5 GoodGymers gathered to help clear litter from some streets which Claire had noticed as a bit of a hotspot. We armed ourselves with bin bags, hoops and litter-pickers and set off in 2 groups to see what we could find. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the litter problem wasn't as bad as we had feared, but still managed to find quite a bit. Ed and Claire definitely came back with the fullest bags, but Carol, Tessa and Sheila weren't far behind. Down one alleyway it was obvious that someone had a thing about beef jerky, when we found half a dozen empty packets. We managed to stuff our bags into some handy litter bins, leaving the area cleaner than we found it. Thanks to Claire for suggesting the task and encouraging us out into the sunshine on a lovely autumn day

Claire, Kay and Sheila helped out at the community allotment on a lovely sunny evening. Kay set about watering the remaining crops while Claire and Sheila started tackling tidying up the pot storage area. Not an easy task! So many pots of different shapes and sizes. We found some unexpected items - 2 teapots and a pair of shears, and also disposed of a number of broken pots. By the end of the session it was looking a lot tidier (although not perfect!) and hopefully everything is more accessible. One of the other volunteers, Andrea, called in to give the big fig tree some manure and a good water - it was great to be there at the same time. Mei also dropped by just as we were leaving, but stayed to have a quick chat. I hope we can arrange to coincide for a bit longer next time!

The weather didn't play ball, so we had to change our plans from painting preserve on the fence to removing ivy from it. There's nothing that fazes GoodGym spirit though. So 11 of us went at the remaining ivy (we've removed a whole lot in the past) with gusto. Some also took out time to rake away the leaves and branches near the fence.

Special shout out to newcomer Paris for her first session with GG. Welcome!

Tonight’s GoodGym mission in Maidenhead was a sandy one! While beach cleans aren’t exactly common around here, this one came with a twist—we weren’t cleaning the beach, we were removing it.

A couple of months ago, we helped create the pop-up beach for Norden Farm’s summer festivities. But with autumn creeping in and flip-flops firmly back in storage, it was time to bid farewell to the sandpit!

Shifting 13 tonnes of sand is no small feat—and definitely tougher than laying it out in the first place! But the GoodGym crew rose to the challenge. With teamwork, grit, and sandy socks, we helped the Norden Farm staff make a serious dent in the dunes. There’s still a bit left to tackle, but the bulk of the beach has officially been packed away.