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🍀

Last night, 9 GoodGym Greenwichites got stuck into another productive evening of running and doing good.

A special welcome to Aidyn, who joined us for his very first good deed! Welcome Aidyn and we hope it’s the first of many! 🎉 And a huge congratulations to Aman on reaching an amazing 50 good deeds, as well as becoming our newest Taskforce member👏

Our tasks were a mix of indoor and outdoor jobs. In the community garden, we got busy weeding and watering, helping keep the space looking its best. Meanwhile, inside, we continued the slightly more dramatic task of taking down ceiling panels ready for gilding. And bring down the ceiling we did 😁

With everyone working efficiently, we got through it all in just 40 minutes, leaving enough time for a quick group photo before heading out for the run back to Charlton House.

Coming up: This weekend on Saturday we have gardening at Hervey Road and on Sunday we have clearance at windrush primary in Thamesmead.

Next Wednesday we're at the woodland walk by the memorial hospital.

Until next time, you wonderful human beings 👋

Rachel

An intrepid group of runners left Glass Mill a bit earlier than normal for our longest run of the year to Baring Road Allotments which are being converted from rubbish strewn abandoned ground into community allotments. We met Clare and Louise at the task.

We were issued with gloves and wheelbarrows which were skipped down to far end of the site, past sunflowers to collect rubbish, wood and bricks then trundled slowly back with the barrows to split into metals, wood and stone with the rest heading into the skip. We filled around a dozen barrows. It was a lovely task, in a beautiful location with plenty of wildlife (fox cub and loads of parakeets; Lindsay even had time to brush up her archery