An almost perfect evening for a pleasant 3k social run and return visit to the communal gardens at Wild Green E13, where this week we were tasked with weeding the "mural bed" (aka disturbing yet again a lot of snails), and after being given a crash course in weed identification ("take out all the ones with the big rabbity ear style leaves"), and armed with an impressive collection of trowels, and a wheelbarrow to use as the collector of said ears and anything else that could be composted, Hilary, Graham, Brad and Nick got to work.

We had an audience, as the evening sunshine had brought out the crowds to enjoy the park and gardens, and we received quite a few compliments from the benches on the great work we were doing to keep the garden neat and tidy - our hosts were equally delighted with our efforts, and once we'd got the weeding done, it was time to water the vegetable patch in advance of the forecast hot spell later this week - Graham discovered the Edvard Munch "Scream" watering can was surprisingly accurate...After an equally pleasant run back, we decided Hilary's birthday of last week needed celebrating, and conveniently our run had finished right outside the pub...always great when a plan comes together.

We'll be back again to help out at the gardens on 4th August - more watering, weeding, composting and whatever other tasks that Fleur and her friendly colleagues need doing to keep this particular community garden in excellent condition.

A small but mighty crew gathered for this week’s GoodGym Tuesday evening spectacular, with a few of us squeezing in a sunny loop around West Ham Park before the main event. Legs warmed and spirits high, we made our way to Barnard Grove to meet Carol — our task owner and the long‑time guardian of the two big planters that she has been maintaining diligently for the last 30 years or so.

The planters had become a bit wild lately, with overgrown greenery and a couple of unwelcome bushes muscling in. Carol gave us the lowdown, we cobbled together an assortment of tools and got stuck in.

The team made quick work of cutting back the messy, overgrown foliage, revealing the shape and structure that had been hiding underneath. Meanwhile, a determined subgroup took on the bush — the stubborn one that clearly had no intention of leaving quietly. After plenty of digging, tugging, and tactical discussion, we admitted we needed reinforcements. Cue a quick dash to the shop, returning triumphantly with an axe and a pry bar like a pair of DIY superheroes.

Armed with the new kit, we gave the bush a fierce battle. It put up a fight, but we made serious progress and left it significantly less smug than when we arrived.

Throughout the evening we got a few encouraging comments from passers‑by, which added a nice boost as we worked. By the end, the planters looked far tidier, Carol was pleased, and we’d earned that satisfied, pleasantly‑tired feeling that only comes from doing good with good people.

Another rewarding GoodGym session — teamwork, fresh air, and a bit of improvised tool‑based problem‑solving. Perfect.

What can a small team of GoodGymmers achieve in a couple of hours? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

This Saturday, we headed over to Little Ilford Community Garden with a task: build some new planters to help this growing community space. Armed with enthusiasm, a few tools (thanks Peter!) and a healthy willingness to work things out as we went along.

With a couple of pallets, reclaimed timber and assorted bits and pieces that our host, Ray, had set aside, we had to channel our inner engineers... Thanks to a combination of innovation, initiative and teamwork, two "new" planters gradually emerged from what had previously looked like a pile of wood.

Once assembled, the planters were lined and filled with soil, leaving them ready for future food and flower-growing. Seeing them completed in such a short space of time was a great reminder of just how much impact a small team of GoodGymmers can have.

A huge welcome and thank you to first-timer Lekbira, whose project management skills quickly became apparent - no descending into organised chaos on her watch... Massive kudos also to fellow first-timer Ryan, who threw himself into trying something completely new, picking up a host of practical skills along the way.

Big thanks also our host Ray. It was inspiring to see everything he's already achieved with this little patch of land. What would otherwise be an overgrown and forgotten space is becoming a valuable community asset where local residents can grow food, connect with neighbours and enjoy a greener environment.

Well done to everyone who came along and contributed. The garden is making fantastic progress, and we're delighted to have played a small part in its journey. Something tells me we'll be back before too long.

After a day of fairly atrocious weather, the skies finally took pity on us and cleared just in time for our Tuesday evening mission to the Lighthouse & Gardens, hidden away behind the fences near Stratford International. If you’ve walked past without realising what’s there — trust us, it’s a brilliant little community space.

It was great to welcome Fuad and Eugene back after a few busy weeks at work, and the team set off on a scenic jog through the Olympic Park towards the gardens. A tube strike delay meant our host Sharon was running a little behind schedule, but GoodGymmers are nothing if not adaptable, so we filled the gap with an impromptu football skills session that definitely featured more enthusiasm than technical ability (speaking for myself at least).

Once Sharon had arrived and given us some directions, we got on with dismantling some rotten wooden planters that had seen better days. This turned out to be a satisfyingly varied task: digging out the soil, then deciding which demolition technique to deploy. Some sections responded nicely to careful unscrewing, while others required the much more cathartic “smash it apart and hope for the best” approach.

By the end of the evening we’d cleared quite a few planters, making a real difference for the small number of regular volunteers here, who wouldn’t have been able to tackle such a structural job themselves. It’s always rewarding knowing that our evening’s effort can make life easier for the volunteers who dedicate so much time to maintaining this valuable community space.

A lovely evening, a hidden oasis, and just enough dry weather to get the job done — we’ll hopefully be back in a couple of months to help again!

Check out all our upcoming sessions — including a bonus Saturday morning mission at Little Ilford Community Garden this weekend!

It was a warm one this evening, so well done to Adam, Graham and Nick for heading out into the late afternoon sunshine for a return visit to the Forest Gate Community Garden. When we arrived, Fiona our host asked us if we’d mind doing a particularly “nasty” task – having just run in the tropical heat from either Stratford or Leyton we were up for anything, although in hindsight…

She asked us if we’d mind emptying a large plastic water butt that had clearly been storing water since the dark ages – the moment the plastic lid was lifted, a swarm of flies escaped closely followed by a most unpleasant smell. Not to be deterred, we lifted the butt around the corner to the nearest drain and turned on the tap to start emptying it – it had a coffee coloured tinge to it, and downwind was still incredibly unpleasant – we followed it with a couple of watering cans as chasers down the drains...

This evening’s main event though was to get out and water the various planters that Fiona and the team tend to around Forest Gate – so armed with wheelbarrow, trolley and enough watering cans to open a decent corner shop with, we worked our way around the streets – with a convenient refill stop at the fountain to replenish supplies, and then on to the furthermost planters to give them a drink before heading back to pack everything away.

And so ended another successful evening at the gardens. Forest Gate Community Garden are hosting a garden trail on 6/7 June, and all are welcome to come along - further details can be found on their website (www.fgcommunitygarden.org).

A welcome return to visit Sybil and the team at The Emmanuel Parish Church this evening, after what had felt like quite a long winter break - even the evening sun made a welcome appearance after our run across from Freaks and Geeks started under forbidding skies and passing rain showers.

It was also a very warm welcome to Kevin on his first mission in Newham. Regulars Hilary, Brad, Graham, and Nick made up the rest of tonight's gang.

Of course Sybil had much planned for us to do, and so with tools, gloves, bags, Iris plants and compost at the ready we were tasked with weeding a border bed at the far end of the Church garden, as well as removing Ivy from the wooden fence, and then preparing and planting the Irises and laying compost across the top surface. With much helpful assistance from other volunteers from the Church group we were soon down on our knees removing all the unwanted greenery from the bed and fencing, before trying to turn the soil in preparation for the planting. Helpfully a hose was at hand to make the soil a little more compliant, and with trowels in hand it was a case of dig and plant at roughly even spacing, followed by a thick layer of compost to feed the plants.

Before we knew it, the time was upon us to pack up, and as we walked back into the Church hall with tools in hand, the team produced plates of sandwiches and fruit to "replenish our energy" - always welcome after a hard day of bordering. Hilary led us on a chatting speed run back to Freaks and Geeks, where we decided to have an impromptu social in the pub to celebrate another successful Tuesday evening of weeding and planting.

We look forward to seeing these latest plants flourish in the garden, and we'll be back again in early July to do a closer inspection!