Whether lured by the promise of our monthly social or simply powered by pure dedication, we had a fantastic turnout for our group session at Raynes Park Station tonight!

After the team gathered ready for action, a trio peeled off to support the Merton Garden Streets team with some nearby weeding. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew split into two squads to tackle the station grounds.

We got plenty done across three main tasks:

• Watering: Kept the embankment hydrated using a smooth relay system of metal trolleys, heavy buckets, and watering cans.

• Pruning: Wielded secateurs to chop back thick brambles poking through the fence and encroaching on the pathway.

• Weeding: Cleared growth along the pavement to help support the local opt-out-of-spraying (chemical-free) initiative.

The visual difference was huge, but the best part was the immediate community feedback. We received non-stop thanks from passers-by, including a mobility scooter user who pointed out where the brambles used to catch on people, and was thrilled to navigate a wide, clear path again.

With the area looking pristine and the tasks ticked off, we wrapped up and headed straight to the pub for our monthly social to celebrate another job complete and a couple of birthdays - well done team!

With so many Goodgymers signed up for the main task at Raynes Park Station, it made sense for some of us to branch out and do an alternative job at one of Merton's nearby garden streets. So after our run up from the Leather Bottle, Adrian, James, Louise and I jogged from the station to Laurel Road to join Emily tackling the kerbside weeds. The residents have decided they'd rather keep the street free of weedkiller chemicals and do things the natural way, so we donned our gloves and got stuck in. Luckily the rain held off but we were still treated to a lovely rainbow. Our efforts certainly made a difference and after an hour we were able to uproot ourselves and head off to our pub social feeling satisfaction at a job well done. It was great to welcome James to his first Merton session and to see Louise again.

The team headed to Squirrels Community Scrapstore this evening for a session that proved you don't need a gym when you have a skip to fill. We were tasked with clearing items from the van, pruning back the greenery and tackling the weeds.

The big challenge was a colossal reel of paper that had been taking up residence in the van, which took a coordinated effort from five of our GoodGymers to manoeuvre it into the skip.

While the heavy lifters were busy with the reel, the rest of the crew made short work of the greenery and cleared the weeds.

The result was a full skip, tidy yard, and a very clear space. Reel-y well done team and it's great to be back in action after a short break!