Long day volunteering at the Manchester Half for Hannah, Gaynor, Uzondu, Hazel, and Ben.

It was early start and after arriving, we individually signed in, picked up our hi vis and lunch, and made our way to the start line to help out where we could.

Hazel got a box seat for the start, while Gaynor and Hannah were on duty to collect discarded jumpers and coats, some quite expensive by the sounds of it, to be donated to Cancer Research UK shops. There were so many bags! Several vans-worth. Uzondu and Ben, meanwhile, were in the "toilet run" ensuring people queued off the road, enabling the waves to congregate and pass through without issue. All of us seemed to be on hand to signpost where runners should go in addition to answering questions from spectators.

Come 11am, once the runners had gone and the sacks of clothes moved, we merged to board the Broom Wagon! With another group, we were to tail at the back, encouraging runners who were struggling near the back. With only a few runners struggling close to the cut off time until about mile 10 it was quite smooth, with some of us jumping out to walk/run alongside while encouraging the participants onwards. We were a little bit taken aback by the volume of plastic bottles and gel packets on the floor visible from the bus, and no surprise the council had their large roadsweepers out in force.

I think for the last section of the race, we were all out jogging or walking, helping where we could so participants could reach the goal of the finish line. It was really heartening to see them reach the line in what was often an emotional point for them.

Certainly earned the free packed lunch after that day.

Five GoodGym Stockport volunteers spent the evening delivering leaflets around Cheadle to help promote upcoming events run by the Together Trust charity.

The team worked efficiently to make sure as many local residents as possible heard about the great work the charity does.

It was lovely to welcome Meera back after a few months away and to introduce our newest and youngest recruit — 11-month-old Olive — who charmed everyone she met!

With cheerful chats, a bit of light exercise, and lots of community spirit, it was another feel-good evening of doing good together.

Hazel successfully completed her first solo mission by representing GoodGym at St. Matthew's Church Open Day! Armed with handmade banners and a flyer (artistic skills unlocked 😅), she kicked off the day by walking to the venue and setting up the GoodGym table.

The event welcomed 17 local and international groups, many of whom were introduced to GoodGym for the first time. Attendees were genuinely impressed by the concept and its impact on the community. Several groups exchanged contact details, expressing interest in future collaborations—an exciting step forward for GoodGym’s outreach!

The venue added a warm touch with refreshments including coffee and cakes, while face-painting brought extra colour and cheer to the background atmosphere. The local library also gave out some free books!

What a rewarding weekend!😊

This evening, we spent a productive 60 minutes delivering leaflets for Together Trust Charity to advertise their Halloween event in October. Hazel and Ben handing out over 100 leaflets to residents local to Cheadle.

With the promise of pumpkin 🎃 decorating, even the local dogs got excited, with Harlow the German Shepherd showing keen interest 🐶

With a big load of leaflets, there will be another session to share the information to other nearby houses.