Coming straight from marshaling at Lesnes Abbey junior parkrun we swapped our giant high-five foam hands for gardening gloves to join the monthly conservation session run by Marc from the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods.

With a barrow-ful of loppers and saws we headed across the park and into the woods, picking up some odds and sods of litter as we went. (Just how did a broken mug handle end up there?!?)

If you know this area you'll know the only way is up, and it was a bracing uphill walk to a big patch of holly growing alongside the path.

Marc explained how invasive holly is, and how cutting it back encourages biodiversity as new plants, insects and other wildlife will move in to make the cleared area their home.

Although just five of us today, we got stuck in and you can see the transformation in the photos: Holly gone, and the cuttings piled up a short distance away, ready to be collected by the Park Ranger in due course.

As if to inspect our work, a robin appeared and flitted across the area, giving us the nod to say 'Nice work!' Then a bright green grasshopper came out and played around our feet. Sadly they were too quick for photos, so we humans took a few pics of ourselves and called it a day.

Until next month...

Sunday morning, 8.55am, and there's a buzz at Lesnes Abbey Woods that can only mean one thing... junior parkrun.

We joined the hi-viz team to cheer and marshal the young runners and parents around the three lap course. Some ran, some walked. I'm not sure who enjoyed the high fives more, them or us ✋.

Good fun all round, then we headed to the cafe to meet the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods for their monthly conservation session.

Yesterday morning we joined a community litterpick in Welling, organised by McDonald's in partnership with Discover Welling, the local Salvation Army and Bellegrove Nutrition.

We arrived just in time for a chat and photo with the Mayor, then our own team GG photo - in the background check out our name on the bunting around the gazebo!

Donna from McDonald's asked us to head to the cemetery where litter tends to collect around the perimeter hedges. Joined by Adele from Discover Welling, we picked up rubbish en route, then worked our way around the boundary and paths in the lovely graveyard.

Despite the grey skies, the forecast rain held off and time flew by as we chatted and tidied. It was great to be outdoors with great company, and we got in a great step count too 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️.

With four bags full of rubbish we returned to the marquee where we were rewarded with bags of melon and chocolate cookies.

We said adieu to Adele and headed to The Hilltop Coffee Shop for cappucinos all round to celebrate Rachel's 200th good deed 🥳🎉. Rachel didn't want a fuss, but that's a whole lot of time spent doing good in the local community, so it's a big 'Hip Hip Hooray!' from of us in GG Bexley and GG Greenwich ❤.

Whether you're a seasoned GoodGymer like Rachel, or considering your very first venture with us, we'd love to see you at one of our tasks soon!

What a fun (and busy!) afternoon helping out at the local Summer Festival!

Sarah and Johnny were amazing, keeping an eye on lots and lots of excited kids on one of the inflatables. It was full-on, but they handled it like total stars!

Lisa was a lifesaver at the drinks stall, helping to serve a never-ending queue of thirsty festival-goers. She kept things moving with a big smile and lots of energy!

We’re really proud to have supported such a great community event – and hopefully helped raise some money for the school too. 💪❤️