What a night! A proud contingent of Merton GoodGymmers swapped their running shoes for their smartest trousers and skirts or dresses suitable for wearing under - whilst keeping their iconic red t-shirts front and centre, of course - to attend the glitzy Merton Civic Pride Awards.

As the awards ceremony continued post food, the suspense was building. When the Volunteer Team of the Year category came and went without our name being called, we collectively thought, "Ah well, we tried our best!" and prepared to just enjoy the rest of the evening cheering on other local heroes.

But Merton Connected had a brilliant surprise in store for us. As the the Health & Wellbeing Team of the Year category was announced... and GoodGym Merton scooped the Bronze Award!

We were absolutely over the moon. The award was presented to us by the Mayor of Merton, capping off an unforgettable evening. It is a fantastic recognition of all the miles run, the social visits made, and the community projects tackled to help boost the physical and mental wellbeing of residents across the borough.

Hopefully many more of the Merton residents have now heard of GoodGym in Merton which will only help us continue moving and thriving across the borough.

A massive congratulations to every single GoodGym volunteer - this award belongs to all of you. Keep shining, keep doing good, and let’s keep promoting wellbeing across Merton!

Ahead of the glitz and glamour of the Civic Pride Awards a few of the team donned their finest t-shirt to fly the flag (or new banner in this case) on our stand at the Merton Connected Volunteer Fair.

The room was buzzing, and we spent the hour chatting with local residents, sharing our favorite stories of shifting, sorting, and planting across the borough, and explaining how our unique mix of exercise and community action works. We met some potential new members as well as organisations looking for support - so a really worthwhile session.

A massive thank you to everyone who came along to man the stand, share their passion, and represent the group so brilliantly. The future of GoodGym Merton is looking bright!

Rain was forecast for our group session at Beverley Park but luckily the deluge held off until just after we'd finished. The roses are looking blooming gorgeous at the moment but the beds needed some GoodGym muscle to help dig out the prickly thistles and clear the weeds that seem to spread like triffids. The team got stuck in and did an amazing job with no thorn-related injuries this time. It was great to welcome Catherine to her first session with us and to celebrate Ben reaching his 10th task. Go Ben 10, it's hero time!

It takes hardly any time to save someone's life - all you need to do is get yourself to a blood donation centre and give a pint of your blood. It takes about twenty minutes, it doesn't hurt, and it makes a huge difference to people when they're at their most vulnerable. Not only does donating blood make you feel good in yourself, you are also rewarded with a cool cordial or cup of tea, and a bag of crisps or chocolate biscuit, (or two).

It's amazing what you can find when you look! Over the weekend some of the team got busy litter picking and despite the heat kept their cool and disposed of small bits and butts (nitrous oxide canister included!) - saving items fro entering our waterways. Some recyclables were also sorted into the recycling bin. Well done team - hot work!