Three GGers: Adam, Jp and Victoria set about delivering the Shooting Star's Children Hospice collection leaflets to the streets of Teddington.

We covered the area near Teddington Lock and the Landmark Art Centre, spreading this Treemendous fir-raising idea!

Volunteered alongside a wonderful bunch of people at Evolution Centre in Battersea Park. Served Christmas dinner to c 500 people who would otherwise have been on their own. Met some very interesting people including an original ‘Teddy Girl’

It was a warm but overcast morning in Twickenham as four of Goodgym’s finest gathered at the Richmond Furniture Scheme for our monthly mission there.

The RFS is a great organisation which repairs and restores donated furniture which is sold on to the public, at discounted rates for those who need a little more help.

We welcomed back a long-lost Vix and an even longer-lost Pippa and everyone got stuck in to the task, which was to move stone slabs from one side of the car park to the other. We decided to make use of one of the trolleys which Harry dragged across and up a deceptive incline to reach the shed where the slabs were to be stacked.

No slab was too heavy for two and we finished the main part of the task in 4 trips. It then remained for us to shovel the soil (as the slabs had been surrounding a flowerbed of sorts) into bags and across to the same destination.

It was a satisfying mission followed by a coffee in Richmond for those going that way. We’re looking forward to being back at the RFS in September.

It was a scorcher of a morning as Vix, Chris and JP joined Sharon and the merry band of Friends of Ham Lands for some light work on an area of brambles choking the progress of a rose bush.

We grabbed loppers and set to work on the brambles, dragging the chopped tendrils out to be chopped up and bagged. They put up quite a fight, managing to scratch us with their thorns (it being too warm for long sleeves and two of us wearing shorts), leading to a chorus of yelps to accompany our work.

Despite our legs and forearms showing numerous signs of the battle it was a very satisfying task and when Sharon called time for teas and coffees we were proud of what we had achieved. So much so that we decided to reward ourselves with a coffee at the Swiss bakery and a natter before heading off for the rest of our sunny Saturday.

Next time on the Ham Lands will be Saturday 10th May - sign up here: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/goodgym-richmond-helping-the-happy-ham-landers

Hats off to run leader/group activator Liz and stalwart GoodGymers Victoria, Chris, Monika, JP, Ken and Anita who all braved a cold and wet February Monday night to complete an awesome array of tasks that will help GoodGym Richmond's sponsored plots in Buccleuch Gardens look fabulous come the spring:

Leaves on the Line: The grooves of the sliding shutters were deep-cleaned, with all the autumn leaf-mould brushed out to allow clean running.

Turn Again: The compost heap was turned and twigs and bulky items chopped-up to aid decomposition.

Arcadia: The Arcade was swept, cleaned and given a mini-makeover .

Plantasia: The square brick planters integral to the front of the Arcade were weeded, topped-up with homemade compost and top-dressed with stones.

Scrape Moss: Moss was scrapped off the tarmac and added to the compost heap.

On the Pull: Plantains were pulled, spot-weeded out of the lawn with the dextrous use of cutlery knives.

New Shoots: And afterwards in the the Tap Tavern, where Richmond GG’s Monday night Group Runs always start, new ideas for developing and funding more GoodGym work in Buccleuch Gardens were discussed.