7 wonderful GoodGym folk made light work of a balcony clear-out!

Tottenham Court Road hummed its usual bustle as our group – of Helen, Jackie, Lydia, Siobhan, and Steve – climbed through the American International Church's magnificent doors.

We were there to meet the AIC's brilliant community engagement aficionado – and fellow GoodGymer – Brooke, who had a perfectly-shaped task for GoodGym!

The balcony is suspended above the church hall and it's filled with the usual – pews, books, community notices – as well as the less usual – an eclectic assortment of chairs, random poles, fun-looking toys, and more!

We were there to move the excess items down the three flights to the basement, across the church's underbelly, and out to the side entrance ready for collection and recycling!

Cue this team kicking into the most efficient (and happy) human chain I've ever witnessed – they picked, carried, passed, and repeated – onlookers marveled, removal companies trembled, and the loot was moved and tidily organised in 45 swift minutes!

Thank you so much, everyone! Here's to next time!

•••4 Wonderful GoodGym folk gave a community flower bed a makeover in Camden!***

Camden Square Gardens is a special patch of community space a little East from Camden Town. Surrounded by community dwellings, sections of this green space are cared for by the local community.

Jackie, John, Siobhan, and I met the wonderful Annabel, who guided us to a patch with potential! Open and large, the hope is that this space will soon be filled with shrubs and flowers, and our work involved helping prepare this space for planting.

Over 60 minutes, our special group dug and forked, getting deep into the soil to attack the roots of invasive weeds and thistles.

Four of us meant four hours of work, and we collected a healthy pile of natural waste together :)

Thank you, everyone! See you next time!

The London Permaculture Festival is an annual celebration of natural ecosystems, and it's being hosted at Camden's Cecil Sharp House this Sunday!

Which was why our wonderful group – of Alex, Dani, John, Lydia, Nivia, Sarah, Siobhan, and Steve – assembled for an hour of nature-based volunteering!

Our task was to make sure Cecil Sharp's gardens were crisp and tidy, and ready for London's permaculture devotees!

We started amidst a flurry of brooms, rakes, and conversation – under a July sun we swept the paths and combed the lawn – and we filled bag upon bag in short order!

We then turned our attention – en masse – to the entrance gates.

John, Lydia, Sarah, and Siobhan tackled the main pathway – and they made quick thrift of weeds and leaves – leaving things looking perfectly wonderful!

Dani and Nivia focused their efforts on an area under a large tree – and they cleared the debris (and weeds and leaves!) – leaving an inviting shade spot!

And Alex and Steve helped our brilliant host (Susannah) move a chunk of festival fare down to the basement storage!

We finished by piling up bag (upon bag upon bag) of green waste into the van, before meandering off into a gentle evening :)

Thank you, everyone!!

13 inspiring GoodGym folk made a wonderful difference in Kentish Town last night!

Some people can distinguish a grass from a weed and a weed from a flower. I am not one of these people.

But many of these intelligent beings... everyone apart from me... were present in our special group!

Our group in red 👉 Alison, Danny (on their first good deed - hello!), Helen, Imogen, Jackie, John, Majid (on their first good deed - huge welcome!), Sarah, Siobhan, Steve, and Will 👉 arrived in Kentish Town (not far from the Prime Minister's house!) to meet the wonderful Hilda (who was also on their first good deed!!) 👉 and we were there to help her cultivate a healthy hedgerow 🌳💚

I watched in awe as this group identified the 'keeps' from the 'get-rids' while also sharing stories and connecting. The weeds were piled – bag upon bag – and the remaining wild flowers and bushes noticeably started to breathe. And I resorted to taking photos and walking up and down in an attempt to look busy.

Across 60 bright evening minutes this group opened space in the hedgerow – and the fruits of their efforts will carry through into June and beyond – this would have taken a single soul 13 hours to match!

Thank you so much, everyone, for a well-spent evening ☺️

Here's to next time!