The sun was shining and there was some warmth in the air as five of us joined the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods for their monthly community litter pick.

After a friendly welcome from the group, we split into smaller teams and set off in different directions to hunt down discarded rubbish.

With no fixed route to follow, we wandered the paths and let curiosity lead the way, with swathes of bright yellow daffodils making us feel that perhaps spring has finally arrived.

Thankfully, the paths we walked in the park and woods were pretty tidy, but our litter-picking skills mostly came into play along the road just outside the boundary, which was in need of some TLC.

After an hour of fresh air, gentle wandering, and plenty of nice chat we returned to the starting point with our bags of collected litter, ready for the council to whisk them away.

It was fantastic to welcome Alican and Karina to their very first GoodGym task! We hope you had a great time and we’re looking forward to seeing you at many more sessions!

It’s the first day of the Great British Spring Clean, and there are loads of litter-picking events popping up across Bexley over the next fortnight.

First up was Bexleyheath, where four GoodGymers joined the Love Where You Live community tidy-up co-organised by our friends at Discover Welling.

A large crowd in hi-viz set off on a 2.5km circular route around the roads surrounding the shopping centre. The bright yellow wave of litter pickers was quite a sight for shoppers and motorists!

We were so busy collecting rogue rubbish that we completely forgot to take photos along the way. Luckily we did manage to snap Ashton after he wrestled a stray blue supermarket wheely basket out of some very determined bushes. 🛒🌿

It was a lovely group to be part of, and somewhere along the route we completely lost count of the number of bags we filled between us.

Of course, we’d all much prefer it if people took their rubbish (and dog poo bags and cigarette butts!) home with them in the first place. But thanks to everyone’s efforts, the streets we covered are definitely looking a little tidier today.

It was full-on painting action at our monthly session at Holy Trinity Lamorbey Primary School last night.

On our previous visit we tackled two rather bold feature walls — one bright yellow and one deep claret — swapping the brash colours for something a little warmer. We're still debating whether the shade is technically 'cream' or 'magnolia', but whatever its official name, the school loved the new look so much they asked us back to paint the rest of the walls to replace their stark white.

We got busy with brushes, rollers and trays of paint, working in teams across the two classrooms. Impressively we mostly managed to get it all done within our allotted hour. Caretaker Andy will handle the high bits that were just out of our reach.

A second coat might still be needed, but the transformation is already clear to see.

Keeping a close eye on proceedings throughout was Brecon the school dog, who enthusiastically supervised, posed for photos and treated us to a few tricks. There were also a few musical interludes, with spontaneous renditions of songs from the musicals. (Oliver! and West Side Story proved particularly popular choices 🎵🎶.)

We'll be back again in April, so if you'd like to join the fun, come along! No painting experience required and we might actually settle the debate about the paint colour if we remember to check the label on the tin. Oh and singing is entirely optional.

Six of us set out for tonight's task after a request from a local resident to tackle litter in the area.

With the mist rolling in and visibility low, we were armed with brand new litter pickers, bags, bag holders and hi-viz jackets kindly provided by the Council and got to work.

Starting by Welling's historic cannon, we worked our way along Welling High Street, down into the resident's road, and a few smaller side roads, making sure every stray crisp packet, rogue drinks can and even a lost shoe or two were safely bagged up.

The fog certainly added atmosphere to the evening, and there was a concern we might have not noticed some obvious pieces of rubbish strewn on the floor.

Our fears were allayed however by a message from the resident shortly afterwards thanking us for making such a noticeable difference, leaving the streets looking cleaner and tidier for the community.

Another good evening's work, a bit of exercise, a good chat along the way, and proof that even on the foggiest of nights, a determined group can still make a clear visible difference.

Lesnes Abbey Woods is a hidden gem in Bexley borough - a park with ancient woodland and abbey ruins.

The Park Ranger's work in maintaining the area is supported by the lovely Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods (FOLAW) who meet regularly to help protect and preserve this historical place.

Ashton joined this month's conservation session - first Sunday of each month - led by Marc. This is always a great workout, not least because of the uphill climb into the woods to get started!

Alongside the other FOLAW volunteers, this time it was all about clearing brambles and holly along a pathway near the Pine Pond. Getting rid of these prickly invaders increases biodiversity, giving native growth and wild animals the chance to thrive.

Of course, there's loads to be done in woods of this size, but each month helps makes a difference. We'll be back again in March so why not come and join us then?

FOLAW also have a conservation session every Wednesday, and a monthly litter pick. If you're local and would like to find out more they have a great website.