Tonight's task saw 12 Greenwich GoodGym-ers meet for a de-brambling session at Vanbrugh Pits in Blackheath.

Talk of favourite shops, past and present, got us through our relative journeys, and we were just about to walk on by, when suddenly, and without warning, there was this Partial Eclipse of the Sun! It got slightly dark, and there was this strange humming sound, like something from another world...🎵

OK, so that's actually a line from a Little Shop of Horrors song. Thankfully, the brambles we had to tackle weren't carnivorous like the one from the musical, but were pretty prickly, so we made good use of the tools provided, including loppers, forks, and mattocks, hacking & twirling and digging out roots. After a few trips to pile up the cuttings for collection by the local council, our time was up, and the "after" photo shows what a dent we made in the overgrown area. A total Eclipse of the Bark indeed!

Thanks all & see you soon ☀️🌙

Eleven GoodGym legends headed over to Hervey Road Sports Field Community Garden last night to help break new ground by planting lavender and with the ground baked dry after the recent weather, it wasn't quite as simple as digging a few holes.

We spent the evening getting diggy with it, carefully planting the lavender before giving every new addition a much-needed drink. Because when in drought, watering is every bit as important as planting, and we made sure the new plants had the best possible start in their new home.

A huge congratulations to Aman on joining the TaskForce, its brilliant to have you taking on this new role. And another big congratulations to Mark for completing his 10th Good Deed!

Thanks to everyone who came along for a lovely evening of gardening, teamwork and plenty of puns courtsey of Aman and Ivar.

Until next time you lavly bunch!

Rachel

What better way to spend a summer evening than giving a community garden a little TLC before rewarding ourselves with a well-earned drink?

This week's GoodGym Greenwich group run took us to the lovely community garden at St Alfege's Primary School, where we were greeted by flourishing fruit and veg, plenty of weeds...and lots of plants needing water.

Water we waiting for?

We got to work and before long, the beds were looking neater and less thirsty and as an added bonus, we were encouraged to sample some of the garden's bounty. Sweet grapes, juicy tomatoes and crunchy apples all made their way into appreciative GoodGym hands - proof that all the love and care poured into this space really does pay off. It certainly lived up to our Grape Expectations.

With the task complete and watering cans returned to their homes, we did what any sensible group of GoodGymers would do: we popped next door to Wetherspoons for a post-mission drink. A chance to cool down, catch up and toast another evening of making a difference together.

Until next time!

When our planned task fell through at the last minute, 11 GoodGym Greenwich runners and walkers proved that adaptability is one of our greatest strengths. Rather than call it a night, we grabbed the litter pickers and headed around Charlton for an impromptu community litter pick.

Before setting off, our icebreaker question was: "What's your favourite thing about Greenwich?" Answers ranged from its beautiful parks and riverside walks to the markets, history, community spirit and, of course, GoodGym itself. It was a lovely reminder of why we're all so keen to help keep the borough looking its best.

The evening was also packed with milestones. A huge welcome to Cathy, who completed her very first GoodGym task, hopefully the first of many! Meanwhile, massive congratulations to our Norwegian pun-King Ivar, who celebrated an incredible 300th GoodGym task!

We split up to tackle litter hotspots around Charlton, collecting bags full of cans, bottles, wrappers and plenty of the usual unexpected finds. Every bag filled was another small but visible improvement to the neighbourhood.

A big thank you to everyone who embraced the change of plans with such positivity. Another lovely evening spent amongst the rubbish!

Until next time!

Rachel 😁