We kicked off by moving a variety of tomatoes to clear valuable space for new raised beds. This not only helped tidy up the growing area but also prepared the garden for more ambitious planting.

Over in the glass house, Asad and Kat tackled some essential groundwork — quite literally! They expertly levelled the ground, getting it ready for cucumber pots which we prepared as a group.

After all that heavy lifting (and soil shifting), the team cooled down with a rather unusual activity: snail picking. Not ones to let nature’s snacks go to waste, they fed the collected snails to the ducks, who were absolutely delighted with the surprise treat.

To wrap up the day, the team enjoyed apple picking. The gathered fruit didn’t just go into bags — they also became delicious snacks for the piglets, who gobbled them up with glee.

Wednesday’s session kicked off at the Old Spike in Peckham, where Daryl gave us the introduction to our run. Gallage and Karthik joined us for their first Goodgym session! They chose the perfect one to come to - as we had planned for our monthly social for later that evening. After the warm-up stretches to loosen up those muscles, we headed on our 2.5K run to Thorlands.

Upon arrival at Thorlands, we were greeted by Simon, who provided us with clear instructions for the task ahead. The team then got to work on some essential mulching.

After completing our tasks at Thorlands, we made our way back to Peckham. To round off a fantastic session, we headed to Frank’s in Peckham for a well-deserved drink. It was a great opportunity to chat, and appreciate the great group we have at Southwark.

Thanks to everyone who came along and contributed. Looking forward to our next session next Wednesday!

** A Towering Team Effort with Tom's Run Club 🌱🏃‍♂️**

Yesterday's session was in collaboration with the fantastic Tom’s Run Club, a friendly and inclusive running crew known for combining social miles with a real sense of community - and plenty of post-run socialising! We met up at Bermondsey in high spirits, so after lots of introductions and a whole load of energy we did a warm-up that got the blood pumping.

With the sound system fired up, we hit the streets—winding our way through the hustle of London Bridge and along the Thames to our destination: the new garden by the Tower of London.

This isn't just any garden. It's part of an inspiring project by Grounded Ecotherapy, a community-focused organisation that supports people in recovery or facing mental health challenges by connecting them with nature. They’ve been transforming what was once a sad, neglected space into a lush, thriving green haven—and we were here to help keep that momentum going.

Once we arrived, we split into teams and got to work. Before we could tackle a huge planting task we had a serious challenge: hauling bags of stones up the stairs. A proper workout, with a purpose! Then it was onto getting the greenery into the ground. It was incredible what a difference it made - what was once just concrete planters suddenly came alive with pollinators, herbs, flowers and a whole range of other plants.

And just when we thought we’d earned a rest… we finished with a squat challenge followed by a cheeky core triathlon that had everyone working hard.

With the job done and muscles worked, we wrapped up with a shorter run back to base, took a team photo, and hung out for a well-earned post-run social. Running with Tom and his crew was a real pleasure—here’s to more teamwork, more miles, and more positive impact ahead. 💪🌿

A brilliant start to a sunny Sunday for two Good Gymers by volunteering at Peckham Rye junior park run.

On Wednesday, we ran 6pm to YHA Thameside to help with some weeding. James navigated us there. We arrived in the hot and humid weather, just as a large group of school children were checking in. Emma and Jessie met us there. Amongst the chaos, we found a staff member who showed us where we needed to weed, as well as giving us some large jugs of water.

Once we finished, we headed off back to Peckham. The route back was chosen democratically. I was very tired.

Today was a busy hot one at the Farm! We started by filling up the flower beds and moving dirt from the glasshouse all the way to the back of the estate near the ducks—plenty of shoveling and wheelbarrow action.

With the heat kicking in, we ended up swapping teams to keep things flowing smoothly. Thankfully, Pat came through with a surprise “rain shower” by turning on the water sprinklers in the glasshouse—instant refresh!

To wrap things up, we fed the piglets and the rest of the gang, including Rollo and his pregnant partner. Safe to say, everyone (two-legged and four-legged) had a solid day!