11 Goodgymers attended Earlsdon Primary School to finish painting the gate and railings outside the school. We started this task whilst coats were still needed, so we were long overdue a visit to finish the job off.

We started by giving the railings a good wipe as they were very dusty, and then got to work painting. With lots of catching up to do amongst the group the time flew by, and there was even time for the expert painters to tidy up some of the patches we missed last time.

Excellent work everyone, the school looks ready for another academic year!

On Tuesday evening, Jackie, Lil, James and I went to Keresley Orchard to link up with Sharon and Steve. Our objective was to water as many of the 63 trees as we could, clear brambles and rubbish. Jackie started with some litter picking with Sharon before moving her focus onto bramble clearing. Steve led the bramble clearing with the strimmer with Jackie, Lil and James assisting. I was on watering duty, 90 seconds per tree with an 80 m hose which had a few connections to keep an eye on! We were lucky to have Bruno the dog make a guest appearance and bring a smile to all! We made sure not to disturb the hedgehog water stations. 2 young Keresley lads came to warn me about scorching the grass with the water, bless them! We are looking forward to further visits to see how they're getting on.

It was a beautiful morning with sunshine from start to finish, but sadly it was also the most shocking clean-up we've seen since helping Leam Trash Trash Friends with their community litter picks.

What greeted us was nothing short of a sea of litter. In places, rubbish was piled deep, making it clear that this area has been neglected for far too long. It was heartbreaking to see, but rather than be put off, our fantastic team got stuck in and started turning the tide.

A huge thank you to the management team from Sainsbury's for rolling up their sleeves and joining in, to the amazing runners from GoodGym Warwick & Leamington Spa for lending their energy, and the regular litter-picking heroes of Leam Trash Friends, who do an amazing job week in week out.

Thanks also to Sainsbury's for providing much-appreciated refreshments during & afterwards.

By the end of the session, we'd made a real dent in the mess.

Mission stats:

🗑️ 32 sacks of litter collected 🚛 A huge amount of fly-tipped waste removed, including two computers, a sandwich maker, a walking stick and plenty of other discarded rubbish ☣️ 4 used needles safely recovered 🔪 4 knives removed from the site

While there's still plenty of work ahead, every bag collected makes a difference to the local environment and helps make this space safer for everyone who uses it.

A massive thank you to everyone who gave up their time to help. Together, we're proving that many hands really do make light work—even when faced with a mountain of litter. Until next time! 💚🏃‍♀️🧤

We had a lovely time at the Food Union Allotment. Welcome Joey who came to her first session.

Last night, we picked blackberries for the Pod Cafe’s upcoming supper club and cleared an area that had become a little overgrown in preparation for the planting of a fig tree. We also explored the site and enjoyed the beautiful summer’s evening.