Eight elves helped out at Level Best this evening, wrapping gifts for the trainees at their Christmas party. Everyone did a fantastic job, and although it looked like a tricky task to start with, as there were a variety of different shapes of gifts to wrap, and specific name tags to match each one, the paper and sellotape was soon flying into action, and beautifully wrapped piles of gifts started appearing. Conversation topics amongst the group this week included: Paris marathon, Cocodona 250, teaching, flamenco, compost, baby names, and Goodgym!

Two heavy bags of litter were gathered up by two Goodgymers in an hour, during a quick pick around the neighbourhood. Highlights included - seeing another local litter picker out busy gathering trash as well, and collecting a hat, tie, and sock, amongst the usual red bull cans, sweet wrappers and drinks cups.

Six goodgymers supported the volunteer team at Colchester junior parkrun, to ensure 78 participants could complete their run in the sunshine. Some really strong performances and excellent sprint finishes were cheered in, with smiles all round. Well done everyone!

Bumblebees a plenty on late summer flowers at Fingringhoe Wick. Two Goodgymers completed a Beewalk for the conservation trust detailing the diversity and abundance of this fascinating and essential wild animal. Late summer is a time when native flowering plants like bugloss are vital in providing food for bumblebees but it’s easy for us to take our eye off the ball and assume nature will provide. The use of herbicide, ‘tidying-up’ and general human activity can easily suppress the flower abundance starving bees and other pollinators. So good to see pockets of wilderness supporting wildlife on the margins of Essex coastline. Hurrah bumblebees!

It is with some relief that two Goodgymers were able to observe wild bees foraging in at least a quarter of a ‘beewalk’ at Fingringhoe Wick NR in Essex. Calamint flowers proving irresistible to this vitality important animal species. You can contribute too through the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s ‘beewalk’ scheme to gather data. Discover, learn and contribute. Wumnage in da undergwoth!