This Saturday morning, Unigate Wood was buzzing with more than just birdsong. A fantastic group of volunteers from Friends of Unigate Wood and the ever-energetic GoodGym laced up their boots, rolled up their sleeves, and leafed their worries behind to tackle overgrown paths. Armed with hedge trimmers and shear determination, they set out to clear and widen the trails, making the woods more accessible for walkers, wanderers, and woodland creatures alike. It was a real labour of glove as brambles were banished and paths were pruned to perfection.

The result? A newly spruced-up woodland walkway that’s nothing short of tree-mendous. Whether you’re a jogger, stroller, or Sunday rambler, the paths are now primed for your next forest fix. A huge branch of gratitude goes out to the volunteers who trimmed their schedules to make a real impact. They didn’t bark up the wrong tree—they made sure nature lovers can enjoy the peace, beauty, and open paths of Unigate Wood all year round.

It was so amazing ❤️❤️❤️

It was fantastic to celebrate International Women's Day with fellow GoodGymers by getting active, spreading the joy and doing a task that had a positive impact in our local area.

We met in a very busy Battersea Park. It was brimming with runners, as though parkrun had finished, there was another massive race taking place. We found a spot to do our warm ups, and each chose an inspirational female athlete who inspire us - they ranged all the way from marathon runners to speed climbers!

The next challenge was crossing the carriageway without getting in the way of the racers. Luckily we timed it to perfection and headed out of the park on the way to the Falcon estate in Battersea.

The sun was shining and everybody had a smile on their face as we arrived to find Senia from the Women of Wandsworth charity with all the tools we needed and instructions on where to plant our bulbs. Unfortunately I had forgotten about the invitation to wear a splash of purple and green as the official colours of IWD, but luckily Catherine had followed the brief with an excellent pair of socks and green hat. We also did manage to find some bright purple bulbs which will be a lasting reminder of our visit.

Despite the hard ground we got the planting done quickly and as we had a few minutes left we did a speedy litter pick and tidy up, even causing some passers by to stop to find out more.

Job done, we walked the short distance to the Waste Not Want Not hub, where Hadas was waiting for us with delicious treats, hot tea and coffee and music. We spent the rest of the morning happily chatting about food, choirs and dragon fruit!

Happy International Women's day to you all - thank you for coming to celebrate and spreading the positivity in our community.