With a big number of sign-ups expected, it was the perfect opportunity to help both the Friends of Raynes Park and arrange an additional job at one of the Merton Garden Streets nearby. After the runners arrived, a breakaway group headed off to tackle the weeding job up the road and get some extra steps in, while the rest of the team checked in for duties at the station embankment.

We split into teams to tackle pruning, litter picking, and turning the compost, making fantastic progress across the board.

Meanwhile, the watering team faced a hilarious logistical puzzle due to a missing hose (apparently removed by workmen!). Instead, they improvised with a brilliantly inefficient bucket brigade: filling watering cans, emptying them into trug buckets on trolleys, and then pouring them back into watering cans at the embankment.

Despite the extra steps, everyone adapted brilliantly. The pruners, litter pickers, and compost-turners crushed their tasks, and the watering team managed to get some momentum going and plenty of watering completed. Well done, team!

What a night! A proud contingent of Merton GoodGymmers swapped their running shoes for their smartest trousers and skirts or dresses suitable for wearing under - whilst keeping their iconic red t-shirts front and centre, of course - to attend the glitzy Merton Civic Pride Awards.

As the awards ceremony continued post food, the suspense was building. When the Volunteer Team of the Year category came and went without our name being called, we collectively thought, "Ah well, we tried our best!" and prepared to just enjoy the rest of the evening cheering on other local heroes.

But Merton Connected had a brilliant surprise in store for us. As the the Health & Wellbeing Team of the Year category was announced... and GoodGym Merton scooped the Bronze Award!

We were absolutely over the moon. The award was presented to us by the Mayor of Merton, capping off an unforgettable evening. It is a fantastic recognition of all the miles run, the social visits made, and the community projects tackled to help boost the physical and mental wellbeing of residents across the borough.

Hopefully many more of the Merton residents have now heard of GoodGym in Merton which will only help us continue moving and thriving across the borough.

A massive congratulations to every single GoodGym volunteer - this award belongs to all of you. Keep shining, keep doing good, and let’s keep promoting wellbeing across Merton!

Ahead of the glitz and glamour of the Civic Pride Awards a few of the team donned their finest t-shirt to fly the flag (or new banner in this case) on our stand at the Merton Connected Volunteer Fair.

The room was buzzing, and we spent the hour chatting with local residents, sharing our favorite stories of shifting, sorting, and planting across the borough, and explaining how our unique mix of exercise and community action works. We met some potential new members as well as organisations looking for support - so a really worthwhile session.

A massive thank you to everyone who came along to man the stand, share their passion, and represent the group so brilliantly. The future of GoodGym Merton is looking bright!

Despite a bit of a blustery, windy evening, the team headed back to Longthornton to put the finishing touches on our hoarding masterpiece. When we arrived, the lovely Sarah had already made a head start by outlining some of the images giving us the perfect template to get stuck in.

It was all hands on deck to paint the white of the eyes first, ensuring they had enough time to dry so we could get that vital second coat on. Between the laughs and the gusty weather, we managed to create some beautifully furry edges before finally adding the whiskers here and there. This truly was one of the most rewarding tasks we’ve been asked to tackle. Combining community spirit with a bit of creative flair was a total joy, and the end result is quite something to behold. Longthornton is looking a lot more purr-fect tonight and the team have gained some new skills.

This afternoon, we completed our first session supporting the Friends of Longthornton to transform a stretch of hoarding. Faced with a completely blank canvas and a vibrant stash of donated paints - leftover from a nearby mural, we were excited to tackle our first official design contribution in the borough.

With a little prep from our more creative team members, we were quickly chalking up the design and getting stuck in with rollers and brushes. The real challenge was deciding which shades to apply to each panel and mixing and matching our supplies to ensure every inch was covered. It was a fantastic afternoon of teamwork, creativity, and community brightening and we are looking forward to returning to finish it off.

Following a call out for extra hands, it was fantastic to have four members of the team and a Councillor rally together to tackle the church hall after the night shelter. We made quick work of clearing away the chairs and other items. Once the heavy lifting was done, we ventured into the kitchen area for a photoshoot to capture the team behind-the-scenes. A huge thank you for helping out at such an early hour!