Welcome to Sanjeev for your first GoodGym Manchester session!

This evening, we loaded up bags 🎒 with tins and other food items needed by Manchester South-Central foodbank for their winter parcels. It included:

• tinned fruit 🥭
• tinned veg 🥕🥔
• tinned tuna 🐟
• fruit juice 🍎
• UHT milk 🥛
• spaghetti 🍝
• beans 🫘
• pasta sauce
• cereal
• tea & coffee ☕️
• mince pies as a treat

Aided by the reverse advent calendar and their list, we did a pretty good job once we'd located the donation trolley.

With a much lighter load, the jog back via a Man Met campus was a bit smoother despite the heavy car traffic.

Great to see a new face and hope to see you again, Sanjeev!

Maimoona, Hazel, and Ben helped out at the 2025 edition of the Stockport 10, a hilly 10 mile race starting from Woodbank Athletics Track.

Mai was on bag drop duty while Hazel and Ben were marshalling at positions 57 and 44, respectively.

No incidents during the race and well done to all the runners who completed the gruelling course.

Juno and I went to help with marshalling and the set up/clear down at Fletcher Moss parkrun event number 275. 364 runners and walkers completed the 5 km course.

Rare occasion that all of the RD team were available to run, walk, or volunteer so was a good occasion to get a photo. Joined Didsbury runners for their Christmas quiz and coffee afterwards. Lots of mud on quite a nice morning.

Due to the very wet weather over the weekend, the Winterfest event in Platt Field's park was moved completely indoors to the Lakeside centre by the duck pond. With no need for the extra help to set up, we were still invited to go along to support the Shakespearean Garden with their winter event and fundraiser and to help out where we were needed.

With the park rangers dressed as elves, a good looking raffle, excellent mince pies and cakes, and Santa's grotto on hand, it was a popular event with locals and I even managed to scoop some Christmas gifts for the family while promoting the event via our Facebook and Instagram social media channels.

I wished Kattie a happy Christmas and we'll be back when the weather is a little better in the new year.

Welcome to Tanoshi for your first GoodGym outing!

Kudos to everyone today for getting out in the pouring rain 🌧 to help with pathway clearance at Albermarle allotments.

Hazel arrived bright and early so helped with moving some good-smelling woodchip before our main task could begin. One corner of the site, beyond a route known as bramble pathway, needed to be cleared to allow compost to be stored here and for access for allotment users 🌿

We had a range of tools including secateurs, loppers, saws, hoes, spades, plus power tools of a hedge trimmer, strimmers, and a chainsaw. The power tools proved very useful to remove and break up the larger clumps of brambles, while hand tools enabled the hedges to be trimmed back towards the fence. The trimmed brambles went in the green bins, other green clippings were composted 🌱

In just under 2 hours, we filled up countless green wheely bins, found the edge of the path, and endured many bramble pricks. With the pathway cleared and the rain getting much heavier, we headed for cover for a cup of tea and a biscuit, aiming to get out for another area, but with the rain becoming relentless, we called it a day.

Hope you all managed to get home to dry off and get warm! We'll likely have a monthly clearing task starting in the new year with the allotment group, so keep an eye out for that. Thank you Fanette and Hazel for the pics 📸!

Welcome to Alice for your first GoodGym Manchester outing, and well done to Sam for reaching your 10th GoodGym good deed 💪

This evening, we went for a litter pick in the Manchester rain 🌧

After covering ~2 km from the big Santa in St Peter's Square, we started picking up discarded bottles, cans, shoes, vapes, cans, and takeaway waste from near the footbridge towards Hulme Park.

With 3 bags collected, we went across the bridge, cleared any litter nearer the park (2 bags) before climbing back up the ramp. We stumbled upon a fly tipping spot near the new high rise buildings, and collected what we could, with piping and rubble also discarded in the area that will likely need council clearing. There was some discarded clothing too plus a small collection of used laughing gas canisters.

In all, we collected 12 full refuse bags of rubbish all reported to Keep MCR Tidy for collection. We certainly know where we'll be starting next time!