It was a very warm evening in Liverpool. Sefton park was very busy with people enjoying the evening sun, picnics, ball games and singing.

In a corner of the park runners were gathering to run the annual Tony Barnes Memorial 5-Mile run. Tony Barnes was a member of the Mossley Hill athletics club and when he passed away his community started this run in his honour.

Waiting at the start line were Sophie, Bekah and Steph. Lots of other runners were in their packs of running club mates, it was both reassuring and intimidating to our goodgym runners… this would be a great run but also a challenging one with lots of strong runners picking up the pace.

Me and Aatefa pitched up at the intersection where runners would pass multiple times as they made their way in a figure of eight around the lake and around the top of the park. Sallyann cheered on the runners from the pavillion area of the park.

It was a gruelling run in the heat. Lots of runners were visibly struggling but all three of our goodgym runners managed to smash the 5-miler (8km) race in under an hour. Steph came in at 58.38, a whole 12 mins under her predicted 1hr 10mins. Bekah came in at 52.54, a whopping 3.20 mins faster than her time last year. And Sophie came in at just 45.34, an amazing achievement.

Once our runners were finished it was time to head to the picnic tables for our annual picnic, Dike and Ellie joined us and there was so much delicious food we had enough for all of us to take lunch for the next two days! Special mention for Steph’s homemade brownies, Bekah’s famous salt and pepper sausage rolls, and Dike’s incredible effort into cooking fried chicken wraps and fried plantain. He may have decided not to run the race but more than made up for it in his cooking efforts. We all decided that Dike had set a level of expectation in us all that would mean he would have to prepare this for every future gathering.

It was so nice to stay out until late in the park and enjoy this summer tradition. Well done runners and thank you to everyone for making a great picnic.

Six GoodGymers brightened Princes Park on Saturday morning, joining the parkrun community for a dose of fresh air, friendly faces, and plenty of positive energy.

While some were running, others were cheering, chatting, and helping create the welcoming atmosphere that makes parkrun such a special event. Our red shirts were once again highly visible around the park, demonstrating that GoodGym is not just about getting active but also about building connections and spreading positivity wherever we go. The visibility certainly seemed to pay off. Two women approached us during the morning to find out more about GoodGym. It was wonderful to share what we do and how running can be a force for good. Hopefully, we've helped a few new friendships get off to a running start.

With parkrun complete and appetites gathering pace, we split into two groups and made our way towards Squash. After all, while we may enjoy chasing personal bests, there comes a point when breakfast becomes the real finish line. At Squash, we quickly got down to the important business of collecting stickers and, perhaps even more importantly, squashing our hunger. Hot drinks appeared, breakfasts arrived, and conversations flowed as freely as the coffee.

As always, the real magic of these mornings wasn't measured in kilometres or finish times. It was found in the laughter around the table, the stories shared between friends, and the simple pleasure of spending time together. Because, as we were gently reminded, community is built not only through organised activities but also through moments of connection.

From Princes Park to Squash, the morning was packed with smiles, community spirit, and plenty of food for thought. It was a reminder that every time GoodGym turns up, we don't just make tracks around the park, we leave a positive footprint in the community too. Here's to many more mornings of running, chatting, sticker collecting, and proving that the shortest distance between strangers is often a friendly conversation.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening for our latest session in Princes Park, with the temperature thankfully dropping from the highs earlier in the afternoon. The park was buzzing with people enjoying the warm evening sun as our group gathered. Liam and Chris ran from the Suitcases, and we had a great turnout, especially from those in the group doing their second task of the day!

Our mission was to make sure the park's youngest resident trees stayed hydrated in the warm weather. This meant filling up a giant water tank from the lake to water the newly planted baby trees. Because the tank was so large, the team set up a brilliant, fast-paced relay operation using watering cans and buckets to bridge the gap between the lake and the tank, which would have worked brilliantly if one of the buckets hadn't been full of holes!

Once the giant tank was full, the team walked it over to the lakeside, making sure all the young trees got the deep drink they needed to thrive in the summer heat.

While the watering crew was busy by the lake, another hard-working group tackled the lakeside path. They focused on clearing away weeds and litter from the sides of the paths, which has made the whole area look much tidier and far more accessible for everyone visiting the park.

It was a beautiful, productive evening that showed just what can be achieved with a bit of coordination and a lot of team spirit. A massive thank you to everyone who came along, especially those who doubled up on tasks today—your energy and effort are hugely appreciated! See you all at the next run!

Smithdown in Bloom is a community group which looks after the popular Smithdown Road and surrounding streets, by adding planters, bringing some colour and greenery to the area, and other maintenance aspects like litter picking.

We received a last minute invite to join them for their planting event on Bank holiday Monday. We ummed and aahhhd over setting up the community mission, as it was a) only 3 days notice, b) bank holiday weekend, and c) set to be a scorcher. There was a little interest so we listed the task, and I prepped the task owner that we wouldn't be expecting a large turnout, but I'd be there and it would be nice to meet them with a view to arranging a session for our weekly group run some time.

Much to our surprise, a fabulous 9 Goodgymmers braved the heat and turned out to support the group. Smithdown in Bloom are developing as a group with founder Ian sadly due to move away, so they're reviewing processes, structure and looking at putting things in place to maintain consistency. The group were well prepared with lots of plants to plant, tools, water bottles and watering cans. They kindly advised the water wasn't just for the plants, we were encouraged to drink some too! It was super hot and collectively we got round all the planters: weeding them, adding new colourful plants, and giving them a good water to take root. We were approached by a group of 6 young teenage boys who asked about what we were doing, and who then kindly got involved and helped plant some plants, even refilling the watering can for us from the local shop. It was lovely to see such young people in the area getting involved.

After just over an hour we wrapped up the session and headed for a well needed iced drink (iced matcha latte with coconut milk for me 👌), cooling off before our regular Monday evening task later that same day. It was great to meet the Smithdown in Bloom team and we look forward to helping them again - we've already been invited back.

Well done everyone who attended for a great turn out on this gloriously sunny bank holiday weekend, we really demonstrated what Goodgym is all about ☀️

After weeks of planning, Goodgym finally went off on our weekend adventure to the Isle of Man! After a dramatic ferry ride over, we got to know each other, tackle the hilly Noble park parkrun, meet the locals, hike up the famous Snaefell Hill and be in awe of the view, see the stars and coastline by moonlight, tour a tall ship and explore Manx history at the Manx museum all before heading back on the ferry exhausted but buzzing from the experience. Thank you everyone who helped to organise the trip, especially Amina, Heetu and Liam!

Heetu Well the weekend started off a little crazy… with last minute logistics arrangements to include one more, Deekay, with help from everyone-so thank you all! Sally Ann forgot lots of bits and went running back for them all but did come back to the ferry thank goodness! Then Amina was at the wrong ferry terminal with 5 mins to go and our hearts all stopped until she made it into the boat! After that it was all plain sailing as we came together as an effective goodgyming team and made the whole weekend just work with no other major hiccups… we did a parkrun with a goodgym breakfast to make parkrun friends, caught an electric tram, climbed the highest mountain, experienced the TT road curves with no speed limits, ate loads, stargazed while traversing a coastal path and finally a museum. Had an amazing weekend with some extraordinary lovely people that was the best bit!

Amina Favourite moment for me was the team bonding activity and getting to know each other. Another thing I enjoyed was the park run. The course seems fairly ok and along the way I chatted with another runner and we encouraged each other to the finish line. The most memorable moment for me was seeing the relief on your faces when I eventually made it to the ferry. I had already resigned myself to my fate but luckily I made it. Defo, spending time together with the group is another favourite part. Another good thing I enjoyed was the Airbnb - it was centrally located and well equipped. I was a bit nervous with the hike because of it's steepness but encouragement from Steph kept me going to the top. It was also interesting how much we could pack in to such a short time.

Steph We chose a lovely sunny weekend for our trip which allowed us to fully enjoy the ferry ride and the sunset as we approached the Isle of Man. Special mention to the large number of wind turbines on the ferry’s route.

I’m a big fan…

It was so lovely to spend time with my fellow goodgymers to chat and get to know everyone better. Me and Amina got very lucky with all of our timings, allowing us to do everything we planned and more. Next time I’ll make sure I can stay for the whole time.

Miriam This trip was full of highlights it was such an incredible trip. One stand out for me was getting the electric train up to Laxey from Douglas. I heard about a study in Sweden where dementia patients were put into a made up setting of their youth, like a whole village street constructed to look like the mid 20th century. It really helped the patients to function. Well, in a completely positive way, that’s how the various modes of transport we encountered on the Isle of Man felt to me. A steam train, a horse drawn tram, an electric railway. All the original features on the wagon were beautifully maintained. The upholstery on the train could’ve been from the 1960s but it had clearly been recently reupholstered as there was no signs of wear. The wooden interior, the sliding doors. There were smells, sounds and sights that took me back to my own childhood in the 1980s when there were relics like the old wooden district line and slam door British Rail rolling stock still in use. The Isle of Man is comforting in its mix of old and new.

My second highlight that was also a confrontation of history was seeing the abandoned mines on our walk. Looking at how the slag heap had poured over the derelict building ruins, it was so haunting.

Then in the museum the next day we saw a painting of how it looked in the 1960s. The Isle of Man is rich in visible history.

Ellie I'll never forget the friendliness of the locals. But after meeting several locals who had stared at us in bewilderment when we said we were hiking the 5 miles up Snaefell, we set off on our hike thinking what fools they were for not enjoying the glorious sunshine and Manx countryside. We passed idyllic houses we wanted to live in, the famous Lady Isabella waterwheel (the biggest in the world), cute new born lambs and so many spring flowers! But we were soon eating our words when we found out just how brutal this climb was as we clambered up steep grassy slopes and dodged bogs all the way to the summit. I have to give an extra shout out to Miriam who persevered despite her fear of heights and Heetu who conquered the hill despite her sore knees. Three hours later, we finally emerged onto the top of Snaefell sweaty and panting (at least in my case). But the views over the seven kingdoms were incredible and we soon forgot our pain.

Another moment I won't forget in a hurry is how well Goodgymers can lie in Amina's 'Two Truths, One Lie' game. While these truths shall stay with the group, we learnt Miriam had not had a film nominated for an Oscar (which was quite unbelievable of course), Steph had not played darts with Ozzy Osborne (turns her dad did though!) and I had not been caught in a shipwreck. Sorry for deceiving you all!

Dike The dip in the pond was especially meaningful for me. It was my first time swimming in a body of water since moving to the UK nearly five years ago. What made it even more special was how it happened, right in the middle of a hike, surrounded by friends, chatting, enjoying the sunny weather, and then came across this fresh pool of spring water flowing down the mountain. Without overthinking it, I immersed myself in it. It’s hard to fully describe how I felt in that moment, definitely felt refreshed and also my Goodgym friends who captured it on camera. Unplanned, it cooled me down from the scorching sun and nothing went wrong. I wouldn’t have envisaged a hiking experience like this.

In the evening we ended up walking over three miles along the coast, beside steep cliffs and a beautiful shoreline, with laughter, conversation, and the night sky above us. It’s not something I would have ever imagined myself doing, but it turned out to be an incredible experience were I learnt a lot of new things in our cosmos amidst banter and laughter. I’d happily do it all over again.

The visit to the museum brought everything together, the places we had visited, the people we had met, the electronic train ride, hike to Snaefell, the mine, the lost Manx language and the drivers/bikers we saw revving their cars/bikes. It was the last activity and my best. The Digital elevation models in the museum put the areas we had visited in perspective. The short film helped in understanding the artefacts on display. I was particularly fascinated by the documented decline of the Manx language, having to listen to the recorded voices of people speaking Manx was the icing on the cake.

Liam As the sun dipped and moon rose over the Irish Sea, we headed out for a night walk along a rugged old coast road. The Irish Sea was unnervingly still and it looked pretty eerie shimmering under the moonlight. Away from the town lights and the boy racers, the cliffs felt massive and silent, with only the occasional splash of a tiny wave against the rocks to keep us company. The sky was pretty clear with only a bit of cloud cover. We managed to spot Vega and Arcurus shining brightly, as well as Jupiter and Venus. Everyone arrived back at the house really happy but very tired after a long day outdoors.

Sallyann At Noble parkrun we learned “Traa dy liooar” — “time enough.” Which sounds lovely… until you’ve been stargazing, it’s nearly midnight, and Miriam’s 5-month Norwegian Duolingo streak is hanging by a thread Made it back with minutes to spare. Lesson done. Streak saved. Crisis averted. Time enough… just.