Things weren't looking promising for tonight's task as a dramatic thunderstorm — complete with forked lightning and torrential rain ⛈️ — rolled in just as we gathered at Danson Watersports Centre.

The plan was to take to the water for The Big Paddle Clean Up, litter-picking from kayaks and rowing boats 🛶 🚣‍♂️ to reach rubbish lurking along the banks that can't be accessed from the shore.

Along with volunteers from The Friends of Danson Park, a local Scout pack and Meridian Canoe Club, we huddled in the watersports reception, watching the skies and hoping the weather would ease. Not the best start for Jay's first ever GoodGym session.

Thankfully, though, the storm passed and we got the all clear to get going!

After a safety briefing, our water-based volunteers got kitted out in waterproofs and buoyancy aids before launching onto the lake. Meanwhile, two of us GoodGymers opted to stay on dry land, preferring a more traditional litter-picking approach and clocking up an impressive step count with a full lap of the lake.

The weather must have sensed that we were lending Mother Nature a hand. Before long, the storm clouds had disappeared, replaced by blue skies and glorious warm evening sunshine.

There was plenty of chatting and teamwork throughout the evening and, encouragingly, not a huge amount of litter to collect. Always a positive sign!

The time flew by and, once the boats were back on shore, everyone gathered for a well-earned hot drink and biscuits before heading home.

GoodGym tasks are always varied, but this one felt particularly special. How often do you get to go litter-picking by boat? We had a fantastic evening and can't wait to get involved again next year!

It was a hi-viz start to the day for four of us at Eltham junior parkrun.

Taking up marshalling and time-keeping roles we saw a whopping 165 children safely around the two-lap 2k course.

There were fast runners, slow runners, walkers and even a child running backwards for the second lap!

If you can spare an hour of your Sunday morning, why not give it a go? You'll be rewarded with smiles and a happy buzz. And if you need an extra reason, there's a great coffee shop nearby for a post task treat!

Phew, it was hot work at the Community Hospice this morning, but we got loads done!

We met in the Hospice canteen and welcomed Richard to his first GG session.

Jason, the Head Gardener, had two tasks lined up for us and we split into two groups.

Team Firethorn pulled on heavy-duty leather gauntlets and got stuck into cutting back an overgrown and fiendishly prickly Pyracantha 'Firethorn' hedge. They also sawed down an out-of-place and unloved Yucca in the long flower border, before chopping everything into manageable pieces and barrowing it all over to the compost heap.

Meanwhile, Team Moonbeam worked in a different flower bed, planting Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'. The dry, stony soil put up a determined fight as we dug their new homes. Thankfully, being small plants, we didn't need to dig too deep to make room for their roots. Once planted, they were given a good watering before the team headed over to join in the hedging fun.

Time flew by, and Jason was very happy with what we'd achieved. The hedge had apparently been sitting on his to-do list for a couple of years, so it was especially satisfying to help him finally tick it off ✔️. It's always great when we can make such a visible difference!

With the jobs complete, we collected up all the tools and ferried them back to the shed before heading our separate ways.

Well done everyone, such a good vibe and a fantastic job done!

Look out for Cecilia's video on our Instagram and Facebook feeds soon!