There was plenty to celebrate as we joined the Friends of Danson Park this morning.

It was Megan Maria's first GoodGym session 👏. Lovely to have you with us Megan!

It was Marianna's tenth good deed 🥳, paving the way to join our Task Force team, helping to run our amazing group.

Then it was Marianna's daughter, Veronica's birthday 🎈. There was high anticipation about the birthday cake awaiting her later in the day. Veronica took the lovely black and white photo of her mum and her brother on her new birthday-present camera 📷.

And Ashton, wearing his brand new black GG t-shirt marking 50 good deeds, arrived having completed his first ever parkrun 🏃‍♂️.

Hi fives all round 👐!

And what about the task? We had a lovely time in the sunny woodland area, laying woodchips along one of the paths. There was much shoveling, barrowing and raking to cover a long stretch of the path.

After returning all of the tools to their store we headed to The Stables for a cuppa and chat.

Combining this kind of activity with time outdoors and friendly people is a real mental pick-me-up. We'll be back there again on the second Saturday of June. Do come and join us, and new members are always welcome (feel free to bring a friend if you are nervous about taking that first step on your own).

If you're a parkrunner or parkwalker this task is just a stone's throw away from Danson parkrun. An ideal parkrun-GoodGym double-header!

What a lovely morning to be out at Danson Park! The sun was shining, the company was great, as we teamed up with Friends of Danson Park for a fun and satisfying litter pick.

We collected all sorts of rubbish, making the park cleaner and safer—especially for the adorable ducklings we spotted by the water!

Very proud to help keep their home plastic-free. Great way to start the day!

What a smashing morning with the Friends of Danson Park, laying wood chippings along the Woodland Walk 🌳.

With eight of us (plus a husband and two brilliant young helpers) working alongside the regular volunteers we got so much done. Shoveling chippings into wheelbarrows, ferrying them to the path, raking them out, going back for more. It was genuinely impressive seeing our dynamic GoodGym team in action.

Beth coined things beautifully in saying, 'This is the best kind of GoodGym task, when you get a great workout, and can see a real difference at the end.'

Great work everyone!

With the path finished we headed to Danson Stables (cafe, not horses) for hot drinks kindly provided by the manager, and biscuits provided by the Friends ☕️🍪.

We'll be back next month, getting busy again to keep Danson Park looking wonderful.

• And the title for this report? When Ashton told us someone called him Alvin, and we were ferrying the chippings around... nice punning Beth!

In just one hour, the GoodGym Bexley team made a huge difference to the area by Co-op Blackfen! Armed with litter pickers, bin bags, and plenty of enthusiasm, we got stuck in—and wow, did we find some surprises.

Among the usual rubbish, we picked up:

👞 A pair of shoes – someone must have walked home barefoot!
🍳 A frying pan – maybe breakfast on the go?
☕ A coffee machine – a bit big for a takeaway coffee!
🌂 Umbrellas – useful, but not when left in the street.
🚗 An exhaust pipe – not something you expect to find while litter picking!

By the end of the session, the whole area looked so much tidier. Hopefully, now it’s clean, people will think twice before dropping more rubbish!

A big thank you to everyone who helped – you’re all brilliant. And most importantly…

Happy 8th Birthday, GoodGym Bexley! Here’s to another year of getting active, doing good, and making a difference. Thank you Sidcup Partners for the delicious cake, and Rooted Coffee House in Blackfen Community Library for hosting our celebrations.