Weeding for Mrs V

Mission Accomplished at Cressingham Gardens

Our dedicated team of GoodGym volunteers got their sweat on while making a real difference in the community! We tackled a major garden transformation project that left everyone feeling accomplished and energized.

Tasks Completed

• Full garden weeding - cleared the entire space of unwanted growth
• Central area restoration - removed weeds, concrete blocks, and old wooden edging to create a clean, usable space

Highlight of the Day

The most memorable moment came when we discovered an unexpected family of residents - five adorable little toads! 🐸 This delightful surprise brought smiles to everyone’s faces and reminded us that our gardening efforts are creating habitats for local wildlife too.

Community Impact

Christine from Cressingham Gardens was absolutely delighted with the transformation. Her joy and gratitude made all the hard work worthwhile and perfectly captured why we do what we do.

Special Recognition

Huge thanks to Katie who stepped up brilliantly to co-lead the session meeting Jordan at Papa’s when Joao got held up with work commitments. This kind of flexibility and teamwork spirit is what makes GoodGym Lambeth special.

Another successful mission combining fitness, community service, and unexpected wildlife encounters - exactly what GoodGym is all about!.

What a great session we had at Holy Trinity Church! Our fantastic group came together to tackle some much-needed gardening and green waste management with Nicole, and we really rose to the occasion.

The team worked tirelessly to clear overgrown areas, manage green waste, and help transform the church grounds. It’s safe to say we were all rooting for a successful outcome, and we certainly didn’t leaf any job unfinished!

Special Mentions

🌟 Jordan from Wandsworth Thanks for branching out and joining us from across the borough! Your enthusiasm really helped us turnip the energy levels.

🌟 Hanna - Congratulations on your very first GoodGym session! You threw yourself into the work with such dedication - we can tell you’re going to grow into a fantastic regular member of our community.

Birthday wishes go to our wonderful Tilly who also provided sweet treats for everyone - happy birthday!

A huge thank you to Nicole for coordinating the session and showing us exactly what needed doing, as well as Run Leader Joao for taking the run. With teamwork like this, we’re proving that many hands make light work - even when dealing with heavy garden waste!

Until next time, keep running and keep doing good!

The GoodGym Lambeth Team 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🌱

Our fantastic GoodGym runners really rose to the occasion this week, racing over to Thorlands Gardens where they were chamomile-ing at the bit to get stuck in! The team showed they had plenty of thyme on their hands as they tackled a variety of tasks.

We had two new members with us last night so Jenny and Maddy it was lovely to have you with us!

The volunteers were absolutely rooting for success as they laid cardboard with precision - you could say they really nailed it down! Their work was nothing short of ground-breaking as they created the perfect foundation for the chamomile garden border.

When it came to litter picking, our green-fingered heroes left no stone unturned, proving that many hands make light work. They showed that every piece of rubbish had met its match - talk about a clean sweep!

The real chip off the old block moment came when the team started shifting woodchip. They moved (small) mountains of mulch with an oak-kay attitude. You could say they were pine-ing for the perfect finish, and they certainly delivered! The border transformation was tree-mendous - our volunteers really knew how to mulch it up.

By the end of the session, the chamomile garden was looking scent-sational and weed-free. The team proved that with a little patience and a lot of sage advice, any garden can bloom into something beautiful.

Mint to be together, this group of volunteers showed that when you turnip with the right attitude, you can make any space radish-ingly beautiful. What an absolutely un-be-leaf-able effort from everyone involved!

Tasks Completed:

• Cardboard laying for weed suppression
• Community litter picking
• Woodchip distribution and border creation
• Chamomile garden area preparation

Another blooming brilliant session from GoodGym Lambeth! See you next week :0)

Last night's group run was truly the root of all good things! Our dedicated runners (Manos, Michael and AA) set off from Papa's Park and made tracks to Windmill allotments, where we dug deep to support Annick and our local growing community.

Mission Accomplished! Our fantastic volunteers really grew into their roles, tackling essential maintenance tasks that will help the allotment flourish. The team split the work beautifully, ensuring no stone was left unturned:

Weed Clearance: Our runners showed they weren't afraid to get down and dirty, pulling up unwanted plants with determination. They really weeded out the competition when it came to thoroughness!

Skip Filling: The wheelbarrow brigade worked tirelessly, wheeling and dealing their way through piles of garden waste. Talk about moving mountains one barrow at a time!

Manure Transport: Our soil-diers demonstrated that when it comes to community service, they're not afraid of the dirty work. They really knew how to spread the love around the allotment!

Every single runner deserves recognition for their outstanding performance. From start to finish, the group showed they have the right stuff when it comes to putting down roots in the community. Their efforts will help ensure the allotment continues to be a place where great things can grow.

A massive thank you to all our incredible volunteers who proved that when we work together, we can really make something beautiful bloom. Your hard work and positive attitudes made the evening truly ground-breaking. You've shown that GoodGym Lambeth runners are always ready to turn over a new leaf for their community!

Until our next mission, keep growing strong!

Sevan and Kash expected delays (but maybe not severe delays!) on their second task of the day: a cabinet building. But time flies when you are having fun - or assembling flatpack furniture! They called Ms E, their last beneficiary, to admit they were running late. Fortunately, the lady was not going anywhere and was happy to wait for the GoodGymers. Phew!

Ms E needed some unwanted vegetation removed from the back of her garden: alkanet, Herb Robert, cleaver (a.k.a. sticky willy), some grass, and a few weeds that were taller than Sevan! The only things to keep were two apple trees and two lavender plants.

The pair made up for the slippage with the quality of their work. The weeds faced a true armageddon, being wiped out from the surface of the garden and from the back wall. Just look at the photo of that madman with a butcher's cleaver - the weeds had nowhere to hide from him! Sadly, some snails were lost due to the intensity of weed extermination, but that's the nature of life... and GoodGyming.

Ms E was impressed with the result and offered the duo water, soft drinks and sweet treats. She even wanted to reward Sevan and Kash with cash, but the GoodGymers explained they were volunteers and did gardening exclusively for fun.

You should do private jobs too! - Ms E said.

That's one more benefit of GoodGym: you may not notice it from the start, but you keep learning new skills on the job. How else would the author of this report know what alkanet, Herb Robert and cleaver are, if not from GoodGyming experience? Sevan and Kash will keep building their horticultural portfolio until they're fed up with their desk jobs, then take over the world of gardening one day.