Today I visited an elderly resident of Hackney to de-bramble her garden. The sun shone brightly on this occasion it usually rains whenever I go there.

After an hour or so of dig, dig digging and a rake rake raking the lawn resembled a garden.

In celebration of my efforts tea and biccies were provided, much appreciated Mrs S.

A spooktacular end to half term, with a team of 26 runners today - supported as ever by a small crowd of fabulous volunteers, steered by GoodGym!

Sooz took Run Director duties and Sarah headed to her usual tree 🌳

There were 2 milestones to celebrate - Ada with her ultra marathon (100km!) and Bobby with his first half marathon (22km). Fantastic achievements.

All 26 runners got round without a hitch and it was great to see some new volunteers stepping in to help.

Join us every Sunday for more GoodGym energy to help the young people of Hackney get their weekend exercise !

Volunteered at Hackney Night

Volunteered at Hackney Night Shelter

It's been a couple of months since GoodGym were last at Stoke Newington Common. With the hot dry days of summer behind us, it is not longer necessary to water the young trees. However, this weekend marked the start of mulching season at the Common and three goodgymers were on hand to help the regular Stoke Newington Common Users Group volunteers. It was great to have Kene joining us for his first ever GoodGym session. And lovely to have Rob back in the borough after some time away south of the river.

The task was to ready the trees for winter, by distributing protective and nutritious mulch around the base of the trees. This retains soil moisture, insulates root, suppresses weeds and improves the nutritional value of the soil, as the mulch decomposes.

Having collected tools from nearby Abney Park Cemetery, the group made their way to the mulch pile to load up the wheelbarrows and distribute the mulch around the trees, making sure to clear the ground first of debris and weeds. After a good hour or so, all the trees were protected and the group returned tools, just before the rain started. A good effort all round.

Next time (Saturday 1st November) - we'll be mulching the younger trees and shrubs.

GoodGym returned to Ms A’s garden for round two — a follow-up to our earlier mission to reclaim the space from a thick tangle of brambles and vines.

With gloves on and sleeves down, we got to work clearing the last of the thorny overgrowth that had taken over the 105-square-metre garden. Bit by bit, the remaining thickets gave way to open ground, making the space feel lighter and more manageable.

By the end, all the brambles were gone, leaving just a few piles of leaves for our final visit. One more session and Ms A’s garden will be fully clear, safe, and ready to enjoy again.