After what felt like approximately 47 straight days of rain (give or take), we were delighted to welcome a very special guest to Saturday’s session in Danson Park… the sun! Honestly, we’re starting to think the sun might be a GoodGymer - it turned up right on time and boosted everyone’s energy levels instantly.

We teamed up with the fantastic Friends of Danson Park for a productive morning tackling overgrown bushes around the park. With bird nesting season just around the corner, it was important to get the cutting back done now, making the area tidier, safer, and ready to flourish in spring, without disturbing any future feathery residents.

Armed with loppers, secateurs and plenty of enthusiasm, we got stuck in. There’s something deeply satisfying about transforming a wild tangle of branches into neat, manageable greenery. And even more satisfying doing it together.

It was one of those sessions that reminds you why community tasks are so brilliant: fresh air, visible impact, good chats, and that smug post-task feeling of 'we did that'.

Huge thanks to everyone who came along and to Friends of Danson Park for having us.

Same again when the sun’s available? 😉

After Susan staying in bed longer this morning and a call from Sarah we eventually all got together at the Welling Library for a good tidy up session.

It had been tipping down with rain but miraculously stopped once we got stuck into weeding, litter picking and sweeping the area to make it look respectable again.

It didn't take long to get the outside looking smart but a lot of rubbish was collected including lots of items on the bingo card! We all felt satisfied at our achievement!

Well done everyone who attended! It just shows how great you are!

Of course our reward was waiting for us in Devi's Corner with the obligatory coffees, hot chocolates and chat. A great way to spend a Sunday morning.

On Sunday, a cheerful crew of GoodGymers headed to a very trashed corner of Blackfen, near the A2 and the Co-op car park, ready to take on… well, far too much rubbish. What followed was part clean-up, part treasure hunt, and part therapy session.

By the end of the mission, we’d collected 12 bags of general rubbish, 3 bags of glass bottles (safely popped into recycling), and—because why not—one sewing machine. Yes. A sewing machine. Sadly, it did not come with instructions or a matching table.

To keep spirits high, we played Litter Picking Bingo, and can proudly say we found everything on the card—and then some. Full house, anyone?

While it’s always a bit heartbreaking to see how careless people can be, every GoodGym session restores our faith in humanity. Because for every fly-tipped sewing machine, there’s a group of volunteers willing to show up, muck in, and make things better—one bag at a time 💛♻️

Blackfen is cleaner, our bingo cards are complete, and humanity is back on the “mostly decent” list. Another good job done! 💪✨