It was a bright evening along the Greenway as the GoodGym crew headed out to the orchard for a session that turned out to be equal parts gardening, community engagement, and bramble‑based acrobatics.

The orchard team had set us loose on a particularly tangled patch, and the brambles did not intend to go quietly. There were vines looping through branches, weaving into fences, and generally behaving like they’d signed a long‑term tenancy agreement. But the group got stuck in with enthusiasm — and only occasionally got stuck on the brambles. We also had a steady stream of curious passers‑by stopping to ask what we were up to. Several people showed real interest in the Orchard as well as GoodGym and idea of combining fitness with community action. If even a couple of them sign up, that orchard might have more helping hands very soon.

A special shout‑out goes to our visiting GoodGymer, Catherine from Cambridge — it was brilliant having you with us, and we’d love to welcome you back any time you’re in town.

Meanwhile, Adam took on one bramble root system with the determination of someone reenacting an epic battle scene. At one point it wasn't clear whether the root or the gardening fork was going to give way first. But victory was eventually claimed, and the root was defeated with honour.

By the end of the session, the orchard was looking clearer, the brambles were significantly less smug, and the team left with that satisfying post‑task glow that only comes from doing good together. Nice sunset too.

Thanks to Adam for this week's run report title...as he smashed the fifth wooden chair onto the path this evening at the INUF's Mental Health Community Garden, he commented that this was definitely one of our most physical tasks in ages - a proper GoodGym workout.

On our first visit to INUF, our welcoming host Pat outlined the tasks she wanted us to complete this evening - the first being to empty a greenhouse packed full of wooden chairs, that could then be broken up into pieces and thrown into the corner of the garden - and so as Hilary and Bea played a game of life size Jenga to get the tightly packed chairs out, Graham, Adam and Nick lined up along the pathway and formed a chair destruction chain gang - there really is nothing more satisfying than smashing things up when you've been given the green light to go right ahead - apologies to the neighbours who's quiet Tuesday evening was rudely shattered by the sound of multiple chair legs hitting concrete. Once we'd worked out the technique to break apart each chair, we raced through the queue in what felt like no time.

Onto next task - moving some furniture item out of the communal kitchen, and then task 3, which was removing a stack of sticks and branches from the garden and disposing of them on top of the wooden remains of the chairs. Adam commandeered a nearby shopping trolley, which proved ideal for shifting the broken branches and twigs, and before long we had the whole area cleared...ready for our return visit on 5th May.

It was welcome sunshine that greeted us in Maryland this morning as we made a return visit to see Sue and her planters (of the "inanimate wooden" kind, not of "tea"...).

She had already forewarned us that today's task was painting (something we're always up for, especially when it's bright and sunny outside), and was clearly well prepared as her shopping trolley was overflowing with items that a modern day Michaelangelo would have been proud of.

After a quick round of weeding to tidy up some of the planters that we hadn't tended to during our last couple of visits, the paint trays, brushes, gloves and tins of white primer appeared, and once Graham had carefully done the pouring, Rosa, Hilary, Eugene and Nick positioned themselves along the wooden sides to get started, and as with all good painters, chatted contentedly as we worked. Helpfully Sue had marked with a cross (confusingly...) the blocks that she wanted painting - forfeits would apply to anyone who strayed outside of the lines.

As if by magic, we were soon joined by Kevin and Sharon, making a very welcome return to tasking, and it took Sue all of two seconds to put a paint brush in Kev's hand and tell him to start work...

After a good ninety minutes of careful brushing and much concentration, we soon had the three large planters primed with different sized white blocks (Piet Mondrian would've been proud of our efforts). Sue's intention is to then apply a range of different colours onto the primer which will then give the planters a more unconventional "artistic look"...a return visit surely beckons for us all to complete the masterpiece...