton Park in memory of 16 year old Joseph Lappin who was fatally stabbed in Everton on 20th October 2010. It's a popular event with local residents and community groups, organised by North Liverpool Academy and Friends of Everton Park. It is always a fun day for us to help out with each year. The race started just after 1pm, with all participants and volunteers braving the autumnal rain, wet pathways and muddy puddles. With GG and Everton Park volunteers stationed around the course, runner, walkers, dogs and pram pushers were cheerfully directed along the route. My position, at the carpark, was about 1/3 of the way around, and just as the last walkers passed me, I saw a couple of runners on their way back...not finished, but looking for a dropped mobile 'phone! After a frantic retracing of the route, back to the start, the 'lost' 'phone was found...much to the relief of all concerned. Trophies and medals were awarded, and all participants applauded, before heading home for a well deserved rest. After receiving a finisher's medal and event t-shirt each, our merry band of GoodGymers posed for a final group photo, then also went our separate ways...Ema, home to her beloved dog, Tilly; me to complete the course and some of the Heritage Trail; Sallyann, Heetu and Aditya to our regular meeting room, at The Philharmonic Rooms...where they spent a very productive hour or so, planning some group running events. This lovely email from John, at Friends of Everton Park, was a lovely way to end a very special day.