“On 29th February, 3 Waltham Forest GoodGymmers leapt at this task 😊.

The toy library needed our help once again, and we were only too happy to oblige. After a short, very wet run to Greenleaf Church meeting point and on to the toy library, our spirits remained undampened. We received a warm welcome from manager Helen, and the lovely Robin. Once inside, after offloading a donation of sippy cups from FBN Towers, we got to work.

Our task? BALL CLEANING. As any fool know, ball pits are widely known to be a horrifically veritable soup of immune-challenging microbial diversity and snot gloopery. At the toy library though, their balls are (impressively) cleaned weekly, so, as balls go, these were pretty hygienic! We attacked the task with gusto, much like toddlers at the toy library play sessions snack time, only with fewer crushed breadsticks and squished raisins involved.

Disclaimer- it’s almost impossible to write a report about cleaning balls without some suggestion of deliberate double entendre. I can assure you that any whiff of this is purely coincidental, so any smuttiness is therefore your own problem!

So, where were we? Yes, Sarah and Natasha set about washing those balls thoroughly with hot soapy water, and I patted them dry with a towel, with help from Robin. Lovely. We finished the task in what seemed like no time whilst we chatted (taking care to discard any squashed balls).

Helen gave us a tour of their lovely newish premises (previously the Limes), including impeccably well-organised and categorised toy rooms, swap shop, and sensory room. Great to see the toy library thriving and growing under Helen’s consistently awesome leadership.

We finished and tidied up, popped the towels in the washing machine, and headed off separately into the night. We hope to see you again soon at the toy library!”

Another great social run in the books!

This time we met up at the William Morris Gallery in Lloyd park for a quick run to distract from studying and tax returns. Sarah took us on a nice flat route that eventually led us to a playground. Of course we couldn't resist a quick jump on the trampoline and a go on the seesaw (would be rude not to really). All played out, we carried on back towards the park and went our separate ways.

If you're keen to get involved in a mid-week or weekend social run but are short on time, please shoot me an email and I can try to schedule something that works for everyone!

A lovely little trot around Lloyd park and a chance to meet the Waltham Forest GoodGymers!

Despite the drizzle and very (very) slippery paths, we all managed to stay on our feet and get to know each other a little better.

After completing a very cautious loop, we settled down in the park coffee shop for some hot drinks and some excellent conversation. Thanks again Claire for the cappuccino, the next one is on me!

I got some great feedback about what members are hoping to see from GoodGym in the near future and I'm hoping to implement as much as possible ASAP. Please feel free to send in any thoughts or feedback you have and I hope to see more of you soon!

Two determined Goodgymmers (Ruby and Sarah) met the lovely Penny, Miranda and Sara from Church Hill Road Community Gardeners, Walthamstow, and successfully wrestled a very stubborn giant New Zealand Flax Plant (Phormium) into submission! The "monster plant" had gone somewhat rampant in the Shernall Road corner of the community garden, and on the advice of the RHS, needed to be removed from the rockery. Ruby, Sara and Sarah dug, chopped and heaved until the giant phormium was successfully uprooted! Vanquishing the monster was hugely satisfying, and Penny seemed both thrilled and relieved that it had been safely removed to make space for a greater variety of loveliness in that little spot of the rockery. Goodgym/Church Hill Road Gardeners 1: Phormium 0!