What did you do last night?

We spent a lovely hour in nature, building bug hotels for Holy Trinity Lamorbey Primary School.

Seven of us headed to the school, where a stack of pallets and bricks was waiting to be transformed into new habitats for insects and other tiny residents.

Working in two teams, each took on a hotel of their own. We started with an upturned pallet and filled it with leaves, twigs, fallen branches gathered from around the grounds, plus a haul of pine cones we’d collected and brought along. Once each layer was packed, we set bricks at the corners to act as spacers and repeated the process. By the end we'd created the bug equivalent of two multi‑storey skyscrapers!

Afterwards we enjoyed a slice of battenburg cake (I know, when was the last time you had battenburg!) which rounded off the session very nicely!

It was a really peaceful, enjoyable task: gentle activity, plenty of fresh air, and lots of good chat. And best of all, the new habitats will support the school’s eco learning curriculum, giving pupils a chance to explore and understand the wildlife right on their doorstep.

Next week it's something completely different when we visit Parkview Care Home where they always have something lined up to keep us busy, with their lovely residents lending a hand. Sign up here.

Things weren't looking promising for tonight's task as a dramatic thunderstorm — complete with forked lightning and torrential rain ⛈️ — rolled in just as we gathered at Danson Watersports Centre.

The plan was to take to the water for The Big Paddle Clean Up, litter-picking from kayaks and rowing boats 🛶 🚣‍♂️ to reach rubbish lurking along the banks that can't be accessed from the shore.

Along with volunteers from The Friends of Danson Park, a local Scout pack and Meridian Canoe Club, we huddled in the watersports reception, watching the skies and hoping the weather would ease. Not the best start for Jay's first ever GoodGym session.

Thankfully, though, the storm passed and we got the all clear to get going!

After a safety briefing, our water-based volunteers got kitted out in waterproofs and buoyancy aids before launching onto the lake. Meanwhile, two of us GoodGymers opted to stay on dry land, preferring a more traditional litter-picking approach and clocking up an impressive step count with a full lap of the lake.

The weather must have sensed that we were lending Mother Nature a hand. Before long, the storm clouds had disappeared, replaced by blue skies and glorious warm evening sunshine.

There was plenty of chatting and teamwork throughout the evening and, encouragingly, not a huge amount of litter to collect. Always a positive sign!

The time flew by and, once the boats were back on shore, everyone gathered for a well-earned hot drink and biscuits before heading home.

GoodGym tasks are always varied, but this one felt particularly special. How often do you get to go litter-picking by boat? We had a fantastic evening and can't wait to get involved again next year!

It was a brisk and blustery one in Danson Park on Saturday, but that didn’t stop the team from getting stuck in. Robert and I were especially pleased to welcome two new GoodGym Bexley members, Zara and Ian, to their very first task — and what a great one to start with!

As part of our ongoing collaboration with the brilliant Friends of Danson Park, we rolled up our sleeves to help make our beloved park even more beautiful (and biodiverse!), as we got involved in planting around 300 plugs of Yellow Rattle in the rock garden.

If you haven’t come across Yellow Rattle before, it’s a bit of a quiet hero. By drawing nutrients from dominant grasses, it helps create space for wildflowers to thrive, boosting biodiversity and providing a valuable nectar source for pollinators. A small plant with a big impact!

The ground, however, had other ideas… with no rain recently, the soil had turned impressively stubborn. So much so that Ian, in a heroic first-task effort, managed to break a trowel while trying to get those plugs in the ground 💪🌱. (Don’t worry — we’ve got photographic evidence.) Safe to say, he passed his GoodGym initiation with flying colours!

Despite the chilly wind, spirits were high, tools (mostly) survived, and it was fantastic to see new faces getting involved from the get-go.

Huge thanks to everyone who came along, and a big welcome again to Zara and Ian. Hope this is the first of many tasks with us!