Maria and I went over to Mrs. C's place in Dulwich to help her with planting/potting cuttings of some sort of daisy that she is going to donate to Dulwich Festival next month.

We managed to fill 35 mini pots whilst her granddaughter (who came for 20 mins) helped Mrs. C with other gardening chores.

We were all done in an hour as the last tasks Mrs. C said she could do herself.

What a glorious day for a run! The sun was out, the birds were singing, and it seemed like everyone’s mood was lifted. With a spring in our step, we were eager to get started. There was much chatter about Friday night's Festival of Running, when Battersea park will be alive with colourful lights and energetic runners. If you haven’t heard of it yet, be sure to check it out! It's a fun mix of light running and vibes and ggers even get free entry when they sign up to help out - more about that later.

Unfortunately our planned task got cancelled last minute. No problem though, we were not going to let all that positive GoodGym energy go to waste! We quickly pivoted, and instead of refilling planters we started last session, we were to go the Ecogarden to give the whole place a good clean up. The idea is that this urban space is being converted to increase biodiversity and to create more places of well being in the city. So its no good having loads of trash strewn around among dirty benches. Enter Goodgym!

A big shout-out to Sevgi who joined us for her very first GoodGym session today. Welcome to the crew! We hope you enjoyed it and will be back for many more fun-filled missions. Also, huge kudos to Richard, who's just about to hit his 50th Good Deed! Richard has been doing so much good, net time you see him he'll be in a black GG tshirt, so give him a cheer! A special shout out goes to Anna for back-marking today, making sure we all I kept everyone going and no one got left behind in a busy tourist area.

Today's task involved heading over to the Grounded Eco Garden, a place we've helped out at before. For those who haven’t been before, it's a community garden focusing on eco-friendly practices, and it's the perfect spot to get your hands dirty and make a positive impact on the environment. We’d been there before, helping get it ready for the community, and today was all about cleaning up the surrounding area.

With the magnificent Tower Bridge as our backdrop, we met up with Alicia and got to work collecting rubbish. At first glance there wasn't loads, but when we really started to look we found an impressive haul, including a surprising number of bottles cig butts (which take 60 years to biodegrade!), and, most curiously, an old car key. If anyone has lost a car key lately... well, now you know where it went!

As we ran, we discussed all sorts of random facts inspired by our surroundings. Did you know that every Wetherspoons pub has its own unique carpet pattern? Yup, it's true! And apparently, there are over 900 Wetherspoons pubs across the UK, each with its own distinctly designed carpet. Who knew there could be so many different patterns?

There was more chat about the Friday Night Lights Festival of Running (where GoodGym volunteers get free entry!) - here’s the link for more info on how to get involved - there's a morning and an afternoon session to join in with. It's a great opportunity to get your run in while enjoying festival vibes.

Lastly, don’t forget about our Monday run in Wandsworth, which will feature our monthly pub quiz after the run. All are welcome, whether you're a regular or a newbie! It's always a blast, and we can’t wait to see you there.

Thanks to everyone for being such an amazing crew today despite he last minute change, and we hope to see you out there next time for the next stage of the transformation of Tower Bridge community garden!

Get Rid and Donate made a meaningful impact by donating clothes to the resilient individuals at the Best West Hotel in Peckham. We engaged in hands-on efforts, hanging clothes, organizing racks and tables, and receiving new donations. By registering residents for the WhatsApp group for the next session, we fostered community connections. It was inspiring to meet so many diverse people, each with their own unique story.

Gemma, Rosemary, Will, and I set off from Old Spike after a quick warm-up for a sunset run to Old Alleynian Sports Club. There, we met Isaac, Sam, and Nathan, ready to tackle our task for the evening. Ian put us to work clearing the astroturf in front of the rugby clubhouse. We used the soil we removed to fill in holes on the cricket pitch, helping to smooth it out in time for summer. By the time we finished, the astro looked much better! As a well-earned reward, Ian treated us to Easter eggs before we set off on our run back to Old Spike for a cool-down. To end the evening we headed to the pub for a well-deserved drink.

Many hands make light work.

Today, Goodgymers, Anna, Brenda and Susan joined Vauxhall food Cooperative volunteers in refilling, sorting, packing and stacking food donations in preparation for tomorrows shop. It was certainly a race against time due to the delivery being delayed.