What a challenge at Strand on the Green School last night!

We arrived to discover a huge task ahead of us: moving 3 tonnes of bark and 5 tonnes of sand to different locations around the school. We were definitely up for the challenge, but agreed that our usual fitness session probably wouldn’t be required afterwards!

We got straight to work. Maxime, Michelle, Alanna and Fran took on the particularly hard task of shifting heavy bags of sand up the stairs to the sandpit. Heavy bags + flights of stairs = amazing full body workout!

Meanwhile, the rest of the group were showing off some impressive muscle with some excellent farmers’ lifts moving buckets, and shovelling and barrowing sand to different areas of the playground and nursery while wearing a fetching policeman's hat👮

Somehow we managed it all in record time! Originally thinking we’d have to come back next week to finish the job, but the the whole lot was completed in a single session thanks to amazing teamwork from everyone.

Clare, the caretaker, was really pleased with the result given how long it would it have taken one person. Huge well done to everyone for taking on such a massive challenge and getting it done together. And thanks to Lucy for the run report title!

Small committee tonight probably due to no cake day 😅😅🎂🎂. Of course not : holiday period so people are away or busy. Some of us did a small run the Harvard Hill, shortly to be joined by the walkers feon various locations. Tonight's task was to do some weeding but also some litterpicking. we found loads of empty cat food containers hidden in the bushes : the local seem to be having a feast. During the task there was a long funny conversation around badger as Augustin mentionned he spotted one after our race last Friday in Bushy Park. Did he really see a badger or was it something else. 🤔 Then it went to translating into French and depending on the tool you use you get different words like Badger(with a French accent) or Blaireau which is also a familiar or slang word in French. We all had a good laugh and did good progress with the weeding and litterpicking. Can you spot the badger in the group photo?🦡🦡

GoodGymers took a stroll through the deep dark wood.
Elsa saw them and GoodGymers looked good.

Elsa, from Friends of Horsenden Hill, knew the fearless 14 GoodGymers who arrived at Horsenden Farm on a sunny Saturday were the only team large and brave enough to work so close to where the Gruffalo lurked in the woods behind the farmhouse.

First, she asked Gus, Steph Ducat and Richard to gather the timber stacked beside the farmhouse and reinforce the dead hedge. A sturdy barrier against the hungry Gruffalo, perhaps?

Next, Elsa sent Afshin, Iram and Kash to wheelbarrow a mountain of green waste - rotting onion tops, spoiled peppers, pattypan squash and potatoes - to a spot near the canoe club. Was this a cunning plan to tempt the Gruffalo towards the canal instead of the farm?

Finally, Elsa recruited Andrew, Breda, Emma, Harvey, Melissa, Penny, Scott and Sevan for an enormous weeding job, hoeing and scraping the grass and weeds from the path leading to the Gruffalo's lair. Surely she wasn't making it easier to spot the monster's turned-out toes? Not at all. By clearing away the soft carpet of greenery, she'd ensured that if the Gruffalo sneaked in to steal the pigs, the scrape of his terrible claws against the hard, dry ground would give him away long before he reached the farm.

With the farm secured from its fearsome woodland neighbour, the GoodGymers, led by Elsa's trusty dog Archie, headed through the deep dark wood, following the heavenly aroma of Horsenden's famous pizza. Then, suddenly, they stumbled upon... the Gruffalo!

"Here's my favourite food!" the Gruffalo said. '"GoodGymer crumble!"

But one sniff of the pizza wafting through the woods changed his mind. By the time he reached the farm, there wasn't a slice left. The well-fed GoodGymers simply strolled past the Gruffalo's lair on their way to their second task at the top of Horsenden Hill, leaving the poor monster to rummage through the pile of green waste by the canal in search of a few scraps of rotten onion.

And that's a wrap! After an amazing month of July with the bandstand session on, every Saturday at Watermans Park, it is now a wrap until next year.

Today, as ever, was a great success with a great turnout in both attendance and artists to go on stage. Countless artists of many different spectrum, ages, stage proficiencies and of quite impressive quality overall, I must say!

Following a 2-hour session of bathing in the music for Gus and Emma and a slightly shorter one for Kash who stepped out quickly to do another mission, all the bands had gone, the DJ was finishing his set, it was therefore time to pack up.

Pull down. Fold up. (Hug???) Carry down. Stack up. Rinse and repeat.

Passing by a few fashion show moments from drapping the Goodgymer to (literally) walking the carpet, it was soon a job well done and time for a selfie in front of our beautiful Tetris work.

Until next year Waterman's Park July Bandstand sessions!