Destined to tackle a clean up job at Merton and Morden Guild we set up work scrubbing with determination expecting the paint to wipe away with a bit of elbow grease. Instead, to our horror, the white spirit began reacting with the lino, leaving behind a murky grey film across the surface that made the space look worse than when we arrived!

Pivoting to good old-fashioned soap, water, and all the remaining scrubbing power we had, we hopefully saved the floor from permanent discoloration.

We got a decent upper-body workout and successfully averted a disaster. Sometimes community volunteering is all about heroic damage control. Massive credit to the team for giving it 100% effort from start to finish!

Another successful session at the Methodist Church garden! On Sunday there is going to be a Sunflower BBQ gathering, so we were put to task in making sure everywhere was looking tip top. There was watering, litter picking, weeding the beds and finishing off painting the gate (which we started last time). There was even some harvesting - potatoes were dug up and sunflower seeds retrieved. We hope lots of fun is had on Sunday!

Another event to help with at Wimbledon Quarter. Swiftly unpacking donations and filling rail after rail with pre-loved garments. With every hanger straightened the space was swap-ready just in time for attendees to hunt for sustainable style gems.

High-fives, high-vis, and decent weather made for a fantastic morning as our team stepped in to support Morden parkrun with their 100th event. We stayed busy across the course, directing runners from key marshalling posts while the funnel team managed the finish line.

Out on the course, two of our team took on pacing duties using the "Jeffing" run-walk method to guide participants at a steady, encouraging rhythm. These structured intervals provided the perfect low-impact comeback for one of our own squad, getting them back into the running groove right before half marathon training kicks in over the coming months.

Well done everyone!

Four GoodGymers joined the Friends of John Innes Park this morning for their monthly gardening session. With recent rain taking care of the watering, we focused on lavender trimming, alkanet removal - and the highly scientific process of whacking dried poppy heads to help next year's flowers spread their seed.

We'll be back next month for a concerted attack on the bamboo. Until then, we’ll be binge-watching giant panda documentaries as tactical research…

Two GoodGymmers helped brush up history at the Merton Priory Chapter House, helping prepare a community art exhibition inspired by the nearby River Wandle. After tackling at least a year's worth of dust with some determined vacuuming, we laid out refreshments for visitors and then got to enjoy the fruits of our labour - including checking out the beautiful, naturally dyed embroidery contributed by our very own Goodgymmer Jade. Artfully done!