Laura and the team from Holy Redeemer Pre-School had asked us to help get the outdoor area ready for back-to-school tomorrow.

When we arrived - between us walking, running and cycling to get there - Laura pointed us towards the fruit and vegetable garden where nature had run wild during the summer holidays!

The brambles had thrived, the gourd plants had launched a full-on invasion of the strawberry plants in the raised bed in the other side of the path 🎃 🍓 , weeds were rife among the strawberries, and sneaky bindweed had wound its way around pretty much everything!

Gloves on, and secateurs and shears at the ready, we got busy cutting back and pulling-up. Then we more gently untangling bindweed from the tomato and gourd plants plants, careful not to damage their precious fruits that the children will be so excited to see.

After filling the garden waste bin to the brim and a quick sweep up, we were done.

Now the path around the plants is clear for the children to walk around and explore what's growing. We hope they'll be delighted to see the colourful fruit and vegetables, and our guess is that there will be some tasting going on too!

We'll be back again at the end of the month, helping turn old pallets into storage for music instruments! Come and join us - the more the merrier!

This weeks, Team GoodGym Bexley was back at Days Lane Primary School continuing our mission to give their fences a fresh new look before the children return in September.

After getting stuck in last week, there is something especially satisfying about returning to a task and being able to see the progress from one session to the next.

As ever, the evening was a great example of what GoodGym is all about: keeping active while doing something positive for the local community. Some of us walked there and back together, and while painting might not look like a workout at first glance, after plenty of squatting, reaching, bending, stretching and moving up and down the fence line, everyone had certainly earned their GoodGym credentials!

For anyone who wasn't quite so keen on picking up a paintbrush, there was also a spot of gardening to tackle, meaning there really was something for everyone to get involved with.

And the GoodGym good vibes continued thanks to Marianna, who very kindly baked cheesecake for everyone to share. It was totally delicious and after all that painting and gardening, it was the perfect way to round off another productive session.

Another evening of keeping fit, doing good and making our local area that little bit nicer, one fence panel at a time!

Another hot evening was upon us as we arrived at Welling Library where weeds and brambles had certainly taken hold despite the heatwave!

We soon got stuck in - Sophie collected litter while the rest of us tackled the plants and prickly brambles that had crept across the pathway alongside the building and the yard at the back.

Some of the weeds stuck to us - Alice actually had green fingers!

Well done to Sophie on her 10th good deed!

The time flew by and we bundled up the sacks of cuttings, put away the tools and headed to the Nags Head for a drink and some snacks.

Well done all! The before and after pics show what a difference we made!

On Saturday morning, Sarah, John, Ivar, Martin, Frazer and Marianna from GoodGym joined forces with the lovely Sweet Fig community crew, Tracey, Yvonne and Caroline, for a litter-picking session around the Days Lane area.

It was a classic round of litter bingo, with wrappers, bottles, cans and all the usual suspects making an appearance. But this session also had a surprisingly sporty twist, as we found a golf ball, a football and a dog ball. Not a bad haul, especially as Marianna had her children and dog with her, making the balls feel like a very on-brand discovery.

As we worked our way around the area, several local residents stopped to thank us for cleaning up, which is always such a brilliant boost. It is a lovely reminder that even a short session can make the streets look better and help people feel proud of where they live.

Once the bags were filled and the litter bingo cards firmly completed, we headed to Sweet Fig, where Sam, the local café owner, very kindly treated the group to tea and coffee on the house.

Huge thanks to Sam and the Sweet Fig community for supporting the session, and to everyone who came along to help.

Fancy joining the next one? Come along to a GoodGym session. No special skills required, just a bit of enthusiasm, comfortable shoes and a willingness to make the local area a little bit lovelier.