We were back at Sunnyside Community Gardens to finish off last week's compost turning. Taking inspiration from the recent Winter Olympics, we applied avalanche rescue snow-removal techniques to moving compost: using a "V" formation with three rows of diggers passing dirt back to the next, forming a nice efficient chain effect.

Great team effort - we were able to complete the compost bay that had totally defeated us last week.

Now it's over to the worms to do work their magic...

Myself and Ivo had a lovely time with Mr P.

Though we both we were both travelling by bike from Bethnal Green, we were not organised enough to coordinate doing the journey together! When we arrived, Mr P had all the tools ready and showed us what needed to be done. The main task he wanted to focus on was cutting back the branches of his tree in the front garden.

Mr P gave me a masterclass in how to use a telescopic lopper, so I tackled the high up bits with that while Ivo went for the lower hanging branches with a garden sheers. As we finished up with the tree, the shining sun gave us the energy we needed to tackle some weeds afterwards and leave Mr P with a tidier looking front garden.

Unfortunately most of the photos we took reveal the address so I've just left some zoomed in pictures of the tree before and after.

...brightening someone's day, and in this case once I'd replaced all the light bulbs in her living room, and as many as I could in her bedroom, Miss H's broad smile lit up the room to the point where the light bulbs may have been unnecessary...

The sun has finally remembered how to shine for Kevin and Lydia as they set out to help Mr M clearing some of his garden.

Mr M explained that he needed the ivy, brambles and weeds clearing from the sides of his garden, but wanted to make sure the ivy at the back of the garden was left as this has been home to a pair of robins for the past 8 years.

Kevin set to work with the rambling brambles whilst Lydia got to grips with the vining ivy. 90 minutes soon flew by as brambles were dissected, ivy was pulled and bags were filled.

Mr M wasn't the only one who was thankful for GoodGym's work as the robin came to say hello and inspect what was happening in his garden. He was very pleased to see the worms that had been uncovered - just in time for lunch!! GoodGym's visit meant a lot to Mr M who expressed his gratitude throughout the mission as his garden and outside space is a place he can relax in the summer months with a coffee and his robin friend.

Solid effort turning compost at Sunnyside (more like Rainyside) Community Gardens. One bin turned to completion - the other barely scratched the surface, but failure isn't a word in Eslam's vocabulary, so we'll call it a win. All the more for next week, right?!

Today I had the pleasure of supporting the Penn Road Community Gardens group, working alongside local but mighty team of volunteers.

Our focus was simple and satisfying, clearing and removing soil to prepare the area for a new membrane that will be laid next week. It was steady, physical work, plenty of digging, lifting, shifting and more than a little mud. The ground was wet and heavy in places, which made every spadeful feel properly earned.

There’s something quietly rewarding about this kind of task. It’s not glamorous, and it’s certainly not clean, but it’s foundational. By preparing the space well now, we’re making it ready for new plants to thrive in the months ahead. Today was about creating the right conditions for growth.

As always, the spirit of the group made the time fly. There’s a shared sense of purpose when everyone is working towards the same goal, and it’s lovely to be part of something that will continue to benefit the local community long after the mud has been washed off our boots.

A good day’s work, solid progress, and one step closer to seeing new life take root.