Two things to do at our brand new task tonight at the Paxton Centre, a community creative hub on Anerley Hill.

We met at the Bridge House and answered tonight's icebreaker - What's your favourite paint name? We had the bright: razzle dazzle rose to the more sombre: gunmental grey.

Setting out, we did a spiral out along Oakfield Road and then onto Anerley Road and up the hill to our destination. On arrival we met Beth, the proprietor of the space, who wanted help with touch up paintwork downstairs 🖌️ and fastening the legs of a set of tables upstairs 🔩

James led the way in taking apart the tables so we could get to the nuts that needed to be tightened, while GoodGym returnee Matthew and team got to work taking down the various prints on the walls and painting behind them where the colour beneath had chipped off over time.

Both teams did a great job and we were done by 8pm, ready to head off home with Beth grateful for our help. Alone, it would've taken her a long time to do those jobs, but with a few helping hands we could get lots done in 30 minutes! 🕗

Join Cat next week for some wire brushing at Alexandra Recreation Ground (and warmer weather! 🤞)

Three Goodgymmers joined the friends of Kelsey park for a nice refreshing outdoor morning.

There were two tasks today 1. Clearing some bramble 2. Cutting up a fallen tree

We split into two teams and got stuck in!

The bramble clearing was completed and left in a nice pile for the park gardeners to collect.

The fallen tree looked a monumental task at first but after a bit of brute force and team work the tree was soon broken cut up. -We then move the wood to a small clearing making a semi-artistic sculpture.

Then it was onwards to some well deserved coffee and late breakfast…

Another week of joining Viv, Lumin, and the team of dedicated local volunteers for another productive gardening session.

Excitingly, the rhizomes we moved and replanted last month are already popping up!

A big thank you to James and John, who wheeled over many loads of leaf mulch for us. This will help keep the plants happy as they continue to grow.

Lumin had plenty of great gardening tips this week. One of the highlights was when we discovered a beetle larvae, sparking a fascinating discussion on how to identify different beetle species in their early stages.

With fresh growth appearing and the planters looking tidy, we’re excited to see what the next few weeks bring. Join us next time! 🌱✨

Late winter is all about keeping on top of the basic maintenance when it comes to green spaces, and after a few months away from Beckenham Green, three GoodGym heroes headed over today to do exactly that 🦸

We met Ian, the leader of the Friends of the Green group, who asked us to:

• scrape some soil that had accumulated in a trough on a path, creating a slippery environment for path users
• clear leaves and soil from the path edge, helping to make it look more kept.

Laura and new GoodGymer Ville joined me in making light work of the above tasks, and it shows how just one hour of work can make a huge difference to these vital public spaces.

We'll return at the start of April for a more Spring-like session :)

We had a duo of tasks last night to pick from.

Team Gazebo (Fiona, James, George, Nathan and Charlie) popped along to the scene of last week's gazebo erection to deliver said gazebos to a shed the other side of the estate ahead of a community event there this weekend. They also put up a couple of posters up to advertise the event to residents. Top stuff.

Easy PEASy

Down the bottom of the hill, team planter (Paul, Cat, Clare and I) headed to some weedy community planters to give them a little tidy. It was a big job so we just tried to do one section, removing some sticky weed, grass and dead sweet pea plants (but emptying the pods and spreading the seeds amongst the other beds).

Nice job and jog everyone 👍

Paul, Rosie, Mark and Hannah met at Penge East Community Centre to help some windows sparkle like their true selves, both inside and outside. (In fact, one member of the party was so keen that they managed to get there an hour early, but we won’t mention any names…) A system of washing, scrubbing and dry-wiping was quickly established, and we worked our way round the building, indoors first and then outdoors. We finished up with some admiration of the noticeboard of local activities and all the great initiatives going on at the Centre - take a look!