When our planned task fell through at the last minute, 11 GoodGym Greenwich runners and walkers proved that adaptability is one of our greatest strengths. Rather than call it a night, we grabbed the litter pickers and headed around Charlton for an impromptu community litter pick.

Before setting off, our icebreaker question was: "What's your favourite thing about Greenwich?" Answers ranged from its beautiful parks and riverside walks to the markets, history, community spirit and, of course, GoodGym itself. It was a lovely reminder of why we're all so keen to help keep the borough looking its best.

The evening was also packed with milestones. A huge welcome to Cathy, who completed her very first GoodGym task, hopefully the first of many! Meanwhile, massive congratulations to our Norwegian pun-King Ivar, who celebrated an incredible 300th GoodGym task!

We split up to tackle litter hotspots around Charlton, collecting bags full of cans, bottles, wrappers and plenty of the usual unexpected finds. Every bag filled was another small but visible improvement to the neighbourhood.

A big thank you to everyone who embraced the change of plans with such positivity. Another lovely evening spent amongst the rubbish!

Until next time!

Rachel 😁

Yesterday, there were only two volunteers signed up to help distribute food this evening. Without more helpers, the charity was about to cancel. Goodgym to the rescue!

Thanks mainly to Goodgym Greenwich, we were able to rustle up 7 helpers to assist Jas, and we were able to go ahead.

Today there was veggie rice, bread and biscuits to hand out. And because of the heat, the standard hot chocolate and coffee was replaced by milkshakes to cool everyone down in the heat.

We made a great team, and managed to hand most of the food out while chatting to the crowd that showed up, and each other. Within the hour all food was gone and we packed up and dispersed to catch the England kick off!

On a very warm and barmy evening, nine GoodGymers made their way (gently) to Hervey Road Sports Ground. Some ran (slowly in the heat), while others walked. We all panted breathlessly and wondered if we would ever feel a gentle breeze again…

When we arrived at the sports ground community garden, we were greeted by James, the son of Anne, who is behind the Hervey Road Sports Ground gardening project. Poor Anne has broken her wrist, so James (who had even cut short his holiday!) stepped in to brief us in her place. Thank you, James, and get well soon, Anne!

Over the last few years, GoodGym has regularly helped with the annual lavender planting around the border of the car park. This time, GoodGym was replacing some of the lavender plants that hadn't survived with 27 fresh new ones.

After some clear instructions from James, we all set about watering, digging holes, adding soil and planting the lavender. Before long, the wonderful fragrance of lavender filled the car park. There was just enough time for a final group photo before we sauntered home in the now cooler evening light, leaving behind a little more L❤️vendar than we'd arrived with.

Title by @Aman

It was a beautiful sunny evening last night, perfect for a GoodGym Greenwich foray around Charlton. We started warming up with the question:

What would be the first thing you did if you won the lottery?

Answers ranged from paying off family mortgages, taking a month away to consider what to do with the rest of life, buying one of those massive houses on Crooms Hill and giving 90% of it away. Some of the group ran a loop of Charlton and Hornfair Park and some walked directly to Charlton Manor Primary School where Michael was waiting with brushes, forks and paint. The task for the evening was finishing off painting the fences and a rather lovely trellis bench and weeding around the nursery play area. 40minutes later there was a fresh coat of paint everywhere, including a splatter which christened Mark's nice new GoodGym tee (we knew it wouldn't take long!) and one of the borders clear of weeds. Amazing what can be achieved in a short space of time - many hands make light work indeed.

We then headed to the playground for a short fitness session to top off the evening.

Thank you all - until next time!

Coming up

Sunday: Gardening at Oxleas Woods

Next Wednesday: Woodland maintenance at the Memorial Hospital