Three GoodGymers grabbed their gloves, litterpickers, and refuse sacks to take part in the Great British Spring Clean 2026. Stefanie, Sam, and Ben ran the short way towards Hulme to tackle any litter and discarded waste.

The empty and unused warehouse was our first port of call, with a quick clear up on the perimeter, with council notices evident on the gates. More bottles, cans, laughing gas cannisters, coffee cups, takeaway waste, and a Coronation St DVD lay around the corner, with a few bottles (broken or otherwise) too. After crossing the bridge, we struck upon the aftermath of a small party, with Budweiser can strewn across the grass with the odd Stella can thrown in too. There was also a toy globe that was broken and split (possibly a subtle metaphor...) and another more grown-up toy hiding in the bushes too.

Overall, we collected 7 refuse sacks plus 3 cannisters. All reported to Keep MCR Tidy for collection soon.

Robert, Sam, and Ben met up for our winter monthly foodbank run to donate tins, cans, and other non-perishables to Manchester South-Central. With the Easter holidays around the corner, they are always in need for additional items.

With Rob having recently moved and Sam returning from a trip to South America, they picked the smart option to run to ASDA (the drop-off point) to buy items to donate. Ben on the other hand was laden with lots of tins, cans, rice, and UHT milk partially from home and some donated from a recent GoodGym mission. We managed to donate lots of tinned veg, pasta sauce, rice, tinned meat, microwave noodles, rice pudding, plus some toiletries too (the bread and eggs were already there when we arrived...).. The donation of old books and children's books is a nice touch too!

With a lighter load, the run back via Manchester Met University campus was a bit more straightforward. Lots of stories from Sam from his travels abroad, with Rob having done a similar trip last year. We're also counting down to the lighter evenings in a few weeks for some more gardening or other tasks!

Welcome to Robert for your first GoodGym Manchester session 👏 Great to meet you.

This evening was a bit different. After being approached by Natalie Kate Moss Trust, a charity raising funds and awareness for the treatment and prevention of brain haemorrhages, we combined GoodGym with their Brain Gym resources to get us thinking about our brain health and lifestyle. As part of that, we covered ~4.5 km from St Peter's Square around via Hulme, University of Manchester, Ardwick, and circling back to Sandbar. The combination of a brisk jog and social interaction both forming a significant aspect of the Brain Gym suggestions 🧠

We had bumper numbers this evening, with Scott fresh from a speedy Media City Half Marathon, Hazel joining from Stockport, Peter back from Sri Lanka, Tanoshi and Fanette joining for their 1st Monday night group run, Robert, a journeyman of Bath and Merton GoodGym groups, and regulars Sam and Ben.

We self-quizzed ourselves on the Brain Gym recommendations, including taking small steps, keeping a record or journal, having a support network, "colouring our plate" for food, and keeping a good sleeping routine. All this while enjoying refreshments and tasty pizza at Sandbar (some were more colourful than others) and discussing a potential Mam Tor litter pick in the spring... watch this space 💪

Welcome to Hannah for your first GoodGym Manchester session! Great to meet you and hope to see you again soon.

This evening was our monthly Monday evening litterpick 🚮 with a stroll towards some of the green spaces in Ardwick to clear up any rubbish 🗑

With Vimto Park relatively clear, we found lots of bottles and cans on the A6 path opposite the Marriott Hotel. We also found

• a broken umbrella 🌂
• laughing gas canisters
• a pair of glasses without lenses
• a baby's dummy

After admiring a well made dead hedge, we made our way back through a residential area, circling back towards the city centre. On the way we found some interesting underwear and sleep mask, plus a collection of plastic forks 🍴

In all, there were 7 full refuse sacks filled, all reported to Keep MCR Tidy for collection. Job well done on a chilly evening.

Happy new year!

Despite the plummeting temperatures, ice, snow, and a touch of frost ❄️ Stefanie, Sam, and Ben wrapped up to litterpick in the city centre.

With a demonstration ongoing outside the Central Library, we met on the benches to prepare refuse sacks and divvy out litterpickers. We made our way to the Bridgewater Hall and along some of the canal, picking up discarded bottles, frozen cans, McDonald's waste, and a few ear buds too.

Following that, we headed towards the footbridge to Hulme, stumbling across a site near an unused warehouse, where lots of cans, bottles, laughing gas canisters, and a couple of umbrellas 🌂 had been discarded.

In just 70 minutes, we collected 11 full refuse sacks plus a carrier, a couple of brollies, and a flowery pillow. Good workout in the cold. All reported to Keep MCR Tidy to be collected from near a public bin nearby.