We had a brilliant morning at St Richard’s, so absorbed in the tasks at hand that we ended up spending an extra hour finishing our jobs.

A big welcome to Bianca, who joined us for her first GoodGym session – and what a start! She tackled the ivy in the back garden with great enthusiasm, leaving it looking much neater and tidier, just look at the before and after pics. 💪

Meanwhile, Cat and Arthur got stuck into some serious weeding, helping clear the garden of weeds and lopping off the growth round the bottom of the trees. Over at the front door, Ivar and Vic took on the job of sanding it down, prepping it for a much-needed refresh. Once smooth, Vic and I gave it a fresh coat of varnish, with some very important assistance from Arthur – a true team effort!

By the end of the session, the garden was looking clean, weed-free, and litter-free, and the front door had been transformed.

A morning well spent, made even better by a well-earned cup of tea to wrap things up (thank you Rick!) Thanks everyone for your energy and teamwork – see you at the next one!

Next wednesday we've got gardening at Hervey Road . Next Saturday we're back at Mycenae Gardens to help with more weeding.

Until next time 😊

Rachel

This session was a lovely excuse to engage in some nice peaceful gardening.

As a typical city dweller, it can be easy to overlook simple yet impactful acts of garden preservation such as weeding or socialising with people from diverse aspects of life. This mission offered the perfect excuse to do both by gifting us a loving and vibrant atmosphere where people could momentarily escape their hectic routines and dwell upon the peacefulness of reconnection with nature and other humans.

In the end, all we are, are creations of nature meant to connect while helping each other grow like a tall and magnificent sunflower.

On Wednesday evening we gathered at Charlton House, in an unusually negative spin for us at GoodGym - sharing our pet peeves. This evening we were joined by Sunaima and Lisa for their first group runs with us! WE ran to Prince Philip Maritime Collection Centre where Khursheed had a load of tasks for us, including weeding, watering, propping up a giant sunflower, giving the bug hotel a makeover and throwing some rubbish out. Jobs complete some of us ran and some of us walked back to base for a stretch.

Great work everyone!

On Saturday we have gardening at St Richard's and next Wednesday we're back for a Charlton House start to help with the garden at Hervey Road.

Until next time!

Upon my arrival this afternoon, Ms F's first question was how long I could stay for, and once I'd answered that we were soon hard at work. First task was to move a sofa, armchair, gate leg table, lamps, frames and various other items around her living room so she could hoover the carpet under each of these. Fortunately there was just about enough room to move the items to reveal the dusty carpet underneath!

Next task was to then have a look at why her hallway uplighters weren't working - a quick climb up a small step ladder and the culprit was clear...no bulbs. Ms F had an impressive collection of bulbs in her under stair cupboard and after a bit of pick and mix, I found two that were of the correct wattage and (most importantly) worked when switched on.

Part 3 was to then then trim a small flowering tree that was in her back patio - I asked her to explain exactly what she needed doing just so I didn't randomly trim away more than she'd intended, and once that was clear I got to work with a pretty decent pair of shears to give it a good haircut.

With that complete, Ms F was kind enough to offer me a very welcome cup of tea, and so we sat on the patio in the afternoon sunshine in the shadow of her now tidied up orange berried rowan tree, and put the world to right.

I'd woken up groggy, with less energy than a sleepy sloth as I laced up my running shoes and headed to the Parkrun. I hadn't been expecting anything, but ever since my last Parkrun event, I'd been skeptical about whether I'd be of any help, seeing as to how terribly I believed I performed as a Marshal whose cheers were quieter than a jellyfish underwater. But I quickly realised that my presence was enough.

Simply smiling and being present — acknowledging the runners — was enough to motivate them to continue on with their tiresome laps. It was the small moments in between: the simple conversations exchanged between volunteers who'd just met each other for the first time or the ones who knew each other too well; the awkward yet endearing 'Thank you, Marshal!'; the amount of 'cheers!'s and 'have a great weekend!'s said; the quiet recognition that everyone was fully present, running and walking alongside each other on the same pathway in order to keep this event going. It felt like community: a home where you didn't need to be perfect — you just needed to be there. I wouldn't call this experience 'life-changing', as I believe it would ruin its truth. No, it was something more beautiful. It was peace.

8 Greenwich GoodGymers made their way to St Alfege Primary School Community Garden in Greenwich this evening.

Our task was simple: clearing as many weeds as possible... Our main target was the raised beds, which since our last visit have been planted with crops including beetroot and some impressively large radishes. The makings of some great salad there! So keeping the weeds from taking over in these areas is key.

We also made a start on clearing a larger area of overgrowth which required a bit more digging and getting to the root of the matter. We were very impressed by the gardens grapevines, beautifully draping over a pergola area, the perfect spot for a group photo.

(Mean)time got away with us, and it was time for a quick water for the plants and a little post-session social for us, where conversation was slightly overwhelmed by the bells of St Alfege Chuch. Weeding bells indeed.

Welcome back to Olga for her second group run with us!

Next week we're back at the Prince Philip Maritime Museum - see you then!

Back on the mean streets of SE7 on a lovely sunny morning. The litter seemed to have built up recently and we managed 11 bags, a car wheel hub cap, a broken brolly, a John Lewis shopping cart (a long way from home) and a good haul of vapes in an hour. Three bags of recyclable bottles and cans included in the haul.

A nice lady asked us if we could clean up on Charlton Church Lane after the football yesterday - sadly not enough time today - and a gentleman who looked as if he'd just got up after a good night out asked us (quite seriously) if we were doing Community Service. We obviously looked a bit dangerous or maybe it was the bag of (now illegal) disposable vapes and the hub cap. Anyway, at least the public noticed us working!

Off for a coffee and a chat in M&S afterwards from where we could spot Greenwich Council on a Sunday collection, emptying bins and collecting our (Council approved) bags almost immediately! Thanks to everyone who helped.