We enjoy supporting all kinds of organisations, but it’s always a little extra special when we have a personal connection.

Yesterday was one of those times, helping out the lovely team at Days Lane Primary School Parents' Association - including our very own GoodGymer and TaskForcer, Marianna - at their Christmas Fair, raising vital funds for the school.

Before the doors opened we were on popcorn duty 🍿, filling bag after bag until they pretty-much covered the whole table. Then it was onto card-folding for the crafting corner.

Once parents and children started arriving, the place came alive with a wonderful festive buzz. Frazer, Robert and Marianna took charge of the bar. Bubbles and beers for the grown-ups. Cans of pop for the little ones.

Meanwhile Johnny and I were busy at the pre-loved toys, books and fancy-dress stall, where eager kids spent their pocket money and parents snapped up some brilliant Christmas gifts 🎁 .

As the event wound down, we couldn’t resist a fun photo in some “Donutters” masks 🐘🍩, a silly, fitting end to a lovely task.

We have lots more festive tasks in the run up to Christmas 🎅🎄, and it's the perfect time to help make a difference in our local community.

Today, Ashton, Robert and I represented GoodGym to assist the Friends of Danson Park with their tree planting effort.

We focused on preparing the ground, adding essential manure, and carefully planting young trees to boost the park's green canopy and biodiversity.

It was a rewarding morning spent collaborating with the community, and we found genuine joy in knowing our efforts directly support the environmental health of Danson Park.

The task required focused, detailed work, ensuring each sapling was properly secured and set up for strong growth. Despite the cool weather, our team was highly productive, successfully establishing all the assigned trees.

To top off a great day, the Friends of Danson Park offered warm drinks and cookies, adding a lovely final touch of community spirit.

We are thrilled to have played a part in this vital green initiative and look forward to the long-term positive impact our work will have on the local ecosystem and for future park visitors.

At our monthly sessions at the Community Hospice the head gardener, Jason, always has lots for us to do.

Today we were clearing brambles and nettles from a corner of the garden that had gone feral.

Sturdy gloves are always useful for tasks like this, but Jason's supply of yellow leather gauntlets were a gamechanger! The prickly and stinging plants didn't stand a chance!

It was a big patch, but we got about half done: check out the before and after photos above! The rest will have to wait until next month.

Just as it was time to finish there were a few spots of rain in the air, so we quickly put the tools - and gauntlet gloves - away and some of us headed to the Hospice canteen for a tasty lunch and lots more varied conversation.

I wonder if I should ask for a pair of those gloves on my Christmas list!

A pocketful of crocuses, and a mission with meaning — that’s how GoodGym Bexley spent the morning at the Old English Garden in Danson Park.

Armed with trowels, teamwork, and a lot of enthusiasm, we joined forces to plant around 2,000 purple crocus bulbs, kindly donated by the local Rotary Club.

But these weren’t just any bulbs — each one carries a message. The purple crocus is the symbol of Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign, chosen because of the purple dye used to mark the little finger of a child who’s received the polio vaccine during mass immunisation. That little purple pinkie shows they’ve been protected — a small mark with a powerful meaning. 💜

So, in spring Danson Park will be dotted with thousands of tiny reminders of hope, health, and community spirit.

We left with muddy hands, full hearts, and the satisfying thought that every bloom will tell a story of kindness and care — just the GoodGym way. 🌱💪

On a bright Saturday morning, 6 brave GoodGymers descended upon Danson Park, armed with gloves, loppers, and a healthy dose of enthusiasm. Our mission? To join forces with the Friends of Danson Park and take on the park’s most prickly residents – the brambles.

Now, these weren’t your average, polite little plants. Oh no. These brambles had clearly been training for battle – all spikes and attitude, stretching far and wide like they owned the place. But with teamwork, determination, and the occasional “ouch!” or “I think it’s got me again!”, we managed to clear quite a sizeable patch.

The cleared area will soon make way for new bushes and trees, giving that part of the park a well-deserved facelift (and perhaps a less pointy future).

A big thanks to the Friends of Danson Park for hosting us – and to our fearless team for proving once again that even the spikiest challenges can be overcome with a bit of teamwork and a lot of good humour! 🌳💪

On Saturday, our GoodGym team rolled up their sleeves and joined Jason – the wonderful gardener at Community Hospice – for a mission that was all about soil, sweat, and smiles.

The job? Clear out the flower beds in the Sensory Garden, sieve all the soil, and then put it back in. Sounds straightforward? Well, it was a proper workout! Buckets were filled, sieves were shaken, and the odd stone or stubborn root put up a fight.

By the end, the beds were ready for a fresh start. Jason and his gardening team can now plant a whole array of new, beautiful plants to brighten up the garden. It’s more than just flowers – it’s colour, life, and cheer for the hospice patients and their families who enjoy that space every day.

We left a little muddier, a lot sweatier, but very proud. Sometimes the best way to spread joy is to get your hands dirty.