Mission Accomplished at Cressingham Gardens

Our dedicated team of GoodGym volunteers got their sweat on while making a real difference in the community! We tackled a major garden transformation project that left everyone feeling accomplished and energized.

Tasks Completed

• Full garden weeding - cleared the entire space of unwanted growth
• Central area restoration - removed weeds, concrete blocks, and old wooden edging to create a clean, usable space

Highlight of the Day

The most memorable moment came when we discovered an unexpected family of residents - five adorable little toads! 🐸 This delightful surprise brought smiles to everyone’s faces and reminded us that our gardening efforts are creating habitats for local wildlife too.

Community Impact

Christine from Cressingham Gardens was absolutely delighted with the transformation. Her joy and gratitude made all the hard work worthwhile and perfectly captured why we do what we do.

Special Recognition

Huge thanks to Katie who stepped up brilliantly to co-lead the session meeting Jordan at Papa’s when Joao got held up with work commitments. This kind of flexibility and teamwork spirit is what makes GoodGym Lambeth special.

Another successful mission combining fitness, community service, and unexpected wildlife encounters - exactly what GoodGym is all about!.

Our fantastic GoodGym runners really rose to the occasion this week, racing over to Thorlands Gardens where they were chamomile-ing at the bit to get stuck in! The team showed they had plenty of thyme on their hands as they tackled a variety of tasks.

We had two new members with us last night so Jenny and Maddy it was lovely to have you with us!

The volunteers were absolutely rooting for success as they laid cardboard with precision - you could say they really nailed it down! Their work was nothing short of ground-breaking as they created the perfect foundation for the chamomile garden border.

When it came to litter picking, our green-fingered heroes left no stone unturned, proving that many hands make light work. They showed that every piece of rubbish had met its match - talk about a clean sweep!

The real chip off the old block moment came when the team started shifting woodchip. They moved (small) mountains of mulch with an oak-kay attitude. You could say they were pine-ing for the perfect finish, and they certainly delivered! The border transformation was tree-mendous - our volunteers really knew how to mulch it up.

By the end of the session, the chamomile garden was looking scent-sational and weed-free. The team proved that with a little patience and a lot of sage advice, any garden can bloom into something beautiful.

Mint to be together, this group of volunteers showed that when you turnip with the right attitude, you can make any space radish-ingly beautiful. What an absolutely un-be-leaf-able effort from everyone involved!

Tasks Completed:

• Cardboard laying for weed suppression
• Community litter picking
• Woodchip distribution and border creation
• Chamomile garden area preparation

Another blooming brilliant session from GoodGym Lambeth! See you next week :0)

Despite some misgivings about the weather at about 3pm GG Lambeth did what we do and turned things around for th Tuesday Group Run!

We had a 100% meet up at Papa's for once and we were delighted to welcome Patrick to the team for his first ever session - great to have you with us Patrick!

The group was also honoured to receive GG royalty after a long time since the last royal visit - his highness John of Shirley came down from the North (of London) and bestowed his good graces on us, likewise great to see you down John.

We (including Tilly, Katie, Michael & AA) set off for a quick loop via Stockwell and then down to Max Roach Park to meet Father Nature (James) and continue the planting and clearing work on the Lavender Maze. The main task was to clear the weeds and other invasive species that were trying to muscle in on the maze and we had a nose full of lavender the whole time which was lovely - unless you have hayfever in which case this was a running task in more than one sense!

James also shared with us the success stories of local youth benefiting from the project and how grateful Lambeth Parks have been for the support of the volunteers as well which was great to hear.

By the end of the session the maze was looking much clearer and whether it was the pollen or the shared bond within the group we set off with eyes streaming and snotty upper lips.....

A huge thanks to all for another great session and we will see you next week for the next one :0)

** A Towering Team Effort with Tom's Run Club 🌱🏃‍♂️**

Yesterday's session was in collaboration with the fantastic Tom’s Run Club, a friendly and inclusive running crew known for combining social miles with a real sense of community - and plenty of post-run socialising! We met up at Bermondsey in high spirits, so after lots of introductions and a whole load of energy we did a warm-up that got the blood pumping.

With the sound system fired up, we hit the streets—winding our way through the hustle of London Bridge and along the Thames to our destination: the new garden by the Tower of London.

This isn't just any garden. It's part of an inspiring project by Grounded Ecotherapy, a community-focused organisation that supports people in recovery or facing mental health challenges by connecting them with nature. They’ve been transforming what was once a sad, neglected space into a lush, thriving green haven—and we were here to help keep that momentum going.

Once we arrived, we split into teams and got to work. Before we could tackle a huge planting task we had a serious challenge: hauling bags of stones up the stairs. A proper workout, with a purpose! Then it was onto getting the greenery into the ground. It was incredible what a difference it made - what was once just concrete planters suddenly came alive with pollinators, herbs, flowers and a whole range of other plants.

And just when we thought we’d earned a rest… we finished with a squat challenge followed by a cheeky core triathlon that had everyone working hard.

With the job done and muscles worked, we wrapped up with a shorter run back to base, took a team photo, and hung out for a well-earned post-run social. Running with Tom and his crew was a real pleasure—here’s to more teamwork, more miles, and more positive impact ahead. 💪🌿