A rewarding morning volunteering at Crossness Pumping Station, polishing brass, dusting the magnificent ironwork and sweeping the floors of the historic engine room.

We learnt more about the fascinating history of London’s sewers from our volunteer leader, Tom, who brought the story of this remarkable Victorian engineering achievement to life.

After all our hard work, we were very well looked after with hot drinks and biscuits — a lovely way to round off the session!

It was great to have Shirley with us - we hope you enjoyed your first GoodGym good deed!

We'll be back at Crossness Pumping Station next month. Why not join us?

We love our monthly sessions at Holy Trinity Lamorbey Primary School, where Vice Principal Jane always has something different to keep us busy.

This time, we were delighted to be joined by the Mayor of Bexley, Councillor Lisa-Jane Moore, and her Consort, Justin Moore.

They ran to our meeting point at Sidcup Leisure Centre, where there was time for some official photos with our runners and walkers, ceremonial chains and all, before we set off for the school.

Taking different routes to accommodate the different paces of the running group and the walking group, we all rendezvous-ed at the school with those who had made their own way there.

We had great fun presenting the Mayor and Consort with red GG T-shirts, which they promptly put on, along with their chains, for some more official photos!

Then it was down to work.

🌿 Some of us cut back brambles and low-hanging branches in the outdoor learning area, ferrying the cuttings across the site to a compost pile.

🥕 Others cleared the planters in the vegetable-growing area.

🎨 A third team set about painting a fence.

🔨 And the final team were due to construct a flat-pack grow house, but that plan was scuppered when we discovered there were no screws in the box!

As the light faded, more paintbrushes were found and the fence became a flurry of activity, with a couple of people holding torches aloft to provide some much-needed light.

It's brilliant how much we managed to get done in just an hour, although that long fence is definitely going to need another visit to get it finished!

With all the equipment packed away we moved into the school reception area for some well-earned cake and a final team photo, before heading home.

Another fantastic session, loads done, and plenty of community spirit along the way.

Next month Jane has indoor jobs lined up for us, so sign-up now to join the fun.

This morning’s session with the Friends of Danson Park saw us working in the fledgling community orchard. Last year, we helped plant eight apple trees, which have done remarkably well to survive the drought over the last few months. 🍎🍏

Today, we cut back brambles that were cheekily creeping towards the saplings, then we got stuck into a big pile of wood chippings. The aim was to spread a wide ring around the base of each tree, helping keep the mowers at a safe distance when the orchard's grass is cut.

The five of us, along with the lovely regular FODP volunteers, soon fell into a good system: shovelling chippings into barrows, ferrying them to the trees and raking them into an even layer. It was very satisfying to see the fruits of our labour once we’d finished.

After packing away the tools, we headed to The Stables, where the manager kindly provided tea and coffee and the FODP team supplied the biscuits. A nice way to finish the morning!

It was brilliant to have Beth, Maxine and Dann for their first GoodGym tasks. We hope to see you again soon! 🙌

We’ll be back again next month, probably planting bulbs in the wildflower garden. Then there will be more tree planting to look forward to in November. We're excited to help the orchard grow! 🌳🌳