I assisted the dedicated Vauxhall foodbank volunteers in running their session today. It was another Goodgym achievement too

Today I assisted with unpacking, packing and sorting two food donations deliveries at Vauxhall food bank. One of the many benefits of volunteering along side working on your fitness and meeting like minded people is learning new things, like tasting a mangosteen, which I have never seen, heard about or tasted until today. The centre tasted like a very sweet lychee. The red part of the fruit tasted like chalk.

Sometimes deliveries are delayed and you have to wait a while, even ages!

The Run-Down

Our fantastic team of volunteers laced up their trainers and ran to Brixton Windmill Gardens to help Jean prepare for their upcoming Green Flag assessment. We were absolutely raking in the good vibes with 4 brilliant new faces joining us – talk about turning over a new leaf!

What We Accomplished

The team got stuck in with some serious garden maintenance, focusing on making the gardens look their absolute best for this week’s important review:

• Leaf clearing: We raked up all the autumn leaves scattered across the grass areas
• Path maintenance: Cleared and tidied the pathways throughout the gardens
• General sprucing: Made sure every corner was looking pristine and presentable

The Impact

Thanks to our volunteers’ hard work, Brixton Windmill Gardens is now looking mint for their Green Flag assessment. Jean was over the moon with our efforts – you could say we really helped them branch out and show off what makes their space so special.

The gardens are now in tip-top shape for their review, and we’re rooting for them to achieve that coveted Green Flag status!

Volunteers: 11 amazing people (including 4 fantastic newcomers!)
Total good done: One garden ready to flourish under assessment scrutiny

Special thanks to Fi for leading the run while AA is away!

Weeding for Mrs V

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!.