It was GoodGym Richmond's monthly signature task: heading to our sponsored riverside plot to look after the grounds. We started with a warm-up stretch in Richmond town centre before setting off to the task, celebrating our progress so far in the January challenge. From there, some jogged, some walked and some cycled down the high street and along the riverside to our tool lock-up where we split into two groups: those getting straight into the task and those joining in a 15 minute fitness session. This involved squats, press-ups, standing ab crunches, lunges and some shadow boxing, all carried out by the light of headtorches and the music from Lucy's phone! The actual doing good bit was lively and energetic with a thorough sweeping of the arcade area, hefty turnover of the compost, litter picking, weeding and saving a willow support that had toppled over. The task finished with an annual tradition: making the year number ourselves. Previous versions have been hilariously illegible but it turns out headtorches make much better pens than bodies! Ken and Lucy even had an extra go at the GoodGym logo too! One final stop for the night: a nice sit down and a chat at the lovely White Cross, just along the riverside. All-round a lovely GoodGym evening that had it all - exercise, volunteering, socialising and feel good!

On a cold and fresh day on the Ham Lands, the GoodGym team joined Sharon and the rest of the Friends of Ham Lands to tackle an overgrown patch of brambles. John, Pippa, Monika, Kate, Chris, Adam, Suze, Rosie, Alex and JP were armed with loppers, gloves and plenty of enthusiasm as we chopped back and uprooted the brambles to reduce competition and open up space for violets and snowdrops to thrive.

The task involved cutting through dense, thorny growth and digging out roots to help prevent regrowth. Working steadily as a team, we cleared the area and left it ready for spring flowers to emerge. By the end of the session, the site looked noticeably more open and light-filled, giving native plants a much better chance to establish and spread.

We finished up with a well-earned cup of tea with the Friends of Ham Lands group, before making our way to the Swiss Bakery for drinks and snacks — a perfect end to a thorny but rewarding mission.

Next time will be on Valentines Day - sign up here: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/helping-the-happy-ham-landers-8ee7fa0c-756b-4d38-9748-7b6b725f7d2e