Despite the high temperature, Team Bexley was back at All Saints New Eltham Church to lend a hand with more gardening.

Neal, the Church Warden, had asked us to help clear one of their flower borders which had become overgrown with ivy, brambles and other determined plants, hiding the many memorial plaques dedicated to loved ones. The ultimate aim is to restore this Memorial Garden to its peaceful glory.

Johnny and Sarah did a steady 2.5k run to the church in the heat, where Martin joined them. Church Warden Neal handed out tools and we spent about an hour working and chatting.

The last time we tackled this border, the soil was soft and it was easy to dig and pull out the unwanted plants. This time was a different story! After weeks of hot, dry weather, the ground was baked solid making progress much harder and slower. Even so, it was nice to see the difference we'd made.

As always with GoodGym tasks, time passed quickly and it was time to pack up. We posed for a slightly windswept-looking photo, put the tools away and headed home.

There's still plenty to do, so we'll be back on the first Saturday of every month to join the church's regular gardening volunteers. The more hands we have, the more ground we'll cover, so why not come along and get involved? We'd love to see you there!

... and there were certainly plenty of children eager to jump on a bike at Bexley Primary School's summer fair today, where we were supporting Bexley Bike Club's fantastic BMX skills sessions.

Our role was to welcome families, help parents register their children and invite them to make a £1 donation to school funds, and get the excited young riders kitted out with the right-sized helmets and bikes.

Once everyone was ready, we supervised the warm-up area, making sure each child felt confident using their brakes and steering before heading onto the main course.

Then it was over to the coach, who guided the riders around a fun obstacle course featuring ramps and even a see-saw!

There were lots of smiles as the children tackled each new challenge and grew in confidence with every lap. Some came back to do it all again!

It was a brilliant way to spend a couple of hours supporting a local school and community club and helping young people build new skills.

If you're looking for a fun, flexible way to give back in the local community, why not join us at a future GoodGym task?

On Saturday morning, Sarah, John, Ivar, Martin, Frazer and Marianna from GoodGym joined forces with the lovely Sweet Fig community crew, Tracey, Yvonne and Caroline, for a litter-picking session around the Days Lane area.

It was a classic round of litter bingo, with wrappers, bottles, cans and all the usual suspects making an appearance. But this session also had a surprisingly sporty twist, as we found a golf ball, a football and a dog ball. Not a bad haul, especially as Marianna had her children and dog with her, making the balls feel like a very on-brand discovery.

As we worked our way around the area, several local residents stopped to thank us for cleaning up, which is always such a brilliant boost. It is a lovely reminder that even a short session can make the streets look better and help people feel proud of where they live.

Once the bags were filled and the litter bingo cards firmly completed, we headed to Sweet Fig, where Sam, the local café owner, very kindly treated the group to tea and coffee on the house.

Huge thanks to Sam and the Sweet Fig community for supporting the session, and to everyone who came along to help.

Fancy joining the next one? Come along to a GoodGym session. No special skills required, just a bit of enthusiasm, comfortable shoes and a willingness to make the local area a little bit lovelier.

We spent a Friday sunny afternoon helping at Days Lane Primary School's Summer Fête,

Sarah and Johnny took charge of the pizza stall, selling over 200 pepperoni and margarita pizzas generously donated by Papa Johns, with every penny gouing directly into the school's fundraising efforts. A tasty way to support the pupils 🍕🍕🍕.

Meanwhile, Marianna, who is also one of the Parents' Association organisers behind the fête, seemed to be everywhere at once... one minute supervising the inflatables, next collecting up rubbish to keep the site looking its best, and generally stepping in wherever an extra pair of hands was needed.

We were well looked after with drinks from the bar and ice creams to help keep cool.

Thanks to the hard work of the Parents'' Association, volunteers and the wider school community, the fête had a great buzz, bringing together families for an afternoon of fun while raising valuable funds for the school.

We'll be back at the school in August, doing with some shed-painting and playground maintenance across the summer holidays. Why not come and join us!