We're bringing GoodGym back!

Our first Community Mission since lockdown and we were raring to get going! Margaret and Michael at Hollybush Gardens are thrilled to have us back - they have done a wonderful job of staying on top of things in our absence, but needless to say, a group of enthusiastic Good Gym-ers were a treat on a Saturday afternoon!

Of course, we approached this mission a little apprehensively, understanding it could be difficult to follow the guidelines. However, this wonderful group set a superb example - using personal gloves and staying distanced from each other. We must also say a huge thank you to Margaret and Michael for keeping safety in mind at all times. They have been rattling through the disinfectant spray to prepare tools and made sure we were able to complete the task safely. Sensibly, they also left their wonderful (and very friendly) dog, Basil, at home. We were a little disappointed!

The task started with a much needed catch up, it was so exciting to see some new friendly faces after all this time! We were then set to work clearing a bed of weeds. Being careful to question which were plants and which were actually weeds! Sam beautifully modelled the knee pads on offer - we were well looked after. We were thrilled to see Laura pay us a (somewhat emotional) visit too, seeing us back to it and hard at work. You have been missed, Laura!

After an hour, weeds cleared, we moved around the corner to empty some big planters ready for the local residents to refill. This is our favourite type of challenge - 'just clear everything'! So we did exactly that, digging and pulling, no longer needing to check whether any plants were precious. A shout out to Eimear for managing to get the biggest plant up from very dry soil!

With 10 minutes to go, we checked out our handy work, put the tools away and had a quick distanced photo. Then time for a distanced take-away pint in the park (we'll get back to running home soon!).

Thank you so much to Margaret, Michael and Laura for enabling us to get back to Community Missions. And to everyone who came - it's amazing to see this will work and it was so lovely to see you all again!