Last night our wonderful GoodGymers worked wonders at Wonder Zone Nursery!

It was also Sophie's first ever GG task, and Martin's 100th good deed so there was lots to celebrate.

Running, walking and cycling to the nursery, nine of us were met by Olu, one of the trustees, and he explained the task: tidy up the driveway leading to the nursery and the children's outdoor play area.

There was plenty to do:

• Sweep up sand that had overspilled from children playing in the sandpit.
• Hoover the astroturf areas.
• Remove the painted yellow bay divider lines and a disabled bay symbol from the yard's former life as a car park.
• Clear weeds and leaves from the driveway.

And that's just what we did!

In just an hour the difference was clear to see - all neat and tidy, ready for the children to enjoy!

Afterwards there was flapjack to mark Martin's brilliant GG100 milestone, and we headed to the local Weatherspoons to continue the fun over some food and drinks.

It’s the end of the month so it was time for the Group Run to Mycenae House, a lovely local landmark with extensive grounds that the volunteers always need our help with.

Three of us ran the mile or so from Charlton Park to the house to be met by our other members and the amazing Fiona, the volunteer coordinator. For most of the summer we’ve been doing weeding and chopping so it was lovely today to have a more constructive task, namely planting a number of new plants (although the weeding didn’t quite go away). We set to work, digging holes, popping in the plants and watering and between the 5 of us and the volunteers we managed to get 20 odd plants in, including one monster specimen that required three of us to plant it.

All of this was hard work and we were grateful after an hour to be rewarded with some of the excellent cake that is always waiting for us after the task.

On Saturday, our GoodGym team rolled up their sleeves and joined Jason – the wonderful gardener at Community Hospice – for a mission that was all about soil, sweat, and smiles.

The job? Clear out the flower beds in the Sensory Garden, sieve all the soil, and then put it back in. Sounds straightforward? Well, it was a proper workout! Buckets were filled, sieves were shaken, and the odd stone or stubborn root put up a fight.

By the end, the beds were ready for a fresh start. Jason and his gardening team can now plant a whole array of new, beautiful plants to brighten up the garden. It’s more than just flowers – it’s colour, life, and cheer for the hospice patients and their families who enjoy that space every day.

We left a little muddier, a lot sweatier, but very proud. Sometimes the best way to spread joy is to get your hands dirty.