Six Coventry Goodgymers went to Earlsdon Primary School for some painting this evening. The blue railings outside the school needed some TLC and a fresh lick of paint.

Once the cobwebs had been removed, we did a bit of sanding and got to work on painting the railings a lovely shade of navy. The paint was quite drippy and the railings may need another coat - but it's a start! Pedestrians passing commented on how good it looked so far which was nice. Well done everyone, excellent job!

Tuesday evening, Ahmed, Laura, Lucy and I met at the library before heading to Kersley Orchard to link up with Sharon and the rest of the volunteers. This session was carrying on from the last GoodGym visit. We arrived and attacked the grass that had sunk its roots deep into the tarmac paths, clearing the way for better disabled access. Ahmed, a new member on his second deed in two days, got stuck into one of the pathways, digging and scraping the grass off. Lucy, Sharon and I worked on another pathway, while Laura was on compost duty, shifting all the dug-up turf. A few other volunteers were clearing brambles. Ahmed made the strangest discovery of the night a lone random egg just sitting there! I looking forward to another visit to see how they're getting on with it.

On Thursday evening at six o'clock, I visited Mrs. N's house to complete the lawn-cutting task. This was my third attempt, after a previous visit was cancelled due to illness and another where the mower was not working. The lawn was quite large and took approximately one hour and forty-five minutes to cut. Mrs. N kindly brought me a cup of tea and a glass of water, which was appreciated as it was a warm evening. While I was unable to trim the edges due to not having a strimmer, the overall finish was good. Mrs. N was present in the garden with her daughter and grandson, who were around during the task. She was very happy with the result and grateful to have the lawn cut.

8 jolly Goodgymers made their way on a sunny Tuesday evening for the first visit to the Food Union allotment for 2026!

Our task for the evening was to clear the edges of the allotment that had become quite overgrown and weed around the raspberries so they have plenty of space to produce fruit later in the year. We had ten minutes spare at the end of our task so we all worked together to clear a path and beds of grass and weeds. Job done, smiles all round and a lovely evening spent in a fantastic green space in Coventry.

A beautiful sunny Saturday morning, and I made my way to the St Michael’s church grounds and the Green Growers plot. It’s only about half a mile away, so I hopped on my bike as usual. When I arrived, Jane was already there, busily weeding and clearing the flower beds. I soon realised I’d forgotten the tools I needed to assemble the flat-pack shed, so I had to cycle back home (and then to the garage) to fetch some screwdrivers. The round trip took a bit longer than expected. By the time I returned, Anne had joined Jane. The two of them were working together, planting and weeding away. All around us, the other gardeners were in full swing — mowing, chopping, trimming, and tending to the church grounds. I spent the next hour or so putting the shed together. Once it was built and looking smart in its new spot, I packed up, cycled home, and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the glorious sunshine. 🌞

What a beautiful space the residents of Keresley Village are creating. The progress they have made is amazing, its is going to be such an incredible place for people to enjoy.

Some back breaking work going on tonight pulling up some turf to make way for a path to enable wheelchair users to have access to the area.

Also lots of brambles and rubbish to clear to make it more user friendly and add a community garden to grow veg.

Really impressed with all they have achieved and we look forward to helping out again very soon!

Great work tonight everyone ⭐️