GoodGym Lambeth Run Report 🏃‍♀️🌱

Agnes Riley Gardens - Pond Weed Warriors!

This week, our magnificent GoodGymers wheely outdid themselves at Agnes Riley Gardens! 💚

We joined forces with Harriet and the Friends of the Gardens for some serious pond-to-compost action. The mission? Transport mountains of freshly dredged pond weeds to their final resting place. It was time to get mucky! 🌿

The Dream Team 👏

A huge welcome to our fabulous first-timers Omkar and Bill - you absolutely smashed it! We hope this is just the beginning of your GoodGym journey. You’ve set the bar-row very high! 🎉

Our legendary regulars were back and better than ever: Ben, Perdie, Fi, Adam, and the amazing Tilly, who blessed us all with her heavenly brownies and meringue cookies (because nothing says “well done” like sugar and carbs after manual labour!). 🍪🤎

The Task 💪

Armed with garden forks, spades, and brooms, we got straight to work loading up our trusty wheelbarrows - affectionately dubbed Barrow Obama, Wheeliam Shakespeare, and Scarlett Jobarrowson - and sprinted them over to the compost heap. It was basically CrossFit meets gardening, and we were here for it!

Special Guest Appearance 🦎

Mid-mission, we discovered an adorable pond newt (now officially named Isaac Newt-on) chilling in the weeds. After a brief photoshoot, Sir Newt-on was safely returned to his watery kingdom. Long may he reign! 👑

The Verdict ✨

Another fantastic evening of fitness, friendship, and freshly cleared ponds! The gardens are looking gorgeous, our legs got a serious workout, and we all left with muddy trainers and massive smiles.

Until next week, GoodGymers! Keep running, keep doing good! 🏃‍♂️💚

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Interested in joining us? Check out GoodGym Lambeth for upcoming tasks!

The Route: A Berry Good Adventure! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

This week our fantastic crew of do-gooders embarked on another mission to spread joy and burn calories in equal measure! We ran to Holy Trinity to meet the lovely Adam, taking the scenic route through the park where we couldn’t resist a spontaneous 50-yard dash. Because apparently regular running isn’t challenging enough - we needed to add some competitive spirit to really get those heart rates pumping!

Well done Fi!! Perdie sorry about the misbehaving bicycle...:0(

Mission: Operation Bramble Trouble

Once we arrived at the vicarage, it was time to get down to the nitty-gritty (and thorny) business of garden warfare:

Blackberry Bramble Battle Royale - Armed with secateurs and sheer determination, we took on some seriously aggressive brambles that had clearly been plotting garden domination. These weren’t just any old thorns - they were the kind that fight back! Several volunteers emerged looking like they’d been wrestling with a particularly grumpy hedgehog, but victory (and a kilo of berries) was ours!

Path Clearing Champions - We declared all-out war on weeds and moss, transforming a slightly shabby path into something so pristine it practically sparkled. The weeds didn’t stand a chance against our green-fingered army of destruction!

Weeding Warriors - No dandelion was safe as our volunteers pulled, tugged, and uprooted with the enthusiasm of people who genuinely enjoy making things tidy (which, let’s face it, is slightly concerning but utterly admirable).

🌟 LEGEND ALERT: Michael Hits the Big 3-0-0! 🌟

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we have a genuine superhero in our midst! Tonight we’re celebrating our absolute legend Michael, who has just recorded his 300th good deed with GoodGym!

That’s right - THREE HUNDRED acts of community kindness since he started back in 2017. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly one good deed for every cup of tea consumed during a typical British crisis meeting, or about the same number of times we’ve all said “this year will definitely be different” since 2017.

Michael, you absolute weapon of community spirit, you’ve been smashing it for seven years and show no signs of slowing down. From bramble battles to litter picking adventures, from community garden chaos to whatever weird and wonderful tasks we’ll inevitably stumble into next week - you’ve been there through it all!

Here’s to Michael: proving that being a legend isn’t just about what you achieve, but about showing up week after week with a smile, a pair of running shoes, and an inexplicable willingness to wrestle with hostile vegetation! 🏆

The Verdict

Another week, another successful mission accomplished! The vicarage is looking absolutely mint (pun intended), our step counters are very happy with us, and somewhere in Lambeth, a group of defeated brambles is probably plotting their revenge for next season.

Until next week, keep running, keep laughing, and keep being the kind of people who think spending their evening pulling weeds is actually a pretty decent way to spend time!

Remember: We’re not just working out - we’re working wonders in our community, one terrible pun at a time!

The Run-Down

Our fantastic team of volunteers laced up their trainers and ran to Brixton Windmill Gardens to help Jean prepare for their upcoming Green Flag assessment. We were absolutely raking in the good vibes with 4 brilliant new faces joining us – talk about turning over a new leaf!

What We Accomplished

The team got stuck in with some serious garden maintenance, focusing on making the gardens look their absolute best for this week’s important review:

• Leaf clearing: We raked up all the autumn leaves scattered across the grass areas
• Path maintenance: Cleared and tidied the pathways throughout the gardens
• General sprucing: Made sure every corner was looking pristine and presentable

The Impact

Thanks to our volunteers’ hard work, Brixton Windmill Gardens is now looking mint for their Green Flag assessment. Jean was over the moon with our efforts – you could say we really helped them branch out and show off what makes their space so special.

The gardens are now in tip-top shape for their review, and we’re rooting for them to achieve that coveted Green Flag status!

Volunteers: 11 amazing people (including 4 fantastic newcomers!)
Total good done: One garden ready to flourish under assessment scrutiny

Special thanks to Fi for leading the run while AA is away!