Felicidade and I joined a large team to help Friends of the Earth with their annual tree planting. We whipped, mulched, planted and weeded! We planted 6 different types of trees. It was a joy to see the trees that were planted last year, doing so well and the trees that were planted 5 years ago now very established.

Our debut at the Lantern Arts Centre was also our first session on a Sunday evening. Despite the timing, not too many of us got stage fright and six Goodgymers turned up on cue. The event was the 'Get in' where the company starts to transform the church into a theatre space for their upcoming production of Be My Baby, a play about unmarried mothers set in the 1960s.

Tasks included moving flats and props and hanging cloths and everything else needed before the following day's set build. Along with other volunteers, including members of the cast, we whizzed through the jobs so fast, we were able to do some improvisation and give the rehearsal room a thorough GoodGym clean as well. Hopefully we will be back for an encore!

We joined the volunteer crew at Morden Parkrun this morning to take on the most prestigious roles in the pack as Park Walker and Tail Walker.

It’s a noble task - ensuring that no matter how much the hills (or the sludge) try to slow people down, nobody finishes last alone. There’s a certain artistry to navigating a 5k course when it’s 50% mud; it’s also a little bit slow and slippery requiring tactical balancing.

Still, we got the steps in, cheered on the runners, and successfully avoided any major face-plants. The park is beautiful in the muddy sunshine, the volunteers are legends, and we gained another credit for our efforts and had a nice walk and opportunity to get to know each other a little better 😀.

Tonight, we took on a fresh challenge at a new location: Morden Park Baptist Church. We dived straight into the kitchen, emptying cupboards and scrubbing every inch. Our efficiency was so high that we even had time to tackle both halls, clearing away the cobwebs and giving every surface a thorough clean.

Seeing three spaces completely transformed in under an hour is incredibly rewarding - especially since we were down a few regulars and a small group.

A huge well done to the team and a massive welcome to Zahrah on her very first session. We hope to see you back for another mission very soon.