GoodGym Merton

Lisa Nuttall
John Ballard
Jade
Rachael Green

A taste-ful task with African style

Saturday 4th July

Written by Jade

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.

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Jade

A Big Win for the Small Quarter

Tuesday 14th July

Written by Merton runner

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.

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John Ballard
Alex
Jade
Caroline Helder
Catherine

Chipping in and horsing around

Monday 13th July

Written by Jade

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!

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Jade

Picnic-ing up the park

Saturday 11th July

Written by Jade

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!

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Jade

Trim-endous tidy

Friday 10th July

Written by Jade

I headed out on a solo mission today to help Ms S tackle an overgrown hedge in need of some major TLC. It was incredibly satisfying to give the hedge a proper haircut, instantly tidying up the front garden and leaving the space looking neat.

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Jade
Jo Ruddock

Innes-atiable Thirst

Friday 10th July

Written by Jade

The team joined the Friends of John Innes Park for their monthly Friday session, to help with gardening jobs. We started by sprucing up the GoodGym garden area to keep it looking pristine. Then got stuck into watering including test-driving the park’s brand-new water bowser. We filled and emptied the tank three times over, delivering nearly 200 litres of water to very thirsty plants and trees across the park. Great job team!

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