The weather forecast was looking awful and I was worried our task was going to be rained off, but it turned out to be a lovely evening down at the community croft with Earth in Common.

After a short run down Leith Walk it was another evening of graft turning over compacted soil and digging out stubborn weeds. We are making steady progress in expanding the market garden but there's still a lot to do, so expect us to be back again to continue the work! The vision is to keep coming back to this spot and see it transform over time to a thriving growing space with Goodgym veg supporting the community!

Thanks to Ali and the Earth in Common team for hosting us again.

Shout out to Lucy for getting to a park run this past weekend.

Props to Rory for running all the way to and from Gorgie to get to the task.

And congratulations to Jake for completing your PHD! A huge achievement and looking forward to exploring your idea for a GoodGym run based around your history of running tour in Edinburgh - watch this space for developments on this.

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It was a mighty meetup on a pleasantly mild Tuesday evening this week with 13 GoodGymers joining 12 Edinburgh Trash Club litter pickers for a joint mission around Tolbooth Wynd Park and the surrounding area.

Walking and running groups set off from Edinburgh Street Food and made excellent time down Leith Walk to get to the meeting point. There we met up with Indy and the Edinburgh Trash Club for our first, but hopefully not our last, collab.

Edinburgh Trash Club meet up once a fortnight for cleanup duties around the city (and post cleanup socials in the pub) and are well worth checking out: https://www.instagram.com/edinburghtrashclub/

After some friendly introductions we got to work, armed with bags, litter pickers, gloves and plenty of enthusiasm. Over the next hour we set out to gather as much rubbish as we could, and there was plenty to keep us busy!

And what a transformation it was! So many full bags of rubbish collected and the whole area was noticeably cleaner and more welcoming afterwards. Our efforts certainly didn't go unnoticed too, with a number of local residents stopping to chat and sharing how grateful they were for the work being done with litter being an issue

A huge thank you to Indy and our new friends at Edinburgh Trash Club for welcoming us along and helping make the evening such a success. It was brilliant to work alongside another community-focused group that shares our passion for improving local spaces and bringing people together through local community action.

Here's to more collaborations, more community action and a cleaner city!

Shout out to first time Goodgymers Sam and Maya - hope to see you again soon :)

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Please note there is no GoodGym next Tuesday 29th September as I'm on holiday, We'll be back in a fortnight.

Eight GoodGym runners gathered at Edinburgh Street Food for this week's group run. It was a slightly longer route today with plenty of uphill, bit shout out to everyone for managing 7.5km and getting so mulch done with our task too!

Our task partner this week was Friends of the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links (FoMBL) — a volunteer‑led organisation dedicated to protecting, maintaining, and improving one of Edinburgh’s most iconic green spaces. FoMBL works year‑round on projects that support biodiversity, preserve heritage features, improve access, and keep the Meadows and Links welcoming for everyone who uses them: runners, dog walkers, families, students, and wildlife.

We were glad to meet up with our task coordinator today, Neil from FoMBL (20 years volunteering with the group!) was ready and waiting for us, equipped with wheelbarrows, spades, forks, and a clear plan for the evening. With tools in hand, the group split into two groups:

Group 1 had their work cut shifting and spreading mulch around newly planted trees to protect their young roots and retain moisture. Group 2 got down and dirty picking weeds along the walking paths.

After an hour of graft we managed to make good progress. We had been able to clear whole sections of path from weeds and a whole enclosure of new trees was freshly mulched.

Why FoMBL Matters — and How to Get Involved

FoMBL is powered almost entirely by local volunteers who care about the long‑term health of the Meadows and Links. Their work includes planting, maintenance, heritage projects, litter picking, and advocating for the protection of these historic spaces. They have a regular meet up on Friday, you can find out more and get involved on their website:

Anyone can get involved by joining the charity, attending volunteer days, or supporting their campaigns. Their website includes details on membership, upcoming activities, and ways to contribute: https://www.fombl.org.uk/

A Strong Showing from GoodGym Edinburgh

This was one of our longest and most energetic group runs yet, and the effort showed. The combination of distance, hills, and physical volunteering made for a proper GoodGym workout — and Neil seemed pleased with how much we managed to get done.

GoodGym Edinburgh is off to a strong start. It's a simple concept - meet, run, help, connect, repeat. It's great to see our little community starting to get established after only 3 weeks!

Shout out to Holly and Rory for their first runs, both made big contributions tonight.

Also shout out to Katie for becoming the first member of GoodGym Edinburgh to take on the Taskforce volunteer role!