It’s getting dark out there now, but that didn’t stop our GoodGym crew from heading to Shepherd’s Hill Gardens to help Pat and her team keep the area in top shape for public use.

We began as usual by gathering outside the Phoenix Cinema—which, by the way, is currently hosting a French Film Season. Well worth a look if you fancy supporting one of London’s last remaining independent cinemas. After a round of wide-leg squats, stretches, and a chat about the books within us, we were ready to go.

George, of course, raised the bar (or the bookmark) by already having two books under his belt—with a third poetry collection and a fourth imaginative project in the works. The rest of us were… shall we say, developing drafts—ranging from fantasy travelogues to autobiographies still very much in outline form!

We set off into the night, head torches and body lights glowing. About halfway there, we stopped for a quick set of bench tricep dips, just to keep the group together (and arms warm).

At the gardens, Pat greeted us with her usual warmth—and a fascinating oak tree lesson. Apparently, oak trees drop huge numbers of acorns every five years in what’s known as a “mast year”, overwhelming the squirrels so enough acorns survive to sprout new trees. (For fellow nature fans, there’s a brilliant BBC iPlayer documentary about oaks that’s well worth a watch.)

We got stuck into clearing acorns and leaves from the paths to make them safe and welcoming for visitors. Emily joined us directly at the task, and together we made quick work of it—head torches bobbing through the undergrowth like busy fireflies.

As always, Pat treated us afterwards to hot chocolate, herbal teas, and a tempting selection of biscuits—the perfect finish to a productive evening.

We jogged back to the Phoenix feeling satisfied, muddy, and just a little bit oak-obsessed.

A great effort by all thanks for coming out, running, and doing good. It really does make a difference.

I returned this week to help Mrs A and her husband sort through the contents of their shed. Even with our carefully laid tarp from last week, things were a little damp, but we had good weather and got started on the clothing and textiles.

Mrs A isn't very mobile, but has a lot of verve. She sat at the top of the garden stairs and we ferried things up for her to decide what to keep, give to charity, or discard. By the end of the session, we had two large sacks of rubbish, two for charity and a few to keep.

After I carried the give-aways through to the front garden and the keeps back down to the shed, I helped Mr A covered the remaining contents - even more carefully! - with the tarp, so they'll keep for another week. Lots of rain expected this weekend, but hopefully things are well pinned now and will stay dry until Goodgym returns!

A few GoodGym members picked up litter in their local community during the month of September. thank you for your efforts!

Four Goodgymmers - plus Gus! - jogged their way to Martin Primary School to help spread mulch around their forest school. After a quick warm up outside the Phoenix Cinema, Paul and Gus took up back marking, while Anthony and Emily followed my lead along the High Road to the school.

After a brisk jog, we arrived to find tools and mulch waiting for us. We knew the drill and set upon the mulch pile, taking turns to rake, shovel. Then, with headtorches on, we wheeled the mulch down through the orchard to the 'parachute' area - a big tent made from an actual parachute! Then we refreshed the ground and gates.

We scraped up just about all the remaining mulch, but not to worry, the janitor tells us they're expecting a big delivery any day now, so we'll be back all through the coming months to keep those paths well-covered. A great task for a crisp evening!

Next week we're back to Shepherds Hill Gardens - it's a longer run and a great work out tidying paths, trimming hedges and raking and clearing. Looking forward to it!