A good sized group of us got stuck in at Martin Way Methodist church this evening for our weekly group session.

I’d never seen the garden, so it was a joy to see the oasis out the back of the church.

Abby told us what was what and we divided ourselves into weeding, watering, composting, pruning and moving things! A lot was achieved (including removing a whole bush!) and a lovely evening was had by all.

First up on the agenda: the goody bags. stuffing, prepping, and fixing up the event goody bags with all the extra treats, making sure they were absolutely perfect for the arriving guests.

But the workout didn't stop there. Once the bags were sorted, it was time for some classic GoodGym heavy lifting and shifting boxes to get the site looking shipshape. Followed by more goody bags!

We rewarded ourselves with a yoga class and then indulged in the festival offerings - what s lovely day. Thanks for having us Wellnergy.

With so many Goodgymers signed up for the main task at Raynes Park Station, it made sense for some of us to branch out and do an alternative job at one of Merton's nearby garden streets. So after our run up from the Leather Bottle, Adrian, James, Louise and I jogged from the station to Laurel Road to join Emily tackling the kerbside weeds. The residents have decided they'd rather keep the street free of weedkiller chemicals and do things the natural way, so we donned our gloves and got stuck in. Luckily the rain held off but we were still treated to a lovely rainbow. Our efforts certainly made a difference and after an hour we were able to uproot ourselves and head off to our pub social feeling satisfaction at a job well done. It was great to welcome James to his first Merton session and to see Louise again.

With a big number of sign-ups expected, it was the perfect opportunity to help both the Friends of Raynes Park and arrange an additional job at one of the Merton Garden Streets nearby. After the runners arrived, a breakaway group headed off to tackle the weeding job up the road and get some extra steps in, while the rest of the team checked in for duties at the station embankment.

We split into teams to tackle pruning, litter picking, and turning the compost, making fantastic progress across the board.

Meanwhile, the watering team faced a hilarious logistical puzzle due to a missing hose (apparently removed by workmen!). Instead, they improvised with a brilliantly inefficient bucket brigade: filling watering cans, emptying them into trug buckets on trolleys, and then pouring them back into watering cans at the embankment.

Despite the extra steps, everyone adapted brilliantly. The pruners, litter pickers, and compost-turners crushed their tasks, and the watering team managed to get some momentum going and plenty of watering completed. Well done, team!