This group of 9 gifted joy to Camden's older residents this week!

Our lovely group of Londoners – Charlie, Danny, Gosia, Jackie, John, and Steve – welcomed 2 very wonderful Cardiffians – Dylan and Rosie – this week! It was brilliant meeting you both!

In humid and warm climes, our friendly group started the night with a swift meander through Camden and Kentish Town, and we arrived at Cressfield Close Sheltered Housing in happy spirits :)

Popped between Gospel Oak and Kentish Town, this cul-de-sac hides many a wonderful surprise – some like to visit the city farm (and their friendly goats) and others (like us yesterday) like to explore the (beautiful) communal garden for older residents.

We met our favourite hosts – Marie and Michael – and they were prepared with water and tools, as well as tasks aplenty.

Charlie and Danny turned a patch of planting soil – making it wonderfully ready and waiting for summer bulbs!

Dylan and Rosie tackled a square of weeds and grass – and made the heavy work appear light, leaving it clear and ready for planting!

And Gosia, Jackie, John, and Steve didn't let the hedgerows become obstacles – they crawled and knelt and reached and dug – and they turned a weed-filled patch into a silky-smooth area fit for a flower show!

Thank you, everyone! It was lovely to see you!! And we hope to see you again, Dylan and Rosie!!

7 GoodGymers visited Camden's secret community allotments for an impactful (nature-bound) workout!!!

GoodGym teamed up with the lovely folk at EarthFest for this special session.

Earthfest is London's ultimate festival of sustainability, and we spent yesterday making an active difference in one special spot of nature!

Steve, Abigail (on their first good deed – welcome!), and I met at a very wet Earthfest, and we quickly headed out into the rain for a gentle 2 mile run through Camden Town.

Arriving 30 minutes later at Adelaide Community Allotments in Primrose Hill, we met up with the lovely group of Imogen, Majid, Natalia, and Richard, and our brilliant host Jeff directed us to our task for the next hour.

The Adelaide Allotments have been serving the local community for 50 years, and they're a bountiful collection of budding plots, each growing fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Our mission was to empty one of Adelaide's four compost heaps, which month-by-month had been breaking down into healthy fertiliser.

Over the next 60 minutes, our active group turned a task into an efficient human chain – they paired up and rotated between shoveling, wheelbarrowing, and bagging – and all while sharing stories and connecting :)

This group of 7 made easy work of the heap, and they left over 20 bags of compost, all of which will head straight back into the allotments – sustainable recycling in action ☺️

Thank you, everyone, and here's to next time!!

13 inspiring GoodGym folk made a wonderful difference in Kentish Town last night!

Some people can distinguish a grass from a weed and a weed from a flower. I am not one of these people.

But many of these intelligent beings... everyone apart from me... were present in our special group!

Our group in red 👉 Alison, Danny (on their first good deed - hello!), Helen, Imogen, Jackie, John, Majid (on their first good deed - huge welcome!), Sarah, Siobhan, Steve, and Will 👉 arrived in Kentish Town (not far from the Prime Minister's house!) to meet the wonderful Hilda (who was also on their first good deed!!) 👉 and we were there to help her cultivate a healthy hedgerow 🌳💚

I watched in awe as this group identified the 'keeps' from the 'get-rids' while also sharing stories and connecting. The weeds were piled – bag upon bag – and the remaining wild flowers and bushes noticeably started to breathe. And I resorted to taking photos and walking up and down in an attempt to look busy.

Across 60 bright evening minutes this group opened space in the hedgerow – and the fruits of their efforts will carry through into June and beyond – this would have taken a single soul 13 hours to match!

Thank you so much, everyone, for a well-spent evening ☺️

Here's to next time!