3 GoogdGymers helped Pam prepare planters for new flowers, to be put in by Colchester in Bloom on Thursday morning (meeting at 10 am in town if anyone would be interested in helping them).

Once we had established where the "Bus Park" was (more commonly referred to as the Bus Station), we set to work removing significant amounts of old soil from the planters, and then losening the remaining soil so that new plants could be easily placed with new nutritious soil around them. It was more challenging than it initially appeared as some of the soil was so dry and compressed that those of us who stood down wind of the planters regularly received a face full of soil every time a new chunk was removed.

We lamented the lack of broom a few times when we surveyed the mess we were making, but we were pretty confident the weather would do the necessary clean up job before anyone could return with one in the morning.

Many apologies for the lack of quality pun!

Another pleasant evening in our early summer saw five Goodgymmers greeted by a blast of crooner classics outside the Mercury theatre. After a casual stroll to the high st we met Pam and got to work clearing the flower beds, with a few different challenges to meet.

There was preserving some flowers, removing others and then removing the weedy soil altogether, limited by bags and their weight. Some chat about archeology as we discovered how deep those flower beds go, sadly nothing but glass shards uncovered by our team.

Following the task we loaded up Pam's car (after she demonstrated her impressed strength!) then unloaded them at her home too, a thorough job that will need a follow up soon.

Join us next week for some post-task drinks in town!

A lovely sunny evening for seven GoodGymers to support Colchester in Bloom by helping out at the allotment. This session focused on clearing out the greenhouses and tackling the overgrown beds through digging and weeding.

We were delighted to welcome a new member, Madeleine, to the group. Maddie got stuck straight in to the digging and weeding!

With a strong team effort, we made great progress, much to the delight of Pam from Colchester in Bloom, who was thoroughly impressed with how much we managed to achieve in one evening.

We’re already looking forward to returning to the allotment soon to continue the good work!

Another chilly evening in town and another task on the board for Goodgym Colchester. This time meeting Colchester in Bloom's Pam to collect some bedding plants and walk them up to the High St, we were joined this week by new member Christian.

Splitting into groups, we were able to swap out dead plants and sparse areas of the flower beds with fresh spring flowers, whilst clearing some gum and ciggarettes too. The town was alot quieter than our last evening task here before Christmas, but that meant we avoided any accusations of vandalism and could move more quickly.

Gathering outside the town hall for a quick picture, we then walked back the bags and dispersed, satisfied with a job well done and brighter evenings on the horizon.

Tonight was a warm and humid mission to even out the flower boxes on the High Street. A couple of boxes looked bare whilst others looked full.

We managed to even them out, without changing the aesthetics too much!!

As we dug and planted Frazer mistaken as an expert gardener by a passerby! Well I guess we are pretty good at planting and deadheading!!

Goodgym, like many, want Colchester city centre to be green and cyclist and pedestrian friendly. Maybe we should bring back the horse and cart?! What would you change in Colchester?

On a bright but eventually rainy evening 4 Goodgymmers made their way down past the station to help Pam and Colchester in Bloom. Helen and Stu met us at the allotment already stuck into thick brambles, where it was rumoured some fruit trees once planted by Goodgym years before dwelled.

Some exciting news from Sophie following her holiday whilst Helen advocated the importance of protein, we took on some truly gnarly weeds before breaking them down for stashing in waste bags. Eventually, beyond the many thick layers a gorgeous cherry tree emerged, bearing some ripe and delicious cherries!

Despite trying to wrap up the task our volunteers were too keen to stop, insisting everything be cleared despite the falling rain. Once getting ourselves away finally we parted ways with a sense of great satisfaction. Another task cleared, with literal fruits to show for our labour.