Three GoodGymmers joined veteran allotmenteer Lisa Marie for a morning of rock and roll at the Phipps Bridge allotments. Our opening number was a Rolling Stones tribute, carefully pulling the substantial stones edging her pond outwards and away from the pond to avoid any splashy solos.

With plenty of time left for the second act, the four of us formed an unlikely folk-punk supergroup and, with perfect pitch(forks), took on a chart-topping mat of mint and nettles. By levering underneath and working our way around the edges, we rooted out the long underground stems and gradually rolled the whole tangled mass over on itself. After much sweat, stabbing and lifting, the weeds’ farewell tour finally came to an end, thankfully with no encore!

We headed over to Faith in Action to lend a hand with the post-lunch cleanup, stepping in just as the busy meal service wrapped up.

Our team got straight to work clearing tables and chairs before getting stuck in with a thorough mop of the hall floor. It’s always brilliant to know our help makes a real impac, this time giving the wonderful staff and dedicated volunteers a well-deserved breather. After being on shift for most of the day, our clean allowed them to finish up early or tackle their admin while we took care of the heavy lifting. Another fantastic session in the bag, leaving the space spotless and ready for next time. Well done team.

Another shift at Merton's Community Fridge to lend a hand with the post-distribution cleanup.

There was plenty to do wiping down and sparkling up the fridges before turning attention to the inevitable chaos of leftover boxes, rubbish, and recycling. Fortunately, with an extra pair of hands plus two additional family members pitching in, we made light work of the mess and had everything sorted in record time.

It was a squeaky clean session topped off with a milestone with the fantastic Merton/Croydon combo in action. It’s always great to team up with the superhuman Brenda - looking forward to our paths crossing again soon!

The pair of us headed over to lend a hand to Miss J, who is currently recovering from a hip replacement and needed some help getting her garden back under control.

We set out with big ambitions to tackle the lengthy lawn, but the garden tech had other plans. Between a dodgy extension cable, an uncooperative Flymo, a second mower that couldn't quite reach, and very lumpy terrain, the grass won this round. So we shifted focus to clearing the weeds along the patio area instead.

Despite the 2-mower drama, we left a full bag of weeds and gained one huge achievement: celebrating a 600th Good Deed milestone for Emily! 🥳🎉

Sadly, a joint double-celebration wasn't on the cards as an earlier mission had been cancelled, but it was still brilliant to twin up and share the special moment together.

Under the glow of the setting sun, the GoodGym Merton team headed to Ridgway Community Garden to tackle a massive delivery of mulch. Two months ago we were tasked with the same, but this was a very different challenge!

With darkness descending fast, the team switched on their headtorches and got straight to business. We cleared away stubborn weeds, laid down a protective layer of cardboard, and spread as much woodchip as possible.

Along the way, we even paused for a quick photo and a chat with local MP Paul Kohler, before diving back into the task - adding tree replanting and conker gathering to our to-do list!

A huge, warm welcome to Joe and Ben for joining their very first session, and to Harry on completing his first-ever group run and task with us! What an absolute powerhouse of a team. In just one hour, we achieved the equivalent of two full-time gardeners working an entire day. Bet they couldn't do it in the dark 😉!

The team gathered at the Merton and Morden Guild, ready to give the recently acquired planters a well-deserved makeover. Whilst prepping the area, we discovered smaller planters tucked neatly inside the bigger ones! Luckily, we had gained an extra pair of hands, so the timing couldn't have been better.

After laying down plastic sheeting and giving the surfaces a thorough brush-down to clear off the dirt, we mixed the paint and got to work. The colour was a spot-on match, so good that a second coat wasn't needed! A wonderfully satisfying job all round.