On a bright Saturday morning, 6 brave GoodGymers descended upon Danson Park, armed with gloves, loppers, and a healthy dose of enthusiasm. Our mission? To join forces with the Friends of Danson Park and take on the park’s most prickly residents – the brambles.

Now, these weren’t your average, polite little plants. Oh no. These brambles had clearly been training for battle – all spikes and attitude, stretching far and wide like they owned the place. But with teamwork, determination, and the occasional “ouch!” or “I think it’s got me again!”, we managed to clear quite a sizeable patch.

The cleared area will soon make way for new bushes and trees, giving that part of the park a well-deserved facelift (and perhaps a less pointy future).

A big thanks to the Friends of Danson Park for hosting us – and to our fearless team for proving once again that even the spikiest challenges can be overcome with a bit of teamwork and a lot of good humour! 🌳💪

On Saturday, our GoodGym team rolled up their sleeves and joined Jason – the wonderful gardener at Community Hospice – for a mission that was all about soil, sweat, and smiles.

The job? Clear out the flower beds in the Sensory Garden, sieve all the soil, and then put it back in. Sounds straightforward? Well, it was a proper workout! Buckets were filled, sieves were shaken, and the odd stone or stubborn root put up a fight.

By the end, the beds were ready for a fresh start. Jason and his gardening team can now plant a whole array of new, beautiful plants to brighten up the garden. It’s more than just flowers – it’s colour, life, and cheer for the hospice patients and their families who enjoy that space every day.

We left a little muddier, a lot sweatier, but very proud. Sometimes the best way to spread joy is to get your hands dirty.

Nothing discourages me more than the amount of work I see ahead of me. Every day walking down Westwood Lane, near the A2, I thought: this area really needs a good litter picking session. The rubbish piling up, the brambles and spiky plants making the path hard to walk – it all felt overwhelming. Too much to take on alone.

And that’s when GoodGym support became indispensable. Just one hour together – and look at the difference! Street cleaned, brambles cut back, litter picked (with some unusual findings like a broken guitar, a flag post (?) and even a huge throw!).

Several locals stopped to thank us as we worked, which made it even more rewarding. But the best part for me will be Monday morning: walking this road with my kids on our way to school and sharing the excitement of how much good can be done when a bunch of committed people come together.

Thank you, my amazing fellow GoodGym-ers! John Sarah Rachel

This morning we gave the big conifer outside Danson House a proper makeover. First we battled through lots of very spiky plants, then spread a fresh circle of mulch all around the tree. It now looks brilliant – like it’s ready for a photo shoot!

We also collected a huge 29 bags of wilted grass, weeds and rubbish. The area looks so much tidier, and the tree is definitely the star of the show.

Well done team – spades, mulch and teamwork made the magic happen!