We had a brilliant morning at St Richard’s, so absorbed in the tasks at hand that we ended up spending an extra hour finishing our jobs.

A big welcome to Bianca, who joined us for her first GoodGym session – and what a start! She tackled the ivy in the back garden with great enthusiasm, leaving it looking much neater and tidier, just look at the before and after pics. 💪

Meanwhile, Cat and Arthur got stuck into some serious weeding, helping clear the garden of weeds and lopping off the growth round the bottom of the trees. Over at the front door, Ivar and Vic took on the job of sanding it down, prepping it for a much-needed refresh. Once smooth, Vic and I gave it a fresh coat of varnish, with some very important assistance from Arthur – a true team effort!

By the end of the session, the garden was looking clean, weed-free, and litter-free, and the front door had been transformed.

A morning well spent, made even better by a well-earned cup of tea to wrap things up (thank you Rick!) Thanks everyone for your energy and teamwork – see you at the next one!

Next wednesday we've got gardening at Hervey Road . Next Saturday we're back at Mycenae Gardens to help with more weeding.

Until next time 😊

Rachel

This session was a lovely excuse to engage in some nice peaceful gardening.

As a typical city dweller, it can be easy to overlook simple yet impactful acts of garden preservation such as weeding or socialising with people from diverse aspects of life. This mission offered the perfect excuse to do both by gifting us a loving and vibrant atmosphere where people could momentarily escape their hectic routines and dwell upon the peacefulness of reconnection with nature and other humans.

In the end, all we are, are creations of nature meant to connect while helping each other grow like a tall and magnificent sunflower.

On Wednesday evening we gathered at Charlton House, in an unusually negative spin for us at GoodGym - sharing our pet peeves. This evening we were joined by Sunaima and Lisa for their first group runs with us! WE ran to Prince Philip Maritime Collection Centre where Khursheed had a load of tasks for us, including weeding, watering, propping up a giant sunflower, giving the bug hotel a makeover and throwing some rubbish out. Jobs complete some of us ran and some of us walked back to base for a stretch.

Great work everyone!

On Saturday we have gardening at St Richard's and next Wednesday we're back for a Charlton House start to help with the garden at Hervey Road.

Until next time!

8 Greenwich GoodGymers made their way to St Alfege Primary School Community Garden in Greenwich this evening.

Our task was simple: clearing as many weeds as possible... Our main target was the raised beds, which since our last visit have been planted with crops including beetroot and some impressively large radishes. The makings of some great salad there! So keeping the weeds from taking over in these areas is key.

We also made a start on clearing a larger area of overgrowth which required a bit more digging and getting to the root of the matter. We were very impressed by the gardens grapevines, beautifully draping over a pergola area, the perfect spot for a group photo.

(Mean)time got away with us, and it was time for a quick water for the plants and a little post-session social for us, where conversation was slightly overwhelmed by the bells of St Alfege Chuch. Weeding bells indeed.

Welcome back to Olga for her second group run with us!

Next week we're back at the Prince Philip Maritime Museum - see you then!

A lovely Tuesday evening saw Rachel, Sarah, and Cecilia meeting in Woolwich for a short but cheerful run up to Glyndon Community Centre. Once there, we were greeted by Andy, who had a couple of satisfying tasks lined up for us. Armed with brushes, gloves, and plenty of enthusiasm, we got stuck into sweeping the car park and tackling the weeds in the garden area. Between chatting and catching up, we managed to fill four bags full of weeds and debris in just 30 minutes, leaving the space looking much tidier and more welcoming. With the job done and a quick team photo snapped, we said goodbye to Andy and set off on our run back down to Woolwich, a great end to a productive evening.

Coming up: This Saturday, we’re heading to Hervey Road for a gardening session. Next Wedensday, we’re back at St Alfege’s School for some more weeding.

Until next time!

Rachel

Arthur keeps saying we need to bring our litter picks down to the path to Hornfair Park near our home and today I took him up on it and we spent an hour clearing the pathway and tackling a particularly grim corner of rubbish which needs a second go. A lovely lady gave him some sweets for his efforts which made it all even more worthwhile!