The monthly conservation session with the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods is always a feel-good Sunday morning!

Coming from volunteering at junior parkrun just a stone's throw away, we grabbed a coffee from Chestnuts Kiosk before signing in with Paul, who was leading today’s session. Once the rest of the FOLAW volunteers arrived, we set off towards The Heath. Pushing a wheelbarrow full of tools uphill through the woods definitely got the heart rate going 💪. It was a lovely walk with swathes of bluebells lining the path on both sides. Stunning.

Once at the top, Paul gave us a quick refresher on tool safety - short and sweet since we were all regulars - and we got to work cutting back holly and brambles, and pulling up creeping ivy and honeysuckle. There wasn't any bracken to battle this time as it's a bit early in the season, but there was still plenty to keep us busy!

This is an ongoing project to clear more invasive plants so that native heather can thrive and give a more diverse habitat for wildlife.

Every so often we loaded up the wheelbarrow and transported the cuttings to a nearby pile where they’ll rot down naturally. GoodGym strength training in action!

No sign of the Easter Bunny, but we did spot a slow worm hiding under one of the shelters in the undergrowth. Now that was an Easter treat!

This morning we hopped along to marshal and scan barcodes at Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun.

The kids were eggs-cited to get their high-fives and the parents got their eggs-ercise running round the three laps with them.

And as always there was a happy vibe with the other hi-viz volunteers.

Afterwards, an eggs-cellent coffee from the Chestnuts Kiosk!

See you next week when there will be no more Easter puns, we promise.

As usual on a Saturday morning, Peter was volunteering at Avery Hill parkrun. But today he swapped his more regular timekeeper role for a spot of barcode scanning.

They say that variety is the spice of life - it's true for parkrun and GoodGym too!

Our first evening task since the clocks changed, and it felt like a real treat to start in daylight!

Five of us set off in Welling for a spot of letterbox leafleting to promote the Community Hospice's Mini Marathon, a major fundraising event for them.

Splitting into two teams we covered both sides of the roads in parallel, and posted a stack of leaflets between us. Let's hope they result in some bookings.

By the end, we’d clocked just over 3km between us each. Not bad for an evening’s walk with a purpose.

We'll be doing the,same again next week, but in Bexleyheath. Join us if you can - we'd love to have you along.

Sunday morning arrived with that annual groan about losing an hour of sleep as the clocks swung forward, along with the grey joys of shoulder season -- but did that stop us GoodGymers? Absolutely not.

Five of us descended on Thamesmead for the 10k run organised by the Thamesmead Running Club, with a neat split between those earning their good deeds on the task front and those pummelling the pavement. A huge welcome to the event itself, which absolutely delivered on the turnout — over 100 runners lining up, huddled together for warmth (and probably moral support), which is a fantastic sight for any community race!

While there were a few niggles getting things underway, it gave our volunteers Iyabo and yours truly some extra time to look busy and important. Not all heroes wear capes, but hi-vis vests they certainly do, with Iyabo the real star at the drinks station, ensuring every passing runner got their swig without so much as breaking stride. Hydration is a love language, after all. 🚰

As for our three runners — Sarah, John and Khai -- they found their rhythm from the get go and represented GoodGym all the way round the course, with Khai smashing his first race with a cracker of a sprint finish! 10 kilometres of riverside running, a bit of cold air in the lungs, and the post-race snack pack -- what a satisfying feeling, a Sunday well spent.

Whether handing out cups or chasing a PB, GoodGymers certainly did their bit to make the community a little brighter (even on a grey Sunday morning).

See you at the next one! 👟💚

Screenplay for a morning of GoodGym volunteering at the Community Hospice...

FADE IN

A quiet, peaceful garden. Birds chirp. A gentle breeze rustles leaves. Sun is shining.

A series of planters in front of the building, overlooked by windows from one of the wards. While the rest of the planters have plants and flowers, one is just full of soil.

A group of eight GoodGymers enters the frame, with Jason, Head Gardener. Chatting and laughing.

On their first ever task Debby and Chris are settling right in.

CLOSE UP

Gloved hands grabbing shovels.

PAN OUT

Rhythmic shovelling. Soil is emptied from the planter into big bags.

A white layer of polystyrene is revealed beneath the soil. Shovelling becomes careful, considered so as not to break its surface and release the white beads.

Careful hands lift the thick polystyrene sheets out and take it to the bins.

Scissors slice through a sheet of weed membrane, shaping it to line the planter.

The original soil is shovelled back into the planter.

TIME LAPSE SEQUENCE

A chain gang forms:

• One group shovels fresh soil into trugs

• Another ferries them in wheelbarrows

• Another tips soil into the planter

• Hands press down to compact the surface.

• The barrows return.

Repeated until the planter is completely filled.

Teamwork in action. Effort. Energy. Chatting. Laughter.

PAN OUT

The team steps back.

The planter is restored, renewed. Ready for new blooms.

CUT TO GROUP SHOT

Smiling faces. Job done.

TITLE CARD:

2026: A SPADE ODYSSEY

SUBTITLE:

GoodGym will return

END