Tonight’s task took us to English Martyrs First School as part of our supporting the school with general maintenance – with a particular focus on painting.

Our main jobs for the evening were refreshing Head Teacher Helen’s office and making a start on the staff room

The team split efficiently:

Paul, Belinda and Roxytook charge of painting the Head Teacher’s office, getting great coverage and making excellent progress. Mel, Paul, El, Barbara and myself rolled up our sleeves in the staff room, where we prepped the space and applied the first coat, setting things up nicely for completion. Johnwas on hand throughout, capturing photographs of the task and the team in action 📸 😇

There was a fantastic team spirit all evening, and it was great to see two important school spaces already looking brighter and fresher.

We’ll be in 2 weeks to apply another coat of paint and, fingers crossed, finish both rooms. A brilliant effort from everyone involved and a lovely way to support the school community during the winter months 💪🎨

It was another rewarding evening at our local church school as we continued supporting their Winter projects .

On arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Head Teacher Helen and Premises Manager Richard, who was on charge tonight.

Barbara and Paul wasted no time, heading straight off to paint the corridor outside the staffroom bringing a fresh burst of brightness to a well-used area of the school. Meanwhile, Roxy bravely took on the challenge of repainting the ladies’ staff toilets — a task not for the faint-hearted, but one she handled like a pro!

I teamed up with Richard in the main hall, where the school were keen to start adding some festive cheer. My role? Design consultant. Richard’s role? Climbing a scaffolding tower far higher than I’d have liked! Together we worked to hang long lines of Christmas bunting across the ceiling, transforming the hall into a wonderfully festive space. After a solid 1 hour and 15 minutes, the bunting was up, the paint was drying, and three separate jobs had been ticked off with smiles all round.

A brilliant evening of teamwork, creativity, and a touch of Christmas spirit. Well done, all! 🎅✨

Back to School for Round 2 of Painting!

GoodGym returned to our local primary school this evening for Part Two of our big corridor-makeover mission — and what a team effort it was!

Richard, the ever-organised facilities manager, had everything laid out and ready to go the moment we arrived: Regulation cream paint, brushes, rollers, trays… the works. With supplies in hand, we jumped straight back into transforming the corridor we began on our previous visit. The group quickly settled into a rhythm, and the once-tired walls started to brighten again under fresh coats of paint.

Meanwhile, a brave trio — Paul, Paul, and Mel — volunteered for a mission within the mission: giving the girls’ toilets a much-needed refresh. Hats off to them for stepping up!

But the evening’s GG Hero Award simply had to go to Belinda, who fearlessly took the lead into the boys’ toilets, confronting both the walls and the smell. She was soon joined by Roxy and Paula, forming a powerhouse team that got the job done with determination (and possibly held breath). Absolute legends — bravo! 😇😇😇

Barbara also deserves a big shout-out for taking on paint splodge clean-up duty — a task requiring keen eyes, steady hands, and a sense of humour as she chased down rogue drips and smudges before they could set in. Every team needs a detail hero 🙏

A special shout-out as well to John, who took over photography duties for the evening. A refreshing change from the usual snapper — and much appreciated!📷

Another fantastic night of teamwork, transformation, and community spirit — proving once again that when it comes to a pot of cream paint, GoodGym knows exactly how to whip it into shape! 🎨😄

This evening’s GoodGym crew headed over to the local primary school to help give some tired walls a well-deserved refresh.

Paul, Stéphane and the school’s friendly facilities manager, Richard, rolled up their sleeves and got straight to work in the main hall, carefully transforming the space surrounding the noticeboards with some smooth fresh cream paint.

Meanwhile, Paula, Mel, Megan, Barbara and I tackled the cloakroom, turning what started as a scuffed and well-used area into a clean, welcoming space ready for the children’s coats and bags. With teamwork, laughter and a bit of friendly paint-splatter competition, we made great progress.

By the end of the session, both the hall and cloakroom looked brighter and fresher, Huge thanks to everyone who came along — and to Richard for keeping us supplied with brushes, rollers and also to Head Teacher , Helen for staying on too.

Another productive evening of doing good and getting paint on our sleeves (in the best way)!

A bright and slightly chilly evening saw our small but mighty team of five heading to English Martyrs School, where we were warmly greeted by Helen, the head teacher. She filled us in on the school’s plans to give their gardens a boost in time for the new season — and we were more than happy to help!

With tools at the ready, we split into two mini teams to make the most of our time. John, Roxy and Julia got to work on a bed full of lily-like shrubs, carefully digging them up, dividing the roots and replanting the new sections all along the flowerbed. It was a satisfying and surprisingly creative job — and by the end, the border was looking much fuller and ready to flourish.

Meanwhile, Ricky and El tackled another flowerbed that needed a good weed and clear-out. The pair worked methodically to remove stubborn roots and prepare the soil, setting it up perfectly for the bulbs that will be planted tomorrow.

By the end of the session, both areas looked tidy, refreshed and full of promise. Helen was delighted with the progress, and we left feeling proud of what our compact crew had achieved.

A lovely evening of teamwork, green thumbs, and garden transformation — well done, team! 🌱💪

On a sunny early September evening, we headed out to a local school to give their garden a much-needed boost. A grateful headteacher, Helen proudly showed off the progress made with play areas over the summer holidays and also pointed us in the right direction for our tasks for tonight.

It was a happy coincidence that both Sue’s, Sue and Suemade their return to GoodGym today—and even better, they found themselves teaming up! Together, they tackled the stubborn weeds and grasses that had been creeping into the beds, making short work of an area that was looking particularly wild.

Meanwhile, Julia joined forces with John Ryan and Paul to take on the flowerbed—our new nemesis. This sprawling patch of bramble and weeds seems to bounce back as soon as we turn our backs, but the team made great progress clearing it once again. This time, though, we were rewarded with a surprise discovery: pumpkins growing among the chaos!

Ryan did a stellar job switching between both groups, keeping the wheelbarrow moving and ensuring all the debris made its way to the compost heap.

All in all, another productive evening in the school garden—sunshine, teamwork, and pumpkins included!