Monday 4th August
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Report written by Dike
GoodGym Liverpool meets every Monday for their group runs, followed by a task in the community. Two runners, SallyAnn and Dike, met at The Suitcases (Duke Street) for the run. Only Dike ran, while Sally cycled alongside, providing company and some coaching to the upcoming marathon finisher wannabe (pun intended). They headed to Park Lane, the venue for the day’s task, where they would meet up with Sian, Lucien, Danchito, Clara, Leonardo, and Elaine from the Urban GreenUp Project Liverpool, who would coordinate the task of the day. Previous tasks with Elaine had involved uprooting overgrowth at the Park Lane green corridor, so most GoodGymers who turned up that day expected the same. However, Elaine had a different plan—clearing a pile of green waste from previous weeding sessions. The waste was piled in a corner, some bagged but most left loose. The task was to re-bag the waste and load it into a van. Everyone worked on clearing the waste except Lucien and Elaine, who focused on uprooting more overgrowth. Stem after stem, shrub after shrub, they bagged everything by hand while chatting and laughing. Not even the thorns, the smell of decomposing leaves, or the sight of slugs could dampen their morale. In about an hour, more than three-quarters of the pile was re-bagged. The icing on the cake was an elderly man—probably a local—who, on seeing the GoodGymers clearing the rubbish, pulled out his phone to take photos while praising their efforts. By the end, the walkway, which had been blocked by the pile of green waste, was clear and fit for use again.
URBAN GreenUP is a EU-funded project which aims at developing, applying and validating a methodology for Renaturing Urban Plans to mitigate the effects of climate change, improve air quality and water management and increase the sustainability of our cities through innovative nature-based solutions.
See moreSat 30th Aug at 1:23pm
I recently walked passed this spot and observed a couple of plucky young BMX bikers, who had given another twist to the use of this green area. Having heaved all that lovely rotting vegetation, leaving the space clear and vacant, the wheelers had carefully shaped a dip and a little ramp to ride their bikes along. A temporary repurpose to give their day an extra spin, set-up by Goodgym's diligence in clearing all that delightful (natural) detritus!
Sat 30th Aug at 1:28pm
You captured the spirit of the mission, Dike! Nice report! Faced with physical and emotional challenge of clearing and tidying piles of (entirely organic) rot, we kept on smiling to fill Elaine's hire van to the brim!
Liverpool
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