Three of our local GoodGym team headed to Deen City Farm today to help them set up their weekend farm fête — sensibly avoiding public transport on a record-b(re)aking hot day!

The main focus was preparing the site for games, activities and stalls. Thankfully there was plenty of shade and water available! First up was erecting five gazebos (including a small repair job to one of them), which all went up remarkably smoothly thanks to past experience from one of the GoodGym crew who’d done this very task (and gazebo repair) at the farm before.

Setting up tables and chairs followed, but with a shortfall of tables we had to get creative. Some old wooden cable reels lurking around the back of the farm were promoted to the position of children’s tables. Gloves on to avoid splinters, and then the three of us tipped the cable reels onto their sides and rolled them all the way across the farm under the watchful eyes of its residents.

The farm is now well set up and ready for tomorrow's activities, and we’re very pleased to report that no pigs or other animals were harmed in the process!

It was scorching outside, but the team pedalled and walked into the cool sanctuary of the Full Cycle workshop where we were greeted by the usual tasks that were perfectly geared to keep us moving. We wasted no time dividing and conquering them all!

While one group didn't let the pressure get to them and tackled the massive backlog of inner tubes, another shifted focus to the workbenches, labelling tools and ensuring everything was in its rightful place. Simultaneously, the cardboard and tyres for recycling was collected and bagged up.

By multitasking our way to victory, we really pumped up the productivity and left the workshop looking spoke-tacular.

Tonight’s team of volunteers arrived at The Wandle River Community Garden (formerly the Paul Bowness Memorial Garden) after a truly scorching day! Fortunately, the evening air had cooled down just in time, providing the perfect conditions to get stuck into some serious community action.

We were excited to hear about the future plans to grow native plants here specifically for natural dyeing, adding a brilliant, sustainable, and creative twist to this local green space.

To smash through the to-do list, we split into two teams to tackle both the garden itself and a spot a short distance up the river:

Team 1: Armed with secateurs, set to work clearing a thick patch of stubborn brambles, prepping the site for the native dyeing plants.

Team 2: Focused their energy on the main community garden area: weeding, sweeping, tidying up, and clearing litter to get the oasis looking pristine again after a very busy weekend of visitors.

An amazing transformation - well done everyone!

This mission had been booked in our schedule since January, and with glorious sunshine and blue skies, it was totally worth the wait! Four of our team members were on hand to warmly welcome everyone and direct those taking part over to the main dance space. Once everyone arrived, we joined in the dancing, which was so much fun! During the break we made sure to hand out water and keep people involved. It was a brilliant event to be a part of and certainly made a welcome change from the usual tasks we help with at this time of year. There's a few dancers hiding amidst us too it seems😉!

Three of the team rolled up their sleeves to transform a community table for future summer hoopla fundraisers. Accurate measuring and careful masking tape application were absolutely key to setting up clean, crisp lines before any color could be added.

Once the layout was locked in, we needed a steady hand to carefully paint the vibrant striped design. The time and care was worth it - looking incredible, the table is now ready for its final top coat before it helps raise funds for the community. Well done creatives 👏!

A good sized group of us got stuck in at Martin Way Methodist church this evening for our weekly group session.

I’d never seen the garden, so it was a joy to see the oasis out the back of the church.

Abby told us what was what and we divided ourselves into weeding, watering, composting, pruning and moving things! A lot was achieved (including removing a whole bush!) and a lovely evening was had by all.