A gorgeous evening for a Group Run from Peckham to Galleywall Nature Reserve near South Bermondsey. Nelly and I met outside the Old Spike Roastery and were ready to head off just the two of us, but suddenly we were pleasantly surprised that Natalia appeared! New to GoodGym? We asked. Nope, this was her 3rd Good Deed hooray! Yet, it was her first Group Run. It still counts as a Group Run, even though we were in 3.

After a warm up in the green space in front of the Old Spike Roastery, we headed off down the busy Rye and into Surrey Canal Walk, ventured across Old Kent Road before making our way along Abercorn Way towards South Bermondsey station. The run was just over 3 kilometres and took us 22 minutes as we were taking it at a medium pace and although, both Natalia and Nelly said they couldn't talk and run....they were throughout the whole run 😂

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Galleywall Nature Reserve

Emma had cycled in to meet us at the task and had just arrived as we sprinted in! Luigia (the task owner) was kindly waiting for us and she had already been at Galleywall Nature Reserve for an hour as the night slowly descended into darkness. Yet, no fear as Sam had brought some battery powered torches - strong, but not fully charges 🙄

First Task: Laying Woodchip 🪵

Luigia had a few tasks for us to do, but the main ones involved laying down wood chip and raking them evenly across the ground in strategic places in the Nature Reserve. Natalia and Nelly, with their head torches to assist them, were up for the task to shovel wood chip in a wheelbarrow and distribute it where Luigia needed it - near the children's play area, along the path and under the sheltered communal space (to make it look and feel more homely).

Chippy the Woodchipper - Natalia

Second Task: Minty fresh 🌿

Secondly, Luigia had rescued some mint and wanted to plant it near the children's area, but this space needs some tending to before we could plant the fresh mint. Emma had to weed before making four holes to plant the surviving stems of mint! They were given a boost with what Luigia likes to call "stinky water". It's water with neetle that produces an awful odour, but the plants thrive on it! Lastly, Emma put down some wood chip to help stop any weeds to grow near or around the mint.

Busy Bees 🐝

As we were wrapping up for the night, Luigia showed us the bees that were still wide awake at 20:00! Looks like we weren't the only busy bees 🐝 at the Nature Reserve! 😊

We officially finished off with a few group photos too! 😉

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Hope everyone enjoyed their time at Galleywall Nature Reserve tonight! Thank you for laying and raking woodchip, weeding, planting and watering the rescued mint! 🌿 Hope to see you on another Group Run or Community Mission soon!