This morning’s session with the Friends of Danson Park saw us working in the fledgling community orchard. Last year, we helped plant eight apple trees, which have done remarkably well to survive the drought over the last few months. 🍎🍏

Today, we cut back brambles that were cheekily creeping towards the saplings, then we got stuck into a big pile of wood chippings. The aim was to spread a wide ring around the base of each tree, helping keep the mowers at a safe distance when the orchard's grass is cut.

The five of us, along with the lovely regular FODP volunteers, soon fell into a good system: shovelling chippings into barrows, ferrying them to the trees and raking them into an even layer. It was very satisfying to see the fruits of our labour once we’d finished.

After packing away the tools, we headed to The Stables, where the manager kindly provided tea and coffee and the FODP team supplied the biscuits. A nice way to finish the morning!

It was brilliant to have Beth, Maxine and Dann for their first GoodGym tasks. We hope to see you again soon! 🙌

We’ll be back again next month, probably planting bulbs in the wildflower garden. Then there will be more tree planting to look forward to in November. We're excited to help the orchard grow! 🌳🌳

Yee-haw! 🤠

With a batch of Hospice Hoedown leaflets left over from our flyering in Bexley a couple of weeks ago, we headed out into the residential streets around Sidcup High Street to deliver the remainder.

It didn’t take long to get to the bottom of the pile, and hopefully our efforts will help drum up a few more bookings for the Hoedown! 🤠

Sunday morning in Avery Hill Park, and three GoodGymers arrived bright and early to help the Demelza Hospice team get ready for their first Rainbow Run.

Our job was to set up five colour stations, where later in the day other volunteers would be throwing clouds of coloured powder at the 400 runners and walkers taking part.

Each station needed a funnel of flags and bunting, so we got busy with hammers and sturdy stakes, battling against the baked-hard soil to get the flag poles firmly in place.

Walking between stations took us on a lap of the park with plenty of steps, and it was great to see each colourful setup take shape, flags flapping in the gentle breeze.

Just as we finished, the party music started and runners began arriving for what promised to be a fun event, raising much-needed funds to support Demelza’s children’s hospice services.