Another lovely autumn evening found us back at St Botolph’s Church Garden with our hosts, Val and Rik, who had a rather prickly job lined up for us.

The mission? Some serious pruning of the Laurel bushes along the perimeter of the church wall. They’d clearly been enjoying their freedom and were beginning to take over!

With El in charge of the photographic evidence, Barbara, John, Roxy and Ricky got stuck into the cutting, while I took on the glamorous role of wheelbarrow shuttle driver, ferrying load after load of leafy casualties over to the compost heap.

And finally, after what seems like a good few years of GoodGym intervention, we’re beginning to feel that we might actually be gaining control of this beautiful — but wonderfully wild — garden!

Slowly but surely, we’re getting it into shape… one bush at a time. Although judging by the amount of Laurel we removed tonight, the garden may have other ideas!

Another lovely autumn evening, great teamwork and plenty of fresh air.

Today we headed back to the allotment at the Turning Tides hostel, where our mission was to tackle the weeds and give the area a much-needed strim.

A huge thank you to John and Belinda, who kindly brought along their battery-operated power tools. This meant we could crack straight on without having to bother any of the residents to find somewhere to plug in!

It was particularly lovely to see Barry back for his second GoodGym task, proudly sporting his brand-new GoodGym red T-shirt! ❤️ And it was equally great to welcome Anne and El back too — it’s always brilliant to see familiar faces returning.

There was plenty of hard work happening across the allotment. John got stuck into some serious strimming, transforming the overgrown areas, while Anne and Belinda got busy re-digging the potato trenches ready for the next stage of growing.

Meanwhile, Barry, El and I concentrated on clearing the weeds and generally getting the beds back under control. El was particularly talented at finding a selection of children's toys ( possibly stolen by the playful foxes who live in the allotment )

There was a great team effort all round, and by the time we packed up, the whole area looked so much better for our visit. Another job well done by the GoodGym crew! 💪🌱❤️

When we arrived at the beach we were greeted by Jade ( the organiser ) with a big hug and a really warm welcome. Our first job was to unpack all the boxes of medals and get them ready for the finishers.

We were very fortunate that a family who were also taking part in the Family Mile later that day had arrived early to help with this task. With so many hands on deck we were ready in no time to greet every finisher with a medal and well- deserved cheer as they crossed the finish line. The most memorable ones were those running in tandem as a sausage dog or a dinosaur. Although visibly exhausted all runners thanked us and some even performed celebratory dances . It was great fun being there to welcome everyone and be part of such a positive atmosphere.

It was a beautiful warm July evening, the sort that reminds you why volunteering outdoors is such a joy. With sunshine, plenty of laughter and a garden that had well and truly embraced the "rewilding" trend, we returned to St Botolph's Church Garden to help bring some order back to the wilderness.

A huge welcome back to Mel and Paul, who have both been living life at full speed recently between work, a cycling tour and campervan adventures. It was brilliant to have you both back where you belong—in the middle of a bramble patch!

Joining our wonderful hosts Val and Rik were John, Belinda, El, Ricky and Julia (me), all ready to ' leaf no branch unturned' 

Massive thanks to John and Belinda, who arrived  complete with a battery-powered hedge cutter, a handy little step, secateurs and other bits and pieces too. 

There wasn't much standing around—we all got stuck in straight away, taking on thick ivy, towering brambles and enough unruly foliage to keep a small army busy. Nature had definitely taken root!

Paul claimed the west side of the garden, battling both the overgrowth and a rather enthusiastic wind that clearly hadn't read the forecast. Meanwhile, I took on the glamorous role of chief wheelbarrow chauffeur with multiple trips to the compost heap as greenery flew in from every direction.

Once Paul's section was under control, he joined John and Ricky, who were busy uncovering the hidden area behind the old air raid shelter. With every thorny branch removed, more of the forgotten space emerged from its leafy disguise.

Nearby, Belinda, Mel and El were making fantastic progress clearing thick ivy and stubborn brambles from the church wall. Refusing to stop there, they ventured beyond the wall into the tranquil church garden itself, where they continued their assault on the undergrowth. Safe to say the weeds were firmly on the back foot by then.

Slowly but surely, the mountain of cuttings grew, the compost heap became ever fuller, and the garden started looking less Jurassic Park and more Secret Garden.

By the end of the evening there was a huge sense of satisfaction. Hidden paths started to reappear, walls could be seen again, and another treasured community space had enjoyed a proper GoodGym makeover.

A gorgeous summer evening, fantastic teamwork, plenty of banter, and proof once again that when GoodGym gets to the root of a problem, there's no stopping us.

** GoodGym Sets Sail! 🏴‍☠️🎨**

What a glorious way to spend a summer's evening! With the sun shining and barely a cloud in the sky, it was an absolute delight to be outdoors helping transform a school's pirate ship into a striking masterpiece of black, red and white.

This evening's crew consisted of Barbara, Belinda, Gill, El, Paul, John and myself, and we soon had brushes in hand and paint flying in every direction.

It was especially lovely to welcome Paul back after his camper van adventures in Priscilla. We enjoyed hearing snippets of his travels before putting him straight to work!

As always, my wonderfully loyal regular team brought plenty of enthusiasm, hard work and, naturally, the usual GoodGym banter, which kept everyone smiling throughout the task.

The painting progressed at an impressive pace, although there was one clear winner in tonight's unofficial competition... the award for wearing the most paint goes to Belinda!

By the end of the session, the pirate ship had been given a fantastic fresh new look and was ready for many more imaginative adventures from the children.

A huge thank you to Barbara, Belinda, Gill, El, Paul and John for another enjoyable evening of teamwork, laughter and community spirit. Tasks like these remind us just how rewarding it is to spend a sunny evening doing something that makes such a visible difference.

Until the next adventure... anchors away! ⚓🏴‍☠️