8 GoodGymers braved the full moon and fireworks to make a HUGE difference in Camden Town!

Our evening was a night for the senses — up above we were illuminated by the brightest and fullest moon ever seen over Camden — and everywhere we were surrounded by the bangs and pops of bonfire rockets!

Not that anything could dissuade this group from making a wonderful difference!

Jackie, John, Lydia, Sally (back to Camden again — it was great to see you!), Siobhan, Steve, and Victoria were quick to grab brooms and rakes and bags and gloves, and they got merrily (with much conversation in the air) to our task for the evening: ALL THE LEAVES.

In Cecil Sharp House's special garden there sits a magnificent tree. It is old and wise and probably has the best stories in town. But it does have one problem: ALL THE LEAVES.

And so this special group got to grips with this problem — THE ALL THE LEAVES PROBLEM — and we soon had ten then twenty then nearly thirty bags packed and ready for composting.

We'll be back in 3 weeks for our next run at the leaves!

Thank you, everyone!! It was great to see you!!

11 GoodGymers planted hundreds of bulbs ready for spring!

Amidst blustery gusts – in a beautifully autumnal Waterlow Park – a very friendly group gathered to weather the wind.

Four folk were on their very first GoodGym outing: a big welcome to Ellie, Ella, Helen, and Stewart! And they were joined by a wonderful troupe: Cherian, DaMarcus (on their first GG Camden visit — welcome!), Imogen, Lydia, and Victoria ☺️

Following a swift introduction and tutorial by expert gardener April, we settled onto hands and knees and kicked off 60 minutes of planting. Snowdrops, crocuses, anemones, and more, this busy group sewed hundreds of gorgeous bulbs.

I can't wait to walk by next year and see everything spring to life ❤️

Thank you, everyone! You made a huge difference yesterday!

7 GoodGymers made a meaningful difference in Camden this week!

This lovely group headed to one of our usual haunts – Lismore Circus Community Woods in Gospel Oak – and we got busy with pruning, litter picking, hedge trimming, and more!

The photos tell a happy story – 60 minutes in nature with friends – and all while making a meaningful difference in Camden :)

Here's to next time!!

3 GoodGymers – Victoria, Steve, and Alex – caught an hour of green-fingered volunteering today!

Sat on a tree-lined road in Primrose Hill is a care home that's made for a Sunday afternoon drama.

Rathmore House has character and space, and it makes a suitably restful home for 20 older residents.

The three of us jumped to work in the garden, which deserves to be safe and accessible for everyone.

Victoria trimmed the vines back from a box seat, pruned the rose bush (readying it for summer blooms), and pulled oodles of weeds from nooks and crannies!

Steve started with a patch of vines and moved onto sweeping and raking, collecting pile-upon-pile of leaves from the pathways and lawns!

And Alex attempted to keep up with Victoria and Steve!

Thank you, both!!

Lismore Circus Community Woods is an urban space in Gospel Oak, staffed by volunteers, which is where we come in. They can always do with some extra help and there were ten of us!

First we had to move a fallen tree. Then we set to work on the hedges, which were growing over footpaths and a cycle path, and were generally looking rather untidy. Fancying ourselves as skilled hairdressers, we thought about working on perms, wedges, buns, braids, and mullets, but in the end just made some nice fringes.

By the time we’d finished, the paths were free of overhanging and overgrown foliage, and the hedges were cut back to leave a proper edge to the path.

A special welcome to Victoria, who we’d previously met at Hampstead ParkRun, and was here for her first ever good deed! See you again soon Victoria.