It was a first time visit to Sherwood Methodist and a slightly overgrown garden! Secateurs and a variety of loppers were the tools of choice as Peter, Matthew, Rachel, Aj and Nigel (plus a first time guest appearance from Jane, Pete’s wife) rolled their metaphorical sleeves up and got stuck in (and tried to avoid some of the giant thorns!). There was certainly plenty to go at and a good number of wheelie bins were filled to overflowing as the hour flew by. Plenty more to go at and a return visit in September is on the cards!

Nine Nottingham GoodGymers returned to the Bridgeway Hall Methodist Centre for our latest task. We met Paul on arrival who greeted us with open arms and explained what our task would be for the evening.

He also excitedly told us about the new heating system that had recently been installed in the centre by a fantastic group of volunteers called Warriors of Warmth – a team of experienced plumbers and engineers who provide heating systems to charities and organisations across UK (a bit like a more skilled and professional version of GoodGym!).

Whilst installing heating systems may be beyond our capabilities, we can still do our bit, so we all set to work with our jobs for the evening. The hall is also benefitting from a brand-new kitchen very soon, so AJ, Bo, Lindsey, Marta, Vicky and Rachel started by emptying the kitchen cupboards and transporting the contents to a store room upstairs. Paul requested that we just leave enough plates, bowls and cups in the kitchen for the forthcoming community meal, so an element of brain power was also required (or ‘plate maths’ as Vicky described it).

Whilst this was going on, Leah, Nigel and Khiltee worked outside in the garden, clearing an area of overgrowth and weeds. A somewhat less delicate operation than the crockery-moving going on inside, the long trailing branches required a lot of heavy-handed pulling and tugging to get them up. Although they did need to pause for a few moments to try and rescue a couple of bees which had been un-earthed in the process (see pictures).

After half an hour and several trips upstairs with various plates, cups, bowls, cutlery, jugs, slow cookers and a microwave, the kitchen team had finished so also joined in the gardening outside. This included moving some picnic benches and a spot of weeding.

It was a pleasure to return to the Bridgeway Hall where we have done tasks in the foodbank on a number of occasions. It was also great to hear about all the new developments and to chat to Paul who we had not met before. We hope to see you again soon!

Shout-out to Peter for the egg-cellent pun!

We were back at the AMC Gardens last night for an evening of tussling with weeds, compost and some rather worse-for-wear wood.

All six of us arrived under our own steam, with a trio running from town, two on bikes and a solo runner! Great work, team!

After a tour for those of us who hadn't been to the Gardens before, we got stuck into shifting compost from the main bins to some tarps as Katie and the team felt the bins had seen better days and needed reconstructing. Nigel, Aj, Peter and Leah got stuck in with spades, pitchforks and wheelbarrows, managing to clear most of the ready compost and some that was still rotting down into separate piles. Their work clearly had an impact on the local wildlife, with the chickens inspecting every barrow-load for tasty treats and a rogue frog scaring the bejeesus out of Leah (stronger language may have been used, but this is a family website). Katie thankfully moved it out to the pond area for a good drink and a splash. Finally, Leah and Peter began the process of dismantling the old bins, ripping out the old liners and some of the wood.

Meanwhile, Bozena and Tom were over in the gardens proper clearing out some of the beds to make space for planting. The proceeds were then donated to the compost piles the rest had been creating.

We finished our evening with some delicious freshly picked apricots and some well-earned water. What a way to spend a lovely balmy evening!

Eight GoodGymers headed to the Carrington Community Garden in Nottingham to help tidy up the area. Nestled between two residential streets, this hidden gem has been a little neglected in the last couple of years and had become overgrown, littered and had also attracted some rough sleeps recently.

As GoodGym, we had been aware of the gardens for some time but did not know who to contact about helping there. So when we saw Peter, whose daughter had just moved nearby, asking on social media for help in sprucing it up we jumped on board, along with some other local residents and councillors.

Now, all GoodGym tasks are great, but you know it's going to be a good one when you are greeted on arrival by a) a dog and b) an ice lolly and muffins, even before we had done any work (although some had run/cycled in the sun so were more deserving!). This is what happened when we arrived and met Local Councillor, Nayab, who brought the treats and Mark from the Council who was accompanied by little Jack the jack russell. Jack kept a watchful eye on us as we worked and was particularly interested when someone rustled the paper of a muffin case (sorry, Jack, they were chocolate). We were also joined by some local residents and Councillor AJ Matsiko stopped by to have a chat and admire our work.

Peter had already made a bit of a start on the garden the previous week, but we carried on with the clear-up, spending an hour removing weeds and brambles from the path area and litter picking around the gardens. We filled two green waste bins and more, and after the hour the area already looked more open and the path more accessible. There is a still a lot to do, though, so we will be putting in more dates to return very soon.

Thank you to Mark, Nayab, AJ, Kees and his family for such a fun evening, and thanks to Peter for getting this project off the ground.