This evening we returned to a place that GoodGym Richmond haven't been in a few years: Ham Youth Club. Part of the Achieving for Children group, this hub provides all kinds of activities for local children and young adults.

The five of us ran a lovely chatty pace through Petersham Meadow and down winding paths to Ham where we were met by manager Ben. He set us to work giving a deeper clean in the main hall and the basement gym, via a quick helping hand moving ivy cut down from maintenance work to a more suitable spot. A flurry of dusting, wiping, mopping and vacuuming later, both areas were looking better and smelling fresher.

Perhaps the same could not be said for us but little did it matter as we jogged the river path back into Richmond, enjoying the dark, the smells of autumn and the sounds of owls in the woods. 🦉

We always enjoy a trip to the vibrant Powerstation youth club in Mortlake and this evening was no different as we ran through windy streets towards the centre, enjoyed some laminating and a chat about roller discos and youth mindset before heading back into the distinctly darker evening!

This evening we headed to our sponsored riverside plot at the Three Pigeons. We go every month but this one was different as we were saying goodbye to a very special GoodGym Richmond member: Anita

Anita has been a member since 2017, was the first Richmond member to hit 500 good deeds and is already 150 beyond that. Beyond how much Anita has done for the community, she has been instrumental in the taking on, designing, leveling up and maintaining of our riverside plot. On task nights that means instructions with military precision but behind the scenes there has been even more work, liasing with the council, getting plant donations, planning task nights to make the most of them, and single-handedly looking after the area through drought periods and special events.

Although there is sadness at Anita's leaving as she heads off to an exciting new chapter in Swansea, the evening was a celebration of all that Anita has done - including her signature tasks: watering from the river and weeding with table knives! You can see more of what we got up to here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOX_wlTCBPT/?igsh=cDYxanUzbm43eXJ5

❤️Thank you so much Anita, from all of us and everyone who has walked past the arcade and Three Pigeons ans enjoyed the results of her hard work. ❤️

An astonishing amount of planting and a little bit of ‘watering in’ packed into this Monday lunchtime Buccleuch Gardens mission. All the new plants were sourced for free, mainly by division from established perennial plants.

Woodruff around the benches at the far end of the Arcade;

Campanula in sunny/crevassed spots in the Arcade rockery and beside some of the benches;

Stachys, divided from where it is thriving in Arcade Rockery, relocated to more than a dozen sunny spots including empty spots in the Rockery and between three benches.

More planting in Buccleuch Gardens, this time orange Day Lilies (Hemerocallis ) which may be OK in a couple of dry, shaded spots where we have repeatedly failed to get anything to grow.

Back at Buccleuch Gardens to plant out the remaining 4 potted plants and get them watered in. One shrub went in at the far end of the rockery where the substrate proved more rock than rockery. After removing soil to expose the stones, I eventually found a spot where I could dig down deed enough to give the plant a decent chance of rooting and thriving.

And as usual there were many other weeding and tidying tasks that distracted me.