Tonight, we helped out at Merton's Community Fridge with the post-distribution clean-up, and what a refreshing session it was! It was brilliant to see so many familiar faces back in action, and a huge welcome to Suja, who joined us for a trial after only recently hearing about us. Everyone pitched in, and we absolutely smashed through the jobs, leaving the Fridge sparkling tidy, as always! 💪 Great work, team!

Tonight, we returned to Mostyn Gardens in Merton Park to create a new border for the external bed (an area we previously helped clear of weeds).

Some of us were tasked with digging a trench. Thankfully (or maybe not, given the resulting mud! 😉), the weather had softened the ground (improved further by the downpour while we were mid-task!) making it fairly soft and easy for our spades to make an impression.

With wheelbarrows at the ready, a couple of the team log-ged some serious miles collecting the wood for the border, piling it up ready to be staked into the ground.

For those seeking a slightly lighter task, there was also some pruning of the plum trees to be done - perfect for branching out from the rain! Handy that we came prepared with our secateurs.

Once the trenches were dug, it was all hands needed to fill them with logs and replace the (by now) mud.

It was good to welcome a couple of GoodGymers from out of the area and also Mik to his first task - not the easiest or the driest, but hopefully enjoyable nonetheless.

We got even more done than anticipated and are certainly helping this garden grow into something very special! 

We had a shorter session than usual due to not having a cooking team and limited food delivery. We did a bit of a tidy up, onboarded 1st time volunteers, did a walkround of the site and packed bags with potatoes, courgettes, tomatoes and oat milk for guests who dropped by. Major thanks to Hannah, a first time goodgymer who joined us on this session.

Two Goodgymers rendezvoused today with the mission of donating blood. While one successfully made a life-saving contribution (a fantastic 4th time lucky!), the other, unfortunately, celebrated their 300th GoodGym task by being rejected (again!) after their haemoglobin check. Despite the disappointment, the silver lining was: biscuits are still allowed! It just goes to show, sometimes even when things don't go exactly to plan, there's always a sweet reward.

Extra Goodgymers attended Merton's Community Fridge to help with the post-distribution clean-up today. The earlier start time allowed for some prep work, but there was still plenty to do, including a vital mission to fix the bin sign! It was a satisfying session despite a few changes to the way things were done.

A quick litter pick whilst hiding painted pebbles with a sustainability theme for others to find!