On a spooky crisp Halloween morning 5 brave GoodGymers headed to Canbury Gardens and the GoodGym flowerbed, The leaves were out in force hiding the the flowerbed so Levita and Cinthia sewpt them away from the font of the bed and bagged them up whilst Ellie tackled the leaves that had tangled themselves in the plants. Leaves cleared Julie joined us to plant the bulbs whilst Claire pruned and restaked the some of the plants.

Nice soft soil from the rain and many hands made it light work and we were finished in no time with the flowerbed blooming with later colour in the sunshine.

Rachel, Emily and Ellie took on marshalling duties at Runfest Richmond, armed with hi-vis vests, big smiles and the very important mission of guiding runners to the top path through Canbury Gardens.

With runners coming in fast, the trio enthusiastically pointed, waved and shouted directions like seasoned professionals. Between dodging speedy runners, keeping everyone on the right track and making sure nobody accidentally wandered off for a scenic detour, the three of them brought plenty of energy and laughs to the morning. Dave joined in at the end to keep morale high.

Who knew telling people that they are 'looking strong' and to 'go for it' could be such an entertaining job?

It was a fantastic evening supporting the brilliant parent volunteers at St John’s C of E School, where we took on two impactful tasks to help improve their outdoor spaces.

The 9 GoodGymers split into two teams: one group tackled the extensive bindweed that had taken over the fence alongside the Forest School allotment. Working among their residents - two Pygmy goats, rabbits and chickens - we made great progress clearing the fence so people can now look in and parents can now focus their time growing things in the allotment for the children to see and learn about.

Meanwhile, the second group got busy painting one side of a large shed with a holly green base coat - the first step in an exciting transformation, as another parent volunteer will soon be working with the children to create a mural on the shed that will really brighten up the end of the playground.

Both tasks were hugely satisfying, and we hope our efforts will make a real difference for the school community. To top it all off, we enjoyed a final hello to the animals on our way out - always a highlight!

This morning Ellie and myself arrived at the war memorial to tidy up the little flower squares around the trees, also clean up the weeds all around the memorial inbetween the paving slabs to make this memorial look it's best. We were joined by Yvonne Tracy and James Giles, Councillors to make this happen. Once we all got stuck in, we soon make a big difference. A fitting tribute.