Our fab four joined the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods this morning for their monthly conservation session.

We joined the regular volunteers on the hike up to the Heath, taking turns to push two wheelbarrows full of tools. It’s nearly 1km mostly all uphill, so we certainly earned our keep before the work had even begun!

At the top, Paul explained that the plan was to cut back anything that wasn’t heather, ultimately giving the heather a chance to reclaim the area.

Piles of bracken, brambles, holly, oak saplings and honeysuckle soon made their way into the wheelbarrows, ready for the composting areas. There was plenty of cutting, clearing and hauling to keep everyone busy.

Once our patch was looking considerably more heather-friendly, it was time to collect up the tools and head back down to the Chestnuts Kiosk for some drinks.

Another great morning of teamwork, conservation and GoodGym fun!

Another brilliant sunny Sunday saw us back at Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun! ☀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Johnny was on marshalling duty at ‘The Well’, bringing the GoodGym energy with a big stack of cheers, encouragement and, of course, those giant red foam hands! 🙌🖐️

Sarah was on barcode-scanning duty, helping make sure all 64 finishers got their times and positions recorded. 64 runners, 64 barcodes, and not a single finish line left uncelebrated! 🎉

With the GoodGym duties done, it was a short stroll over to Chestnuts for a well-earned coffee, a good natter and the obligatory post-parkrun debrief. ☕️

Another lovely morning of cheering, helping and getting active in the community — just the way we like our Sundays! 💪❤️

This morning we were back at the wonderful Maryon Park Community Garden, and what a lovely morning for it. The sun was shining, the garden was looking fantastic and we weren't looking too shabby either (maybe a little shabbier after the task to be fair 🫠)

There was plenty to get stuck into. Kam and Aman took on the heavy job of shifting compost, while the rest of us split between giving the front gate a fresh coat of varnish, painting two fences, weeding and picking our affectionately termed 'runaway beans' - how apt! They will be enjoyed with Arthur's dinner provided they don't escape before then.

With the garden spruced up, it was time for some much appreciated refreshment, generously put on by our brilliant hosts, Tim and Edna.

Thank you everyone- until next time!

Rachel

Holy Trinity Lamorbey Church has lovely grounds that are enjoyed by parishioners and public alike.

Last summer we made a couple of visits and cleared most of a very overgrown flower border - pulling up a weed membrane and removing unwanted plants and brambles. The area has now been planted out by the parishioners and it looks really great 🌱.

This evening we were back to finish off the final patch that we'd run out of time to tackle last year.

Some of us met early for a lovely walk around nearby Lamorbey Park, getting some extra steps in while catching up, while others headed straight to the church.

It didn't take long for everyone to get stuck in. Working together, we collected litter, wrestled up the last stretch of stubborn weed membrane and cleared away the remaining weeds, finally bringing the project to a satisfying conclusion.

But we weren't quite finished. The church had also asked if we could pop across the road to their hall, where bushes had started poking through the railings and out onto the pavement. Fifteen minutes with shears and loppers and we soon had everything looking neat and tidy. Much better to have the pavement back to full width!

With the cuttings and weeds added to the church's compost heap and their tools packed away, our reward arrived in the form of refreshing ice lollies – definitely appreciated on a warm summer evening 🍦🍦🍦.

Just as we were about to head our separate ways, someone suggested a quick drink at the micro-pub opposite. It was an unexpected but very welcome way to round off another productive evening of doing good together.