Tonight the team made their first-ever visit to Cranmer Primary in Mitcham, and we certainly didn't leaf any stone unturned! To conquer the massive site, we split our forces into two teams. Four hi-vis heros braved the school gates and headed into the alley to clear out the stubborn litter trapped in the ditch. Meanwhile, the rest of the team tackled the playground areas, making a clean sweep of the scattered debris. Together, we covered a massive amount of ground, and an even bigger mountain of leaves and litter - filling several black bags. Top of the class for the GoodGym Merton team 👏!

Tonight’s team of volunteers arrived at The Wandle River Community Garden (formerly the Paul Bowness Memorial Garden) after a truly scorching day! Fortunately, the evening air had cooled down just in time, providing the perfect conditions to get stuck into some serious community action.

We were excited to hear about the future plans to grow native plants here specifically for natural dyeing, adding a brilliant, sustainable, and creative twist to this local green space.

To smash through the to-do list, we split into two teams to tackle both the garden itself and a spot a short distance up the river:

Team 1: Armed with secateurs, set to work clearing a thick patch of stubborn brambles, prepping the site for the native dyeing plants.

Team 2: Focused their energy on the main community garden area: weeding, sweeping, tidying up, and clearing litter to get the oasis looking pristine again after a very busy weekend of visitors.

An amazing transformation - well done everyone!

This mission had been booked in our schedule since January, and with glorious sunshine and blue skies, it was totally worth the wait! Four of our team members were on hand to warmly welcome everyone and direct those taking part over to the main dance space. Once everyone arrived, we joined in the dancing, which was so much fun! During the break we made sure to hand out water and keep people involved. It was a brilliant event to be a part of and certainly made a welcome change from the usual tasks we help with at this time of year. There's a few dancers hiding amidst us too it seems😉!

A good sized group of us got stuck in at Martin Way Methodist church this evening for our weekly group session.

I’d never seen the garden, so it was a joy to see the oasis out the back of the church.

Abby told us what was what and we divided ourselves into weeding, watering, composting, pruning and moving things! A lot was achieved (including removing a whole bush!) and a lovely evening was had by all.