We had our first WWF X GoodGym Workout for Nature session* this evening and what a lovely night for it!

After discussing our favourite UK place to be in sunny weather (thanks for the question Clare!), six of us ran the 3km to Dorset Road Allotments where we met Jeannette and co. Over the last year we've been helping to dismantle a HUGE chicken shed which hadn't been used for a decade so was full of brambles. This has finally been demolished so our task tonight was to clear the foundations so that topsoil and grass seed can be added. The eventual plan is to turn the spot into a picnic area, which will look out over a flower-covered hibernaculum made from the leftover rubble from the chicken shed. Very environmentally friendly!

Over 40 minutes we made good progress, with Colette being in charge of scouting out bits of broken glass and plastic, David trying out the pickaxe to get rid of tough roots, and Clare, Catherine and James digging and raking over the earth and shuttling wheelbarrows of top soil from the compost heap while I worked with Jeannette to get rid of any pesky bind weed roots.

We finished off just as the sun was setting (so nice to be able to do tasks in daylight!) and before setting off on the run back the team gave me their best chicken poses in honour of our long departed friends.

Great job team!

*Between 7 April and 4 May 2025, WWF (the wildlife people, not the wrestlers) and GoodGym are collaborating on hundreds of sessions to celebrate Earth Day. Each session will involve a Workout for Nature - a physical volunteering activity which will benefit local green spaces, and give our own wellbeing a boost. You can find out more here

Lovely to be able to run to, and complete (almost) a whole task, before it got dark. We started off meeting at the Bridge House, talking about the change of season as the clocks changed this weekend. Votes were mostly for spring and new life, blossoms, bugs, flowers, and how we're more likely to see new and returning people out on tasks now that evenings feel longer. We took a mini detour across Crystal Palace Park, watching people, dogs, and birds making the most of the weather, then arrived panting at the top of Anerley Hill to meet John and our other GoodGym taskers at the museum entrance. After pondering over whether Brunel might have tagged his work somewhere in the tower, we split into little groups - weeding, sweeping, digging and sorting rubble and rubbish from soil which can be used on local gardening projects. In fact, we learned how some soil from this water tower was used for a raised bench area in South Norwood Country Park recently. We all agreed that the best tasks (and to be honest, most of our tasks!) are the ones where we can immediately see the difference we've made in a short time :)

Crystal Palace GoodGymmers made their way to Alexandra Recreation Ground this evening to carry on with the task of scraping off the old flaky paint on the railings around the children’s play area, ready for a fresh coat once the weather’s a bit drier.

Given how close the park is to the Bridge House, we took the scenic route there via Sydenham. Unfortunately I managed to fall foul of two of the hazards I’d pointed out in the pre-run briefing (poor lighting and uneven pavements!) but luckily I was well supported by lots of concerned GoodGymmers and my well-stocked run leader first aid kit. After a quick break to check for injuries, we ran on to meet up with Millie from the Friends of Cator Park and Alexandra Recreation Ground who had an assortment of tools and protective equipment ready to help us remove the old paint and lichen (and some pesky slugs). My personal favourite was the double action scraper brush tool - watching all the paint flake off was very satisfying!

We worked and chatted for about 40 minutes and made some decent progress in that time. We’ll be back at the park on 21st April to continue the task (hopefully without the need for a first aid kit or head torches!). If you want to try out the scraper brush tool for yourself, you can sign up here

Rail-ly great work tonight team!

St Christopher's Hospice Charity Shop 🛍️ on the Crystal Palace Triangle is a regular haunt for GoodGym Crystal Palace. We returned this week to do our usual tidy at a very welcome indoor task!

Before making the epic journey uphill, we met at the home of GG Crystal Palace, the Bridge House pub, where we introduced ourselves and answered this week's question - 'What's your favourite thing about Irish culture?' (it being St Patrick's Day ☘️). Consensus on Guinness 0.0% as a breakout star of the mid-2020s!

We jogged up Crystal Palace Park Road on the outer edge of the Park and across the Triangle to meet Theresa. Cat got stuck into steaming clothes ready to be hung, James was reunited with his pal Henry the Hoover for the third time, while the rest of the team set off on tidying the clothes on racks, giving the shelves a dust down and polishing the mirrors.

With a good 30 minutes of work we'd given the shop a spritz and were ready to head home.

Fab work, GoodGymers!

Tonight was a double deed day. Two tasks for two top local organisations - St Hugh's Community Centre and Living Well who provide a food bank and support to those who need it.

We kicked off at the Bridge House with a belated fave pancake question. I didn't know some people didn't like pancakes?!

Also, shout out to Colette for joining us tonight - nice one for getting stuck in!

We split in two:

📦 Catherine, Clare, Collette and Stephen headed down into Penge to shift a whole lotta stock from the storage room and into the main shop area at Living Well's charity shop.

🚪 James, Cat, David and I took the long route to Anerley, where St Hugh's Community Centre had a load of leaflets advertising all the important wellbeing and community services they offer to deliver through doors on the estate.

Both teams nailed their tasks and timing and those who headed back to base arrived minutes apart.

Well done everyone 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏