This week’s GoodGym task took Harvey and me to Raleigh House New Malden, where we helped spruce up the outdoor space.

Although there were only two of us, we managed to get through plenty in the hour. Harvey took charge of watering the pots and troughs and sweeping the pathways clear of leaves, while I tackled the bindweed, dandelions and other determined weeds under the oak tree.

As always with GoodGym, the conversations were just as rewarding as the task itself. Harvey shared some of his experiences working in the charity sector, and we discovered common ground through our work supporting people with vision impairment.

By the end of the session the garden areas were looking much fresher, well-watered and far more under control, all rounded off nicely with some treats kindly left out for us in the task box!

A small but mighty team effort for Staywell at Raleigh House.

The mission at Raleigh House was short but seriously satisfying. With the sun shining and spirits high, our team Jana, Charlotte, Adam, and Emily rolled up their sleeves to tackle the front entrance and give it a well-deserved refresh. Armed with some impressive pick-axe style tools (which definitely made us feel more hardcore than your average gardeners), Adam got straight to work on the stubborn weeds around the entrance sign. He powered through and cleared the whole area an absolute transformation and a job brilliantly done. Charlotte turned her attention to the rose bed, which had been completely taken over by weeds. With patience and determination, she brought it back to life, leaving the roses with space to shine again. Jana took on the long bed under the bush no small task but made great progress clearing it out. Adam jumped back in towards the end to lend a hand, and together they finished off the front section, leaving it neat and tidy. Meanwhile, Emily worked her magic on the driveway, clearing all the weeds and making the whole entrance look instantly more welcoming. As if the satisfying results weren't enough, we were rewarded with some lovely chocolate treats from the Staywell staff, very well received! And to top it all off, Jana brought along homemade chocolate brownies, which went down an absolute treat as we wrapped up. A beautiful morning, great teamwork, and a front entrance that now looks so much better what more could you want?

A small but mighty GoodGym crew of Farzeen, Emily, Saber and Jana headed to Staywell New Malden for an hour of gardening. The task was to tackle the weeds around the Staywell information sign and along the hedge at the front of the driveway. Farzeen and Saber got stuck in near the sign, while Emily and Jana started working along the long flowerbed under the hedge. After all the recent rain the soil was very wet and sticky, and the beds were full of wriggly earthworms – great for the soil but a bit messy for us! With time running out, the whole team joined forces to finish the flowerbed and were proud to clear the whole stretch together. Along the way Jana unearthed an unusual find buried in the soil, what looked like an old nappy pin! To top it all off, Staywell kindly left us some Ferrero Rocher chocolates, which were very gratefully received after a muddy but satisfying hour of weeding. Great teamwork all round!

We had one hour at Staywell Raleigh House Day Centre to give the garden and patio areas a much-needed tidy, and we packed a lot in despite the weather doing its very best to slow us down. The team got straight to work clearing dead plants from the planting troughs, pulling out tired greenery and making the space ready for new life. Jana and Farzeen focused on weeding and clearing the planters, while Sabir swept, cleared and weeded the patio area, leaving it looking far fresher and safer underfoot. Emily took on the glass cleaning near the patio, and the amount of green gunk that came off was deeply satisfying to witness. The side entrance planting also got some attention, with dead plants removed to smarten up the approach. Halfway through the task, the heavens well and truly opened, leaving us completely soaked — but spirits stayed high and smiles stayed firmly in place as we powered through to the finish. We were very grateful for the sweet treats kindly left out by the Staywell staff, which provided a much-needed morale boost at the end of a thoroughly productive hour. A brilliant team effort, a visibly improved space, and a reminder of just how much can be achieved when everyone mucks in together. 💚

Today's task took us to Raleigh House for Stay Well New Malden a wonderful day centre supporting elderly people in the community. Our mission: tackle the mountain of leaves under the giant oak tree… without any rakes. Challenge accepted.

The dream team — Jana, Emily, Eleanor and Sabir arrived ready to take on whatever autumn could throw at us. With no rakes in sight, we got inventive: hands, shovels, scoops, teamwork, determination… you name it, we used it.

The oak tree clearly hadn’t read the memo, because it continued to drop leaves while we were clearing them. It was a bit of a leafy battlefield, but we kept at it and made solid progress.

Not stopping there, we also weeded the plants at the front entrance, clearing out the unwanted visitors and giving the space a much fresher look.

There were plenty of smiles exchanged, lots of teamwork, and a great sense of achievement by the end of our hour. Hopefully our efforts help brighten the surroundings for the Raleigh House community.

Unbe-leaf-able work, team! 🌿💪

This week's Goodgym mission took us to New Malden, Raleigh House, where Petra, Jana, Isabella, and Emily got stuck into some serious garden TLC for the elderly residents who use the day centre. Armed with brushes, rakes, and plenty of enthusiasm, we swept up piles of oak leaves, weeded the patio, and tidied the flowerbeds until they were looking neat and cheerful once again. The oak tree had clearly been feeling generous with its autumn drop, but we weren’t leafing until the job was done! We also planted colourful spring bulbs- little bursts of future sunshine to brighten the residents’ outlook in the months to come. Supervising our efforts was Purdey the dog, who kept a close eye on proceedings (and may have been scouting for cake crumbs). Speaking of which, Jana’s homemade carrot cake made for a perfect halftime treat - fueling us for the final push. Two hours later, the garden was looking spick, span, and splendid- ready to bring smiles to everyone at Raleigh House. A blooming brilliant effort from the whole team!