7 Goodgymers turned up to help the friends of Sutcliffe Park with an absolute Everest of a task: tearing up Himalayan balsam(not to be mistaken for celery). And there was no need to go to base camp to find it. We have all we need here at sea level.

We pulled up the balsam and separated the flowers from the stems to stop it going to seed and spreading even further. It was a real uphill battle, but we were determined to stem the tide before the balsam reached new heights.

No Sherpas or oxygen needed, just a red shirt, some gloves, and the Goodgymers usual peak performance. A mountain of balsam tackled, on stem at a time.

Another hot evening was upon us as we arrived at Welling Library where weeds and brambles had certainly taken hold despite the heatwave!

We soon got stuck in - Sophie collected litter while the rest of us tackled the plants and prickly brambles that had crept across the pathway alongside the building and the yard at the back.

Some of the weeds stuck to us - Alice actually had green fingers!

Well done to Sophie on her 10th good deed!

The time flew by and we bundled up the sacks of cuttings, put away the tools and headed to the Nags Head for a drink and some snacks.

Well done all! The before and after pics show what a difference we made!

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