Amy and Petra met Brian on sunny Sunday to help with paining a wooden flowerbed. Moving it from under very wet plastic sheet into the sun - that was the heavy lifting done. We then sanded it down and painted it whilst catching some sunshine. Stopped for cup of tea and a biscuit that Brian kindly provided. See you in April.

On a glorious sunny Sunday morning, we gathered at Staywell Day Centre with 2 hours on the clock and a mission: to give the vegetable patch, flower beds, and driveway a good weeding makeover! Armed with trowels, gloves, and an eagerness to get stuck in, Amy, Alexis, Farzeen, Emily, and Jana wasted no time diving into the task.

As we worked, conversations flowed freely, with stories exchanged about our professions and daily lives. A highlight of the day was hearing about Emily's exciting news: she’s being presented with a prestigious Majors award tomorrow evening! We all shared in her excitement, which certainly helped lift the atmosphere as we tackled some particularly stubborn weeds.

At the halfway mark, we took a well-deserved break to recharge with biscuits and chocolate. Standing back, we admired our progress so far.

With renewed energy, we powered through the rest of the time, determined to make the residents proud of their newly spruced-up outdoor spaces. By the end of the session, the transformation was complete, and we couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment as we surveyed the clean, tidy garden and weed-free driveway.

It was a fantastic day of teamwork, sunshine, and stories for a worthy cause, leaving us all with smiles (and maybe a little mud) on our faces!

Our third group run was from Raynes Park along the C31 cycle path to New Malden. Once there we headed to Jubilee Square, a great little outdoor community space, to help litter pick and cover the flower beds with woodchip. This was a physical workout that reminded us why we are called Good GYM. Shovelling, wheeling barrows, raking, we took it all in our stride and by the end of the hour the area looked transformed. And it was really nice when passers-by stopped to appreciate our efforts. All that remained was to help project leader Danielle to fit two large wheelbarrows into the boot of her car - so a bit of Krypton Factor to round off the evening. It was great to meet Amy from Kingston and we hope to see her again.

Goodgymers Amy, Chris and Anita helped Violets, Lamb’s Ears, Hellebores and Woodruff find new dream homes in an idyllic riverside location in Richmond.

As well as sizing up jobs suitable for the Monday evening Richmond Group Task at our sponsored plots in Buccleuch Gardens, we were able to make use of the spring sunshine to undertake some ‘division’ and replanting.

The Violets and Lamb’s Ears (stachys) that are really flourished in the Arcade Rockery were divided and small clumps removed and replanted at a number of points across the bed.

Self-set hellebores and overcrowded woodruff from Anita’s garden were also given new homes with room to expand in the Arcade Rockery and around the benches.