Peter and Ben both decided to combine a foodbank run with another ivy clearing and planting session at Gorse Hill Studios. We joined Katie, Duncan, Cathy, and Rebecca.

We dug, hacked, chopped, cut, pulled, sawed, and pickaxed our way through the never-ending ivy growing around bushes and fences.

We burned some of the vegetation and piled it ever higher. We found lots of spiders 🕷 and saw the plans and prep for the pond. The cup of tea 🍵 and a kitkat also helped on a warm and sweaty evening ☀️ There was also some planting of other plants 🪴 in between the hedge trees 🌳 we had planted a few weeks ago.

Following the session, Ben took a collection of tins 🥫 milk 🥛 crackers, strawberry 🍓 and raspberry jam, rice pudding, tinned fruit and veg, and some spaghetti 🍝 hoops to a nearby drop off for Manchester South-Central foodbank.

Following a session planting hedge trees 🌳, Ben made the 2.5 mile run, admittedly on the way home, to drop off items to the foodbank collection point at ASDA in Hulme. In all there was:

• tinned sweetcorn 🌽
• tinned mushrooms 🍄
• tinned tuna 🐟
• tinned spaghetti 🍝
• tinned mandarins 🍊
• jar of jam 🍓
• UHT milk 🥛
• Apple juice 🍏
• rice pudding 🥫

Decent run and made the trolley a little bit fuller before running home 🏡

Let me begin.

Peter, completing his 20th Good Deed, and Ben raided the cupboards and the shops to take much needed items to a food bank collection point at Asda in Hulme for Manchester South-Central food bank. In all we donated:

• tinned meat 🥩
• tinned fruit and veg 🥕🍍
• rice 🍚
• rice pudding
• UHT milk 🥛
• long life juice
• tinned beans 🫘 and spaghetti 🍝
• plastic bags (always handy to re-use)
• peanut butter 🥜

The trolley was well filled once we had unloaded, and the run 🏃‍♂️ back was certainly much lighter and quicker! We had a quick stop at Parakeet Parkway on the way 🦜

We'll have another donation drive before the summer holidays in July too, so keep an eye out for that.

We came to do good, we came to do good, so get out your seat and run around... (I'll work on it)

Welcome to Gaynor for their first ever GoodGym Manchester Task! Great to meet you briefly and hope to see you at another session in the future!

This evening, we collected any tins, cans, jars, and other non-perishables from the cupboards or the shop, to drop off at the big ASDA in Hulme as a donation point for Manchester South Central food bank. We had lots of peanut butter, jam, tinned meat & veg, rice pudding, UHT milk, pasta sauce, and added the carrier bags in for good measure.

With a 2.3 km distance from the meeting point to the drop-off point, Pavel and Ben did their own version of the Farmer's carry with bags in each hand and a hefty backpack each to take the load past Parakeet Parkway. Excellent Monday evening workout to get a bit of a sweat in the May sunshine.

Lots of chit chat about a possible GoodGym app, marketing GoodGym, camping, plus much more. Much lighter walk on the way home too!

Stefanie, Sam, and Ben braved a chilly Monday evening to run the 2.3 km each way to the foodbank drop-off location at ASDA in Hulme. Inspired by Random Acts of Kindness Day, we dropped off a range of food such as rice pudding, instant noodles, pasta sauce, and peanut butter. All part of the Holiday Hunger donation drive (details below), we hope that the small donation helps those who need it.

Manchester South Central Foodbank have a Holiday Hunger donation drive to help out those children who would normally get free school meals:

"Winter is a tough time for everyone. At our food bank we are currently supporting around 100 clients a week. With the rising price of food and bills, people in our area are struggling to choose between heating and eating. You can support people in your local area by donating to us. Last year we distributed 1033 holiday hunger food parcels to families in crisis. Our Holiday Hunger project provides a lifeline for families during the school holidays, by providing food parcels containing breakfast and lunch items and reading activities."

They also have online pages for donating items:

• an online donation site to donate food online that is delivered to their warehouse
• a monetary donation page too.

Manchester Central Foodbank also have a few locations in Manchester for accepting food donations to provide for those who need it. For other nearby foodbanks/donation points, Trussell Trust have a handy search tool.

In true Mancunian fashion, tonight's run took place in constant rain!

Despite the downpour, Peter and Ben made the fairly rookie mistake of loading their bags with lots and lots of heavy tins, jars, and cartons, forgetting that we would need to run with it for 2.3 miles down to Hulme to the drop-off point.

We had:

• Lots of jam
• UHT milk
• Pasta sauce
• A big tub of peanut butter (smooth)
• Rice pudding
• Tinned vegetables
• Tinned meat
• Spaghetti hoops
• Other non-perishables

Despite the weighted loads, we had a good run down to the big ASDA in Hulme with rain, and splash from the vehicles up on the Mancunian Way, keeping us soaked for the duration. While doing the drop off and getting a selfie outside, it was interesting to see a group of police officers getting keys cut using the Timpson's self service machine there - only the best and most secure of course.

Despite the rain, we were all smiles by the end, hoping that small good deeds can make a difference in the local community.