Having cleared the planters in town for summer bedding last month, they were now needing a little TLC to keep them going until Autumn. We deadheaded, weeded and de-littered while putting the world to rights. Top litter find was a Tursday night beverage for Frazer and Ray was glad this task involved a little less Spidermanesque maneuvers than the last one in town...

The answer in our case is 4 black sacks' worth.

We took a very pleasant stroll along the river Colne, removing the litter we spot to make the route more pleasant for humans and wildlife alike.

Along the way we spotted a woodpecker, heron, water rats, swans and several other less noteworthy species, all while having a good natter and enjoying our local environment.

4 GoodGymers swept and mopped the large FoodBank floor, scrubbed a dirty table and cleaned up an office area....all while keeping out of the way of a Brownie Pack who had come for a tour and to help out with moving stock.

In very little time we left the building looking and smelling much better than when we entered!

In support of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, 7 goodgymers carried out a Beewalk; gathering data on bumblebee populations in Colchester’s Castle Park. Welcoming new members, Sarah and Alexandra, Helen briefed everyone on the purpose of the project and about bee identification. A perfect hot summer evening in the park, we set off from the bandstand on the 2km transect walk. Bronwyn recorded the sightings we all made identifying various species, their caste and population. All Goodgymers chatted about what they were observing whether bee species or plant or flower type; we all learnt new information about common things around us. Stu uploaded the data gathered onto the beewalk database to add much needed support for this wonderful, much needed animal that is becoming increasingly uncommon in our changing world. Anyone can get involved in this citizen science project by following the link https://beewalk.org.uk

7 of us hit the streets and parks of Colchester to remove as much litter as we could. Great to see Ella again, and sorry Vanessa we didn't find you a suitable souvenir!

3 GoodGymers swept, mopped and vaccumed the FoodBank floor.

Great to meet Sarah, who straight away got stuck in sweeping the warehouse and vacuuming the office area, making it a nicer environment for the staff and volunteers to come into tomorrow.

We'll be back at the FoodBank again at the start of July, next week is a litter pick in town.

6 GoodGymers met 4 Colchester in Bloomers on a sunny Tuesday evening to prepare the planters along the high street for their summer bedding.

The task seemed simple to start with... primulas and pansy in a bag for replanting elsewhere, curry plants retained in planters, pretty greeny pink plant to be dug up but kept, weeds and dead ivy dug out and chucked....between us I think we understood most of the instructions, and then it turned out Haithm had gardening expertise which he put to good use!

The real challenge of the evening was removing the dead ivy from the top layer without damaging the planters or the special fabric in the bottom which distributed the water....with hefty roots in rock hard soil Ray, Haithm and Jack got their workouts completed for the evening!

Looking forward to seeing the plants that go in tomorrow next time I'm in town.

4 GoodGymers headed to Old Heath Rec this morning to soak up the sun and support 114 Junior Park Runners. The youngsters showed impressive dedication to running in the heat, with the first finisher taking just over 7 minutes to complete the 2k run. Great to see you all Vanessa, Frazer and Rowan, and the youngsters really appreciated your encouragement.

p.s. what do you think of Gemini's ability to write a run title with a pun?!