The Choir with No Name is an organisation close to Good Gym’s heart as Ema, our Area Activator manages the choir and one of our Good Gymers, Steph sings with them. It’s such a brilliant charity. A weekly meet for people who have been affected by homelessness or who have felt marginalised in any way. This annual concert is a real highlight in the Christmas calendar. Sian, Heetu and Sallyann walked to the Tung Auditorium on this chilly December evening. Miriam walked up from Lime Street station and Ellie joined us a bit later straight from Christmas shopping in town. We were walked through the plan of action by Cat from the choir. We were on donation bucket duty, merch selling and survey promoting. We were across our stations as people arrived, during the interval and at the end but then we got to sit down in our balcony seats and watch the concert. It was amazing. Our very own Steph put in an impressive solo performance during the second song. The choir were joined on stage by the Asylum Link choir who performed a welcome song from Togo amongst others and a beautiful song penned by a local musician called ‘Bridges not Walls’ which had the whole auditorium up on their feet. The choir from Person Shaped Support ‘sing sing sing’ also put in a set that was moving and heartfelt. The Choir with No name sung some amazing festive tunes including Scouse Christmas classic ‘The Power of Love’ by Frankie Goes to Hollywood which was rousing. Our Ema had a dedication made to her from the choir, a song called ‘Dominick the Donkey’ for which she had encouraged as much silliness as possible in her absence. The choir spoke of how they missed her so much. The choir gave a special thank you to Good Gym for their fundraising efforts at the recent Santa Dash. The choir talked about how their meets offered a ‘soft landing’ to their members; a place to call home. They talked about the meaning of home, whether it’s a physical place, the people you know or a feeling of belonging and that all of these things were important for a home and I think Good Gym definitely shares this sentiment. Our buckets were full of generous donations by the end of the night and we all felt thoroughly festive. Thank you Choir With no Name for having us.

Well the Christmas community  spirit was in tremendous force on all three fronts for the good gym Christmas  partae:

1) THE HIGH-Achievements : We celebrated our goodgym park run awards, not just about celebrating runs, stickers, or times but about celebrating people. Especially Sallyann Sallyann who thought of this amazing park run sticker contest and who always encourages with relentless enthusiasm no matter at which level or in what way. But little did Sallyann realise in 2025 she had not only encouraged Bekah to run her first 10K, Heetu for >10K, whole bunch of us to 25K trail, Jess to become runleader but also encouraged the fiesty little sticker monsters in us all!

Here are the standout moments...

🏆 Top Attendance Awards

Lucien Lucien: first place. The heart of the group, showing up every week despite health challenges, keeping stickers and cards ready, and supporting everyone with consistency and warmth (13/13).

BekahBekah: joint second. From non-runner to regular supporter, now running consistently and encouraging new and returning runners (10/13).

Sian Siân: joint second. Balanced PhD studies and family visits while still showing up, running effortlessly and supporting the group (10/13).

Amina: close fourth. Champion of stickers, always checking in on people, and ensuring we had 13 sticker days this year (7/13).

🌟 Special Recognitions

Leo Leonardo: New this year, became an ambassador, spreading the word and even scoring café discounts (6/13).

StephSteph: Validated nerves at the start line, always pulling out strong runs (6/13).

ElileEleanor: Sacrificed her run to secure café tables for the group (5/13).

Jess Jessica: Supportive and knowledgeable, became our new run leader (4/13).

MiriamMiriam: Came to film, ended up running her first parkrun (4/13).

SophieSophie: Offered calm conversation that helped others overcome fears (3/13).

JoJo: Completed parkruns all year across locations, volunteering at junior parkruns (3/13).

LiamLiam: Ran before flying halfway across the world to Costa Rica (3/13).

DikeDike: Fastest runner, always waiting at the end with a smile (3/13).

Dan: Ray of sunshine, excellent runner, now in London (2/13).

HeetuHeetu: Worked abroad most of the year, but brought enthusiasm when present (2/13).

Afrah: Showed up despite a demanding charity job and freezing weather (1/13).

Laura: Returned after two years with family, looking like she’d never been away (1/13).

💖 Spirit of GoodGym

Every award reflects more than running—it’s about friendship, encouragement, and small acts that ripple outwards. Sallyann and Lucien’s dedication, despite not being able to run always, embodies the very essence of GoodGym: consistency, support, and community.

2) THE FAT- The Grub: upon arriving there was a vast array of options to try on our Christmas buffet and drinks cabinet!!!

Variety of from almost all continents Africa, South America, New Zealand, Vietnam ... -Brie and cranberry swirls care of Siân -Salt n peppa sausage rolls care of Bekah -Amazing chicken lickin care of Dike -Most gorgeous perfectly portioned ratios mini mince pies care of Jessica -oh there was so much more to mention but I am just making myself hungry!

But really thank you absolutely everyone for everything you bought to the party it was a lovely collective effort to bring everyone together to catch up on the year over some very tasty bites.

3) THE FUTURE-Aspirations: : we also made a to do list for 2026 from starting the 1st day of 2026 with a run, to attend more GG sessions/missions/runleadering, grow our team/charities we help and of course for all our sticker monster addicts more park-runs/breakfasts/tourism!
In conclusion what a fab partae and the only other thing we can aspire to is better christmas tunes!

So each of you has made this year unforgettable. Whether you ran, volunteered, cheered, finding a café or simply shared a coffee afterwards, you’ve built something connected and special. Every person is a winner so here’s to more miles, more smiles, and more memories together for 2026 where the sticker fanaticism continues!

On the first day of December, whilst the last of the evening showers continued, 6 determined Goodgymmers met at our usual suitcases spot for the run to the task. This was to be my supervised run session to consolidate my Goodym fitness leader training. I was grateful for the motivated bunch that met me in the rain, showing that classic Goodgym Liverpool support.

After a welcome and warm up, we weaved through the streets of Liverpool Central, to finish at the 2km mark on Park lane, where Bekah was waiting to welcome us. Joined by Lucian and Elaine, we were ready to start our evenings task.

The idea of clearing some of the more persistent nettles and thistles had Lucien eagerly rushing into the Park Lane garden to get stuck in Bekah , on the other hand, had an hour of exposure therapy. She braved her fears to provide much needed light and nettle spotting expertise for the group!

After an hour of weeding, a little bit of December and January planning and the mandatory group photo, the runners set off back up the notorious parliament hill! Having well tested our fitness levels, we arrived at the suitcases for a much need stretch. I was thankful to receive some lovely feedback from the group. We said our goodbyes and headed off into the night towards home. Another successful task completed!

The Liverpool Goodgym team were lucky this evening, as the rain had just eased off an hour before the task. We met up at Park Lane to complete some much-needed litter picking of the surrounding residential area.

Returning faces gathered and discussed the tradition of naming interesting or compelling items to keep good spirits on a cold night. The group was slowly reminded that Halloween had just passed, and this became a re-occurring theme.

As we put on our gloves and grabbed our litter-pickers, a black cat was spotted running across the street after hiding in the shadows. Notable finds we two mismatching gloves and a missing wallet, which was handed-in to be reunited with its owner.

Under the moonlight, Goodgym Liverpool was thanked multiple times by onlookers heading home or into the city, noting the work was much needed in the area. One such person was Liverpool Council woman Angela Coleman, who kindly asked for a picture to highlight the work Goodgym does.

When coming back together at the end of the task, our member Heetu (give her a cheer!) found the most interesting item of the night, a witch’s hat! This was made all the spookier by counting up 13 bags of rubbish!

What a lovely way to fondly look back at the last season’s festivities before we make our way into the Christmas Holidays. Thank you to all the members who attended and those who cheered us on as they walked by.

What a way to make a living…

‘Remember remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot’.

It’s the annual anti-establishment celebration that lights up the sky and at the Carribean centre in Liverpool, Goodgymers went to lend a hand. In the briefing room there were pictures of other anti-establishment heroes like Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali. Maleka briefed us all and designated us spots on the site with various different tasks, queue control, contraband checks, sparkler selling, donation collecting and general high-vis wearing, torch shining approachability. We were so approachable that one punter randomly left his two children with Bekah as he went back to his car to get some cash. A bit put on the spot in a less than desirable situation Bekah improvised with a game of statues… misheard by the kids as a game of musical statues so Bekah had to sing a tune and judge their statue-ness at intervals until their guardian returned.

Leo also excelled in his role. A shout went out on the group Whatsapp that someone had sneaked in some fireworks and was refusing to relinquish them; Leo stepped in and through some diplomacy managed to relieve the punters of their shop bought bangers. Meanwhile Miriam was on car watch and queue management, keeping the pedestrians safe by turning away cars attempting to breach the barrier, and keeping a clear thoroughfare. This week was Gasper's last in Liverpool, and we were privileged he spent two of those nights on tasks with us! You're welcome back anytime Gasper, we hope to see you again.

The firework display was spectacular: a wall to wall twenty minutes of explosive chemistry that impressed everyone. We were told that the display had £3,500 worth of fireworks with some funding from the council but mostly subsidised by the Caribbean Community Centre. Despite the generous donations that we took, the centre says that the event is run at a loss but it is so worth it to see the community coming together for something joyful. The food was incredible. Everyone was in good spirits. Sian was the one who organised this session and we were grateful that she did as we all agreed we would go back again.