The sun was shining and there was some warmth in the air as five of us joined the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods for their monthly community litter pick.

After a friendly welcome from the group, we split into smaller teams and set off in different directions to hunt down discarded rubbish.

With no fixed route to follow, we wandered the paths and let curiosity lead the way, with swathes of bright yellow daffodils making us feel that perhaps spring has finally arrived.

Thankfully, the paths we walked in the park and woods were pretty tidy, but our litter-picking skills mostly came into play along the road just outside the boundary, which was in need of some TLC.

After an hour of fresh air, gentle wandering, and plenty of nice chat we returned to the starting point with our bags of collected litter, ready for the council to whisk them away.

It was fantastic to welcome Alican and Karina to their very first GoodGym task! We hope you had a great time and we’re looking forward to seeing you at many more sessions!

Lesnes Abbey Woods is a hidden gem in Bexley borough - a park with ancient woodland and abbey ruins.

The Park Ranger's work in maintaining the area is supported by the lovely Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods (FOLAW) who meet regularly to help protect and preserve this historical place.

Ashton joined this month's conservation session - first Sunday of each month - led by Marc. This is always a great workout, not least because of the uphill climb into the woods to get started!

Alongside the other FOLAW volunteers, this time it was all about clearing brambles and holly along a pathway near the Pine Pond. Getting rid of these prickly invaders increases biodiversity, giving native growth and wild animals the chance to thrive.

Of course, there's loads to be done in woods of this size, but each month helps makes a difference. We'll be back again in March so why not come and join us then?

FOLAW also have a conservation session every Wednesday, and a monthly litter pick. If you're local and would like to find out more they have a great website.

It's rained every day this month, and today was no exception 🌧- it was tipping down at noon as thirteen dedicated volunteers, including our litter picking champion, Ashton, met for the monthly tidy up run by Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods in the wonderful grounds and woodland around the abbey ruins.

As the photo shows, they found plenty of rubbish, although by the time the picture was taken most of the crew had headed to Chestnuts café for a warming drink.

What absolute stalwarts braving the horrid weather 🌟. Let's hope it's drier when we join them again in March.

If you're wondering about going along, please do! It's a welcoming and friendly group, and all equipment is provided if you don't have your own.

This morning we joined the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods (FOLAW) for their monthly conservation session in the ancient woodland that forms a gorgeous green backdrop to the abbey ruins.

Sarah, Johnny and Manish (along with his little one!) came from volunteering (and running 🏃) at the adjacent junior parkrun. Sunday double good-deeding at its best!

We also welcomed Jinling to her very first GoodGym task 🥳.

Marc from FOLAW told us about a suspiciously straight line of trees discovered by the park ranger, the alignment suggesting it might have been an ancient hedge. To help uncover its story, our task was to clear rampant ivy from one side and cut back beastly brambles on the other. You could say we were helping the ranger see the wood for the trees 😉.

Our fearless team of GoodGymers took on the brambles. With loppers and shears, we cut back the branches, then dug in (literally!) with forks to wrestle out the stubborn roots.

Despite the rain we stayed busy and by the time we wrapped up we'd revealed a good section of the tree line. What a sense of achievement!

With perfect timing, the rain stopped as we packed away the tools, so we headed to Chestnuts café to carry on chatting over a drink and a KitKat before heading home.

Huge well done to Jinling on completing your first good deed - a brilliant GG debut 🌟. And it was lovely to have our smallest helper along, getting his very first taste of GoodGym and nature conservation too 💚💪.

We'll be back again for this session next month - sign up here. But before then there are plenty more opportunities to get involved in your local community with GoodGym Bexley.

On a blistering cold Sunday morning, GoodyGym joined the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods for another monthly conservation session. We assembled at the Chestnut Kiosk to gather a wheelbarrow of trusty tools, before ascending deep into the heart of the woods.

After a thorough health and safety briefing from the ever-diligent Marc, we were set to go. Our task for the day was to saw down small holly trees and lop away holly branches. This would allow more sunlight to reach the woods and support biodiversity.

How do we know where the tree will fall? We soon learned that you can control the direction of the falling tree by initiating a v-shaped beak cut. Curious onlookers were surprised to find out about the invasiveness of the holly plant. A couple of enthusiastic parkgoers even joined us for a few moments.

In ninety short minutes, the piles of fallen hollies stood tall, heaps and mounds above the rest of the woodlands. What a difference a conservation day makes!

We will be back on the first Sunday of February. We hope to see you there!

We spent time litter picking around Lesnes Abbey, the surrounding paths and woods, helping to keep this historic green space clean and enjoyable for everyone.