In a welcome respite from the intense heat of the last week Good Gym arrived at Woolwich Common for the monthly litter pick. I'm never quite sure if a good litter picks means lots of bags full of rubbish or the slim pickings that renew your faith in humanity a bit more. Today was more of the latter with most of us returning with relatively empty bags after an hour. The returns included the usual array of trash but todays highlights were some monopoly money and the longest tape measure your author has ever seen.

It was a little breezier than it has been during the recent heatwave, but that only made for an even more enjoyable morning at Hornfair junior parkrun.

Five GoodGymers joined the regular volunteer team, taking on a variety of roles including First Timers’ Welcome, Parkwalker, Marshals, Barcode Scanning, Funnel Manager and Number Checker.

This week’s event welcomed 39 juniors, including 2 first timers, while 6 runners celebrated shiny new PBs. Huge congratulations to every junior who took part, and a big thank you to all the fantastic volunteers who made it happen.

If you’ve never volunteered at junior parkrun before, why not give it a go? The roles are straightforward, the atmosphere is brilliant, and you’ll definitely leave with a smile. Come and join us next time!

Our session at the Community Hospice got off to a brilliant start when Ivar arrived bearing a batch of home-baked solskinnsboller – Norwegian “sunshine buns”. They were absolutely delicious and perfectly suited to the sunny weather 😎.

We were also happy to see Mo wearing her red GoodGym tshirt - definitely part of the team now!

Fortified by our sweet treat, we headed with Jas, the Hospice’s Head Gardener, into the woodland area, where our task was to reclaim a patch of ground from the bracken and brambles that had started to creep back since they were last cleared a year ago.

Thankfully, the shady woodland offered some protection from the sun and we took things steady in the heat. This said, all the crouching, bending and pulling certainly provided a good leg workout!

Our trusty yellow gauntlet gloves proved invaluable as we tackled the thorny brambles and provided Ivar with the perfect inspiration for his pun in the title of this report!

After 75 minutes of ground work, three bulging bags of greenery had been consigned to the compost heap and we were super happy with the transformation.

We really enjoy our monthly visits to the Hospice, helping to keep the peaceful gardens looking their best. And a it's always great way to spend a Saturday morning with good company.

Why not join us next time!