Our session at the Community Hospice got off to a brilliant start when Ivar arrived bearing a batch of home-baked solskinnsboller – Norwegian “sunshine buns”. They were absolutely delicious and perfectly suited to the sunny weather 😎.

We were also happy to see Mo wearing her red GoodGym tshirt - definitely part of the team now!

Fortified by our sweet treat, we headed with Jas, the Hospice’s Head Gardener, into the woodland area, where our task was to reclaim a patch of ground from the bracken and brambles that had started to creep back since they were last cleared a year ago.

Thankfully, the shady woodland offered some protection from the sun and we took things steady in the heat. This said, all the crouching, bending and pulling certainly provided a good leg workout!

Our trusty yellow gauntlet gloves proved invaluable as we tackled the thorny brambles and provided Ivar with the perfect inspiration for his pun in the title of this report!

After 75 minutes of ground work, three bulging bags of greenery had been consigned to the compost heap and we were super happy with the transformation.

We really enjoy our monthly visits to the Hospice, helping to keep the peaceful gardens looking their best. And a it's always great way to spend a Saturday morning with good company.

Why not join us next time!

Three GoodGymers, Three Parkruns, One Scorching Saturday!

The sunshine certainly turned up the heat again this morning, but that didn’t stop three dedicated GoodGymers from keeping up our favourite Saturday routine—running and volunteering at our local parkruns.

Cecilia headed to Charlton parkrun, squeezing in a run before taking on barcode scanning duties to help process the finishers. A perfect example of combining fitness with volunteering!

Meanwhile, Ivar volunteered at Sutcliffe parkrun, helping to make sure another fantastic event ran smoothly. A few people needed some extra encouragement today since the humidity and temperature was ruthless. “Awful” was the word used by several of the runners.

Over at Greenwich Peninsula parkrun, Aman was also flying the GoodGym flag, supporting another brilliant community event and helping hundreds of runners enjoy their Saturday morning.

Despite the scorching conditions, volunteers, runners and walkers all showed incredible spirit. It’s always inspiring to see communities come together, whether you’re chasing a PB, taking it easy, or giving your time to make parkrun happen.

Three different parkruns, one shared GoodGym mission: getting active, giving back and starting the weekend the best way possible.

Well done to everyone who ran, volunteered and remembered to drink plenty of water. Here’s to another Saturday well spent!

Till next time. Cecilia D🍀

Three Goodgymers made it to Oxleas yet again to dig out a path that until recently was completely overgrown and hidden. This is our third time since March, and what a difference we’ve made! Except for a much higher temperature, today was exactly like the previous times. Cutting back trees and bushes, and digging through years of soil that had gathered on top of the path. A long and hot session later we could look back at maybe 15 meters of path that can finally see daylight again. A couple more sessions and we reckon we would have dug out the whole thing!

It was a beautiful sunny evening last night, perfect for a GoodGym Greenwich foray around Charlton. We started warming up with the question:

What would be the first thing you did if you won the lottery?

Answers ranged from paying off family mortgages, taking a month away to consider what to do with the rest of life, buying one of those massive houses on Crooms Hill and giving 90% of it away. Some of the group ran a loop of Charlton and Hornfair Park and some walked directly to Charlton Manor Primary School where Michael was waiting with brushes, forks and paint. The task for the evening was finishing off painting the fences and a rather lovely trellis bench and weeding around the nursery play area. 40minutes later there was a fresh coat of paint everywhere, including a splatter which christened Mark's nice new GoodGym tee (we knew it wouldn't take long!) and one of the borders clear of weeds. Amazing what can be achieved in a short space of time - many hands make light work indeed.

We then headed to the playground for a short fitness session to top off the evening.

Thank you all - until next time!

Coming up

Sunday: Gardening at Oxleas Woods

Next Wednesday: Woodland maintenance at the Memorial Hospital