Despite the December chill, Julian led a determined crew of runners to yesterday’s GoodGym Greenwich task. Khai, Ceci and Kerry joined him on the run, while the rest of the team met us at the Brooklands School. We were especially pleased to welcome back Sevan, making a triumphant return after a work Christmas do, and Aman, who left Bristol early just to make it in time. That’s the kind of commitment that keeps GoodGym glowing - heroes, all of you!

Our mission for the evening was to paint the staff room and finish cleaning the cupboards. And true to the evening’s punny title (No Whisk, No Reward) we kicked things off by seeing what on earth we could use to stir the paint... it actually wasn't a whisk but we couldn't resist Khai's excellent pun anyway. With slightly fewer rollers and brushes than ideal (and absolutely no spare whisks), we embraced classic GoodGym ingenuity and made do with what we had. Before long, the first coat was on the walls and the cupboards were sparkling.

We didn’t quite manage to get around the whole room this time, but fear not, we’ll be back in January to finish the job!

Looking ahead, there’s plenty more GoodGym goodness on the horizon: 👉 This Saturday: Talk and Tidy and Westcombe Woodlands 👉 Next Wednesday: get ready to flex those painting muscles again for an indoor task at Arthur’s school!

Brilliant work everyone🛠️🎨💪🏽❤️

Until next time,

Rachel

Last night, 9 of us made our ways to St Luke's in Charlton, a few of us walking and some of us running the 3.5km from the Royal Naval College. A special welcome to Syd on his first task with us - great to have you along and hope to see much more of you over the coming months!

We soon got to work polishing pews, shining brass, scraping wax off tables and giving the church a good old hoover - it smelt lovely after just half an hour (where did the time actually go?!) and then we took a picture and headed out.

Lovely to see you all, as always!

On Sunday we've got helping out CABAHS at the Horn Fair and next Wednesday we're at Charlton Manor Primary School.

Until next time,

Rachel

Pruning & Positivity at Mycenae Gardens

This morning a bright bunch of GoodGymmers swapped dumbbells for hedge-trimmers and headed to Mycenae Gardens to give the greenery a good tidy-up. We welcomed Loren to her first session and hope it will be the first of many.

The Dream Team 🌿 • Julian: Our resident hedge fund manager (of the leafy kind), expertly snipping back branches with precision. • Marta: Proved she’s a cut above the rest, mastering the art of pruning with flair. • Vic: Got stuck into the shrubs, proving that many hands make light plant work. - Kerry made it in to those hard to reach spots pruning .

What We Did 🌳 • Pruned back wayward growth so the gardens could breathe again. • Collected up trimmings and left things looking tidy enough for a rake-over.

Final Flourish ✨

The team left Mycenae Gardens blooming with beauty and buzzing with good energy.

Eight of us hit the streets last night with purpose, energy, and plenty of good vibes. Our destination? The ever-welcoming Hervey Road Playing Fields. But before we got there, we had a very special delivery to make…

On our way over, we helped spread the word about the upcoming Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre (PPMCC) Community Day, dropping leaflets through letterboxes. It's going to be a fantastic event, and you can sign up to help man the GoodGym stall and soak up the community spirit here.

With the leaflets delivered and our legs nicely warmed up, we headed on to Hervey Road. When we arrived we found Jenny, Ivar, and Annie already hard at work, weeding and pruning back the lavender with impressive focus. The rest of us joined in, tackling a good amount of weeding and bramble-pulling to help get the space looking its best. The combination of teamwork, elbow grease, and a few laughs made for a hugely satisfying session.

Thanks to everyone who came along, until next time!

💥 Coming up this weekend in Greenwich:

🌿 Saturday – Gardening at Mycenae Gardens Join us for a peaceful and productive morning of planting and pruning in this much-loved community space. A perfect way to start the weekend!

🚮 Sunday – Group Run & Litter Pick at Woolwich Common We’re heading out for a run followed by a community litter pick at Woolwich Common. A great way to combine fitness with a bit of environmental impact.

Next Wednesday we're back at the Memorial Hospital for a special session with a bonfire, tea and creative session - don't miss out!