We were back at the Hollybush Estate this evening, rolling up our sleeves (and working up a sweat!) as we helped Margaret and Ash shift mulch from Middleton Green over to Rocky Park. Teamwork made light work of those heaping barrow-loads, and we definitely got our steps in along the way. 💪🌱

A big shout-out and warm welcome to Ciarán, who joined us for his very first GoodGym session, thank you for jumping straight in and lending such great energy! It was also fantastic to catch up with John, Charlie, Ivo, Lucinda, and Martin, so good to see you back after a little while away. And of course, we can’t forget our four-legged cheerleaders, Basil and Wicket, who kept spirits high with their wagging tails. 🐾

On an exciting note, you may have seen that GoodGym was recently named one of the winners of Sky’s Zero Footprint Fund 🎉, which will help us share our sustainable mission even further. As part of the project, we’ll be creating a TV ad to air next spring. We’re planning to be back at Hollybush Estate this Sunday (28th) at 10:30 AM to film some content for the commercial. If you’re free, come along and be part of something special, we’d love to have as many of you there as possible!

8 GoodGymers made a wonderful difference in Central London

London is an especially bustle-y city and it is especially especially bustle-y during the rushing hours.

But it is also a city rich with quiet — gentle — calm spaces, such as the American International Church on Tottenham Court Road.

Although... that's true only when the Stranger Things Musical cast aren't using the AIC to practice their screams and yells and best impressions of the Demogorgon...

...which were our welcoming sounds yesterday evening!!

Not that this affected our especially brilliant crew – Brooke (our lovely host!), Emilie, Imogen, Jackie, John, Lilan (on their first good deed – welcome!!), and Steve – who got down to good-deeding business in a flash!

❤️ Emilie, Jackie, and John focused on the lower garden 👉 they pulled weeds, laid fresh gravel, rearranged a greenhouse, and collected all strewn litter!

❤️ Imogen, Lilan, and Steve headed to the upper garden 👉 they planted fresh seed pots, laid fresh compost, and gave new life to flower-filled planters!

❤️ And Brooke coordinated and organised the whole thing — thank you!

Here's to next time, folks!

I arrived at Compton Terrace Gardens on time, but found our three first-timers already hard at work. The co-ordinator from Upper Street Association told me they knew each other. They hadn't - they'd never met before, but were seemingly firm friends within minutes

Jo was very well organised, having already acquired her GoodGym shirt. She was preparing for a wedding trip to Spain, a country Irati knows well. Thea is a community worker with Barnet council, but was happy to help GoodGym in her home borough

This mission was part of the Mayor of London’s community weekend, so having been supplied with a banner and bunting by GoodGym central team I hung these on the railings outside before getting down to work

At first, we swept leaves from the grass, onto the surrounding soil, around large trees, which will act as a natural mulch, providing nutrients as they decompose, retaining soil moisture, and suppressing weeds

Then we took wheelbarrows to the other part of the gardens, where we shovelled compost, which had taken two years to decompose, over to the flower beds. We were up and down many times and got a good workout from shovelling the compost into the barrows. One of the wheelbarrows had a fully blown-up tyre!

I’d brought rainproof clothing, as the weather outlook had looked poor, but the sun shined on our task, and I accidently left my jacket in a bush but was able to retrieve it after breakfast in the café opposite