With a big number of sign-ups expected, it was the perfect opportunity to help both the Friends of Raynes Park and arrange an additional job at one of the Merton Garden Streets nearby. After the runners arrived, a breakaway group headed off to tackle the weeding job up the road and get some extra steps in, while the rest of the team checked in for duties at the station embankment.

We split into teams to tackle pruning, litter picking, and turning the compost, making fantastic progress across the board.

Meanwhile, the watering team faced a hilarious logistical puzzle due to a missing hose (apparently removed by workmen!). Instead, they improvised with a brilliantly inefficient bucket brigade: filling watering cans, emptying them into trug buckets on trolleys, and then pouring them back into watering cans at the embankment.

Despite the extra steps, everyone adapted brilliantly. The pruners, litter pickers, and compost-turners crushed their tasks, and the watering team managed to get some momentum going and plenty of watering completed. Well done, team!

Four intrepid GoodGymmers made their way along the River Wandle on a fair Friday morning to help Deen City Farm set up for their weekend fair. The main task was setting up several gazebos, and after figuring out how they worked (plus a DIY repair to one of them!), we were a lean, mean gazebo-constructing machine!

A last-minute change of heart meant we needed to swap a fully constructed double gazebo from one paddock to another. No problem either for our crack team! With a few extra (farm)hands and military precision we had them both up and over the fences like a well-oiled machine.

Although our tasks weren't meant to be farm related, a few local residents did decide to get involved - from a riding horse interested in our tent pegs to Meg the Shetland cow 'horning' in on our selfie! Farm life 👩‍🌾

The Ridgway Community Garden is looking so much better than when we first came along, but all gardens need constant care. And so we're back to help the wonderful volunteers by pruning, digging out and replacing dead plants, and not forgetting the perennial weeding. As always, it's great to see how much we manage to achieve in just an hour and we're all looking forward to next time.