On a lovely late summer evening what could be better that an evening wandering around Blythe Hill and Perry Vale helping assess the local flora. Tonight's task was to help Street Trees for Living, a group that has been planting, checking and maintaining trees in Lewisham and generally making the borough look lovelier for a good while.

We were met by the amazing Eva, Leonie and David from the Street trees team and after a brief intro it was down to work. The task was simple: we had to assess trees planted in the last three years to check things such as leaf and trunk health, the state of the ground and that the trees' supports were still adequate, The hardest thing was dealing with how slow the local phone signal was for loading up our assessments. The task came with the bonus of the three Good Gymers getting to explore some pretty local streets that we otherwise wouldn't ever have come across.

And the second bonus reflected the generosity of our hosts: once we were done we were all treated to a drink and snacks in the nearby Blythe Hill Tavern, a well deserved result after a delightful evening.

8 Greenwich Goodgym-ers met in Woolwich on a warm breezy Tuesday for a painting task at Pugin Hall, in need of a nice refresh to improve its appearance as host to several community groups using the hall on a regular basis.

It's a large hall, with several areas needing our attention, so we soon got to work dividing tasks up and down the room. Some of us joined the Ladder day Saints, cleaning & then glossing the window frames, with the more down to earth team painting the skirting boards - definitely not skirting the issue...!

There were doors & walls needing a splash of colour, cue long-handled contraptions and care to ensure an even layer was applied.

When the 10 minutes to task end was announced, we were at a gloss for words, as time had whizzed by to a mellow soundtrack from a local radio station.

Great progress made, with possibly another task here soon to continue this project. Thanks all & welcome Euan to GoodGym! ⭐️"

Tonight's task was a welcome return to Florence Green to help at this lovely restored open space, We were met by Subo and a random passing volunteer and got down to work raking up leaves and grass and picking up sticks. What we lacked in tools we more than made up for in enthusiasm and soon the respective stick and leaf piles had grown to impressive heights. After a hour the place was looking significantly tidier and it was time to run off into the sunset.

A sunny Saturday morning saw seven of us gather in the canteen at the Community Hospice, where we were joined by with Jason, the Head Gardener.

Ivar had arrived first, with a batch of his legendary home-baked Norwegian solskinnsboller (‘sunshine buns’). We normally save the sweet treats until after the hard work, but these pastries were too tempting to wait, so we tucked into them there and then!

Suitably fuelled, we headed out into the gardens, where Jason asked us to clear a patch of ground near the children’s playground. Straw-like Foxtail Barley had taken over, some weeds too, and leaves had piled up from the overhead trees. For the next relaxed hour or so, we pulled up the straw and weeds by hand to avoid disturbing the soil too much, and raked up leaves. Hopefully - when we get some proper rain - the grass can grow back and blend in with the rest of the lawn.

This was one of those lovely GoodGym sessions where the task was almost secondary to the setting: sunshine overhead, a friendly robin coming to see what was going on, plenty of chatting and a chance to enjoy being outdoors together while doing some useful work.

And, as always, the time flew by. While a couple of people headed home, the rest of us and Jason landed back in the canteen, for lunch or another bun and a cuppa.

We’ll be back again next month, and if you spot Ivar on the sign-up list, consider his sweet treats an extra incentive to come along!

Just when you think it’s always the community that benefits from the time you give, I’ve realised that’s only half the story. Most of the time, I find that community tasks give me a real sense of purpose. I could easily have stayed in bed and slept until late, but knowing I’d signed up to help at Junior Eltham Junior parkrun gave me that little extra reason to get up and get going. And sometimes, that’s all the motivation you need! This morning, three fabulous GoodGymers joined the regular volunteers at Junior Eltham Junior parkrun. I only decided and signed up last night, so now I can proudly say: task completed! ✅ Purpose: ✅ Running to the venue as my personal training for the Big Half: ✅ Early morning sunshine — a natural dose of feel-good energy ✅ A lovely walk home surrounded by nature: ✅ And the parkrun and GoodGym credits? Well, those are just the bonus points! Know what I mean? 😉 I also really enjoyed trying a new role for the first time as Finish Token. Simon was one of the timekeepers, while Ivar was out marshalling. It was great to be part of the team and experience another side of parkrun volunteering. So, that’s my little reflection on this morning. It reminded me that sometimes when we give our time, we get something back too — a sense of purpose, some exercise, fresh air, good company and that warm feeling of knowing you’ve helped.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to join us one weekend. I really enjoyed it, and I’m pretty sure you will too! My only piece of advice? Don’t overthink it. Just give it a go. Everyone is welcoming, and you’ll soon find your own way to contribute. Who knows, you might even find that your weekend is looking a little parka-ly positive! 😄

Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your day.

Till next time — keep moving, keep helping, and keep spreading the GoodGym vibes! 💚 ~ Cecilia D🍀