Tonight the team made their first-ever visit to Cranmer Primary in Mitcham, and we certainly didn't leaf any stone unturned! To conquer the massive site, we split our forces into two teams. Four hi-vis heros braved the school gates and headed into the alley to clear out the stubborn litter trapped in the ditch. Meanwhile, the rest of the team tackled the playground areas, making a clean sweep of the scattered debris. Together, we covered a massive amount of ground, and an even bigger mountain of leaves and litter - filling several black bags. Top of the class for the GoodGym Merton team 👏!

Three GoodGymers were on hand to help the John Innes Society and the Friends of John Innes Park set up for their Music in the Park event on Sunday. We tackled the tasks of erecting gazebos, arranging chairs and carrying equipment, ensuing the audience could enjoy the fabulous Merton Concert Band perform in the beautiful surroundings of John Innes Park.

We prepared the venue by arranging tables and chairs for the repair stations, followed by putting up the event signage to guide arriving guests. Then for the remainder of of the event, we focused on marshalling visitors smoothly to the registration desk and taking photos to document the day. Our efforts kept the entrance clear of bottlenecks and captured great promotional material to celebrate the café's success.

Three of our local GoodGym team headed to Deen City Farm today to help them set up their weekend farm fête — sensibly avoiding public transport on a record-b(re)aking hot day!

The main focus was preparing the site for games, activities and stalls. Thankfully there was plenty of shade and water available! First up was erecting five gazebos (including a small repair job to one of them), which all went up remarkably smoothly thanks to past experience from one of the GoodGym crew who’d done this very task (and gazebo repair) at the farm before.

Setting up tables and chairs followed, but with a shortfall of tables we had to get creative. Some old wooden cable reels lurking around the back of the farm were promoted to the position of children’s tables. Gloves on to avoid splinters, and then the three of us tipped the cable reels onto their sides and rolled them all the way across the farm under the watchful eyes of its residents.

The farm is now well set up and ready for tomorrow's activities, and we’re very pleased to report that no pigs or other animals were harmed in the process!

Three of the team rolled up their sleeves to transform a community table for future summer hoopla fundraisers. Accurate measuring and careful masking tape application were absolutely key to setting up clean, crisp lines before any color could be added.

Once the layout was locked in, we needed a steady hand to carefully paint the vibrant striped design. The time and care was worth it - looking incredible, the table is now ready for its final top coat before it helps raise funds for the community. Well done creatives 👏!

Tonight’s team of volunteers arrived at The Wandle River Community Garden (formerly the Paul Bowness Memorial Garden) after a truly scorching day! Fortunately, the evening air had cooled down just in time, providing the perfect conditions to get stuck into some serious community action.

We were excited to hear about the future plans to grow native plants here specifically for natural dyeing, adding a brilliant, sustainable, and creative twist to this local green space.

To smash through the to-do list, we split into two teams to tackle both the garden itself and a spot a short distance up the river:

Team 1: Armed with secateurs, set to work clearing a thick patch of stubborn brambles, prepping the site for the native dyeing plants.

Team 2: Focused their energy on the main community garden area: weeding, sweeping, tidying up, and clearing litter to get the oasis looking pristine again after a very busy weekend of visitors.

An amazing transformation - well done everyone!