Tonight's task for 4 goodgym-ers started with a quick change of venue, from St Lukes Church to St Richard's, both regular task locations in Charlton. A slightly wild, grey sky looked down on us as we jogged down towards our destination discussing our proudest moments.

Our woodchip pathway is still looking good! A little bit of weeding was still needed, but the membrane & woodchip is doing a great job of repressing the growth.

The grey skies turned darker so we headed into the Church for a whole new world of tasks in the hall including cleaning up some dusty chairs and a good old hot floor mop. The tasks just seemed call for a bit of a disney singalong, so whistling a happy working song, the time warped away for us to step in time into the unknown.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious work everyone!

Nothing discourages me more than the amount of work I see ahead of me. Every day walking down Westwood Lane, near the A2, I thought: this area really needs a good litter picking session. The rubbish piling up, the brambles and spiky plants making the path hard to walk – it all felt overwhelming. Too much to take on alone.

And that’s when GoodGym support became indispensable. Just one hour together – and look at the difference! Street cleaned, brambles cut back, litter picked (with some unusual findings like a broken guitar, a flag post (?) and even a huge throw!).

Several locals stopped to thank us as we worked, which made it even more rewarding. But the best part for me will be Monday morning: walking this road with my kids on our way to school and sharing the excitement of how much good can be done when a bunch of committed people come together.

Thank you, my amazing fellow GoodGym-ers! John Sarah Rachel

Last night six of us met to do some good in the darkening and slightly damp September evening. And that's what GoodGym is all about - we spread a little joy and the autumn and winter months are a great time to stick with it - as the evenings get darker it makes a difference to meet up with friends and get active each week! This evening we had task to move lots of wood from the middle of the playground to the edges to allow children space to play. It was almost smooth sailing with some dramatic screams from us city folk about the gigantic spiders we unearthed.
We harvested some grapes and some radishes (thank you St Alfege's! I'm going to enjoy nice salad for lunch).

Special welcome to Carolin on her first GoodGym good deed - it's great to have you in the group and we hope to see much more of you!

We parted ways as the rain got heavier, me spotting the 386 and losing any street cred I thought I had running down the road with two giant and alarmingly bulbous radishes. And I didn't make the bus either so ended up running all the way home looking like I'd robbed a community garden.

On Saturday we're back at Hervey Road for some gardening and next Wednesday we're at St Luke's.

Until next time!

Rachel 👋🏻

London's community half marathon went red this year! 🔥

A huge congratulations to the oodles of GoodGym folk who caught well-earned happy mornings under a hot-hot-hot late summer sun ☺️

It was the biggest joy seeing you all!

Please send me your photos (!) and I will pop them up here (alexmurtough@goodgym.org) ❤️

A bright morning saw us back at St Alfege’s Primary School for some much-needed weeding to help keep the veg beds free from weeds and clear more space for planting.

We were delighted to welcome Philip and Vinita to their very first GoodGym good deeds – a fantastic start to their journey with us. They both got stuck in straight away, bringing plenty of energy and enthusiasm to the task!

Special mention goes to Arthur, who we appointed Chief Worm Hunter. He threw himself into the role with gusto, uncovering worm after worm and providing some very dedicated worm-related entertainment while the weeding continued.

Vinita not only pulled up weeds but also took the lead on capturing the session, snapping photos and putting together a brilliant Instagram video to share our efforts. A great way to kick things off on her GoodGym journey!

With weeds tackled, worms relocated, and smiles all around, it was another great GoodGym session of teamwork, community, and a warm welcome for new friends.

Until next time!

Rachel