Despite a bit of a blustery, windy evening, the team headed back to Longthornton to put the finishing touches on our hoarding masterpiece. When we arrived, the lovely Sarah had already made a head start by outlining some of the images giving us the perfect template to get stuck in.

It was all hands on deck to paint the white of the eyes first, ensuring they had enough time to dry so we could get that vital second coat on. Between the laughs and the gusty weather, we managed to create some beautifully furry edges before finally adding the whiskers here and there. This truly was one of the most rewarding tasks we’ve been asked to tackle. Combining community spirit with a bit of creative flair was a total joy, and the end result is quite something to behold. Longthornton is looking a lot more purr-fect tonight and the team have gained some new skills.

This afternoon, we completed our first session supporting the Friends of Longthornton to transform a stretch of hoarding. Faced with a completely blank canvas and a vibrant stash of donated paints - leftover from a nearby mural, we were excited to tackle our first official design contribution in the borough.

With a little prep from our more creative team members, we were quickly chalking up the design and getting stuck in with rollers and brushes. The real challenge was deciding which shades to apply to each panel and mixing and matching our supplies to ensure every inch was covered. It was a fantastic afternoon of teamwork, creativity, and community brightening and we are looking forward to returning to finish it off.

On this GoodGym mission, I headed over to help Mrs C reclaim her once-beautiful garden from a rapidly advancing army of bamboo shoots. I worked through the beds, carefully weeding and digging out the stubborn shoots that had woven themselves around everything. By the end, Mrs C could see her flowers properly for the first time in months and she was delighted.