Whether lured by the promise of our monthly social or simply powered by pure dedication, we had a fantastic turnout for our group session at Raynes Park Station tonight!

After the team gathered ready for action, a trio peeled off to support the Merton Garden Streets team with some nearby weeding. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew split into two squads to tackle the station grounds.

We got plenty done across three main tasks:

• Watering: Kept the embankment hydrated using a smooth relay system of metal trolleys, heavy buckets, and watering cans.

• Pruning: Wielded secateurs to chop back thick brambles poking through the fence and encroaching on the pathway.

• Weeding: Cleared growth along the pavement to help support the local opt-out-of-spraying (chemical-free) initiative.

The visual difference was huge, but the best part was the immediate community feedback. We received non-stop thanks from passers-by, including a mobility scooter user who pointed out where the brambles used to catch on people, and was thrilled to navigate a wide, clear path again.

With the area looking pristine and the tasks ticked off, we wrapped up and headed straight to the pub for our monthly social to celebrate another job complete and a couple of birthdays - well done team!

Tonight, the team got stuck into a double-deep-clean at Merton’s Community Fridge and Morden Baptist Church. A nice change from the recent sessions involving pulling weeds, we split into teams to tackle the jobs:

• The Storage Squad: clearing and cleaning the main storage area turned into a game of two halves. Phase 1: Clear out the cramped space, scrub the floor, and disinfect the fridge, freezer, and shelves. Phase 2: Figure out how to fit it all back in!

• The Kitchen Kings: While the storage squad scrubbed, a smaller team worked their magic in the kitchen, leaving the space absolutely pristine and ready for action.

• The Pet Food Pros: Meanwhile, others made a paws-itive impact by repackaging giant sacks of pet food into smaller, manageable bags.

• The Brave Bin Brigade: Outside, a courageous duo tackled what can only be described as the ultimate boss battle: the food waste bin. Enough said about that!

We mucked up (quite literally!) as fitting everything back into storage took us right into extra time, but we got there in the end. Huge shoutout to everyone, who stuck around for the final stretch!

Welcome to our newest team members, Joanna and Karen - great to have you join us and we hope to see you again soon.

A reminder that next week we will be helping the Friends of Raynes Park station, followed by our monthly social, so sign up here and join us if you can.

With the core volunteer roster running dangerously low, GoodGym Merton stepped in to ensure Morden parkrun could safely go ahead, by boosting their numbers!

It was a gorgeous morning to be out in high-vis. Our pair of GG volunteers chipped in right from the start, helping with the early morning course set-up, taking on parkwalking duties, and doubling up at a key marshal spot to keep the runners cheered on and on course.

Thanks to a great team effort, everything ran like clockwork. A huge well done to the whole Morden parkrun team and everyone who took part! 👟🏃‍♂️🌳

On arrival, Ms S suggested we might be a day early and perhaps even completely different people expected too! But early or not, we weren't going to let that stop us from tackling the overgrown garden.

Armed with a strimmer and mower, we cut back the long grass, kicking up quite the dust storm from the sun-dried clumps as we worked. We raked up every last bit and gave the grapevines a little trim, finishing the full transformation just as the grey clouds rolled in overhead!