What a lovely evening for a GoodGym session as the team gathered in the peaceful surroundings of the Tranquil Garden to lend a hand to the Friends of Mostyn Gardens.

There was no shortage of jobs to get stuck into, and once the runners arrived to join the pack, we got straight to work armed with tools, gloves, and plenty of energy to tackle a bit of everything, including:

🌿 Clearing runaway vines and keeping unruly growth in check

🌾 Weeding beds and paths, and clearing dead plants to tidy up the space

🚰 Watering to keep everything thriving on a warm summer evening

By the time we were finished, the plant beds, wood chip area, gravel paths, and fencing were looking thoroughly transformed and suitably GoodGymed! As a lovely bonus to wrap up our hard work, we even had time to harvest a bunch of fresh sage to take home.

Before heading to the pub for our monthly social, there were some incredible milestones to cheer, with Ralph hitting 10 and Steve (back in action) hitting 25 good deeds!

An extra special, monumental congratulations goes to Caroline, who hit an amazing 100 good deeds! This also marks the very first 100-milestone reached for a GoodGym Merton team member since we launched in 2024. Showcasing how far we have come!

Well done to the whole team for another fantastic, high-impact evening 💪 - red shirt power at its finest!

A crack squad of four GoodGymmers volunteers launched a late afternoon tactical strike to deconstruct the Canons Summer Fair. Armed with nothing but gloves and a litter picker, we displayed true wartime spirit by blitzing the cleanup operation. We single-handedly disarmed a fortress of heavy gazebos, rounded up dozens of fugitive tables and chairs, and cleared the grounds of rogue signs and litter. Working in lockstep with the excellent council staff, we successfully marched the reusable bounty back into the historic house.

Our explosive effort certainly triggered a temporary munitions shortage in our energy levels, but the lovely local café came to the rescue, supplying the troops with a round of ice-cold drinks to celebrate our successful deployment.

On arrival we set to work to ensure the venue looked the part before the doors opened. The team mucked right in with:

• Unloading & Labelling: Flexing our muscles to unload crates of delicious food, followed by putting our best handwriting to use to write out recipe and ingredient labels.

• Table Decorating: Transforming the space by dressing and decorating tables to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

• The Inevitable Gardening: Look, we just couldn't help ourselves. Sweeping away summer leaves and digging out unruly weeds near the entrance, we staged a quick intervention to make sure the catwalk looked pristine.

Once the guests started arriving, we switched gears into hosting mode, greeting attendees with big smiles and doing whatever else we could to help.

After all the hard work, we were treated to the live entertainment, but the fun didn't stop there. When the event needed an extra hand, one of the team stepped up to support the fashion show.

It was an incredible, action-packed extended session for a fantastic cause. Well done to everyone involved.

Our task for The Small Quarter wasn't quite what we'd expected - instead of shifting soil, we found ourselves tackling an emergency water shortage after weeks of hot weather left the community garden’s 2,000-litre water bowser had run dry. With no water supply on site, GoodGym was called up for an emergency assist, subbing in water for soil and a literal cup run!

With the buzz of the men’s World Cup football in the background, GoodGymmers Jade and Audrey set about building attacks from the back - filling dozens of milk bottles, 5-litre containers and a few industrial-sized bottles at the local football club. A well-drilled passing game moved empty bottles smoothly from opener, to filler, to capper, to cart-loader. But the journey to the garden was anything but a straight run at goal as we had to play our way patiently over a railway bridge, around a busy roundabout and through a crowded midfield of cars!

Reaching the garden wasn't quite the final whistle, however. Our cart was too wide for the gate, so the water had to be passed into wheelbarrows for a one-wheeled cross into the box. The gardeners then decanted everything into the bowser, we gathered up the empties, and headed back for another run.

After several rounds and around 500 litres delivered, we'd put in a full 90 minutes and then some! A few slices of ripe melon provided a welcome rehydration break before heading home, confident that our task has safely delivered this fantastic garden into extra time.

The Goodgym Merton team arrived for tonight's group session at Morley Park to find a massive, freshly delivered mountain of wood chip that was wood-erfully timed for our visit!

We certainly didn't have a chip on our shoulders, quickly forming an efficient shovel-and-barrow convoy and shifting everything from the road to inside the park gate. A fantastic full-body workout!

Meanwhile, a couple of the team tackled a lighter task, snipping back invasive horsetails to keep the pathways looking tidy and protect the local flora.

What amazing teamwork as always - well done everyone!

There was plenty to do, helping the organisers by providing an extra pair of hands. I jumped straight into action, helping the various stalls assemble and secure their gazebos, lifting tables and chairs and other odd jobs. The site went from an empty field to a busy event space in no time at all!