It was a beautiful sunny morning as 9 members of GoodGym Richmond gathered at the premises of the Richmond Furniture Scheme for our monthly task with them.

First order of the day was to award Suze with her sash for reaching 50 good deeds which she has achieved in impressive time. We look forward to Suze hitting her next bit milestone in a black GG t-shirt!

Simon gave us three tasks to be getting on with. One group initially set about washing the RFS van, clambering up ladders with soapy sponges and rinsing down with the hosepipe.

Meanwhile a few others got underway with breaking up some divan beds which had been donated but were not of good enough quality. This was tougher than it seemed at first, as the bed frames were tightly bound with tough spongey insulation and fabric covers, but we started to make progress with hammers, saws and crowbars and were soon joined by the van washing team which made us an unstoppable force agains the beds. We had a lot of fun rummaging around in the impressively well-stocked workshop to find ever more effective tools for the job.

The sun was very warm and we were having quite a workout. There was one other task to do which was to move a bunch of old bed slats into the wood store. This was done quickly via a short human chain and soon we were tidying up the tools and stacking the broken up bed parts. We had truly managed bed, (van) bath and beyond…

We took a quick group photo in front of the freshly washed van and headed on our way for the rest of the lovely sunny Saturday. Next time we will be at RFS is in June - sign up here! https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/richmond-big-green-week-helping-richmond-furniture-scheme-to-support-others

Back to the Ham Lands this morning on a cool but dry day. Sharon of the Friends of Ham Lands was there to meet us as usual, and led us amongst the trees into an area where our help was needed.

The task was to cut down young cherry trees, which had been springing up from the roots all around a larger parent tree. We needed to use loppers and handsaws to cut them down as close to the base as possible to avoid leaving stumps for walkers to trip over.

This was a lot of fun as the trees were immature enough to make cutting them down quite easy, and the group got stuck in and made huge progress very quickly alongside the FOHL members.

There were a number of big canvas bags dotted around and these were filled repeatedly with all the saplings and emptied in the undergrowth, the growing pile standing testament to the efforts everyone was making.

As usual, after the group photo we headed over to the Swiss Bakery for coffee and treats. Our next time on the Ham Lands will be on 10th June - sign up now to come along here: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/richmond-big-green-week-helping-the-happy-ham-landers

There's a bank holiday sort out, and then there is a Bank Holiday Big Help Out!

With the weather awarding us a Royal Pardon, we enjoyed a fabulous task at our two sponsored riverside plots in Richmond-upon-Thames, at Buccleuch Gardens. Pre-task a group took a run together, doing laps around the area at a variety of paces. On the last lap, the group met with the gents and ladies-in-waiting back at the Arcade area where our crown jewels/tools are stored.

After an introduction by the town crier/Liz, the reigning Queen of the Arcade, Task owner Anita appeared to deliver task information to the waiting masses. Amongst them, six wonderful visiting royals who were joining for the first time as part of the Big Help Out event: Amy, Ricky, Athina, Boon, Linda and David.

Royal duties included:

• A massive weed attack focusing on getting rid of Common Hog Weed and Dandelions in the Plot and clearing weeds from around the River Steps, lamppost and Apartment wall.

• A princely sum of weeds filled the trugs and were bagged up for the Richmond Landscape Contractors.

• Green waste was collected on the trampoline and moved to the compost heap, where it is next in line to become useful soil in the future!

• Weeding Teams transformed the Canarian Palm planters, the hard standing (paths, brickwork, paving), the rockery and the lawn.

• Kate brought new terracotta crocs for the Three Pigeons insect hotel for a room upgrade fit for a princess!

• The Arcade had a bit of a Coronation makeover with Union Jacks and a hastily painted ‘Big Help Out’ sign repurposed from a Street Party road closure, as well as a clean sweep inside in case the reign came later!

• Black markers were used, not on pages, but to cleverly camouflage graffiti in the area.

The task was completed with a Royal Banquet/picnic on the Arcade Lawn, with homebaked scones by James, homemade king of dips (hummus) and a variety of snacks from Salwa and countless other contributions to the feast.

With 24 people working for an hour and a half, that's a truly Happy & Glorious 36 hours of volunteering completed in one social, active and fun afternoon.

Gilded carriages/bikes/feet sent Happy GoodGymmers home victorious!

We weren't able to complete the willow weaving task but we will be back at the gardens on Monday 12th June and everyone is welcome to join us: https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/gardening-at-goodgym-sponsored-riverside-three-pigeons-plot-and-monthly-social-drinks