Made some progress with the rose bushes, cutting them back by half.

Unfortunately there are shrubs on the other side that are towegring overhead.

At least there is light at the end of the tunnel and I have found another garden behind the fence... who would have thought.

Some progress today.

A team of at least a dozen goodgymers (I lost count) came to help out the lovely Janet and Eileen at Cranbook Community Centre. Thanks to the clocks going forward we were treated to some actual daylight for the first time in ages. Shout-out to John for reminding me to take some photos to prove that we weren't slacking off in Laura's absence.

We split off into mini groups, each with a dedicated task. Some performed quality control checks on folding tables, keeping the good ones and retiring the rest. Others sorted out sheds at the back, clearing out any rubbish. Litter and leaves (oh the leaves) were were picked/raked/bagged up. Special mention goes to the new rake sourced by Janet which was red and white - a homage to our Goodgym colours perhaps? Or most probably, just a rake.

By the end of the task, the impact of a hard-working group of Goodgymers was clear with Eileen showing her appreciation by bestowing a bar of chocolate on us (thanks Eileen!)

We parted ways (without a stretch this time) having all enjoyed an evening in fine company.

Shout outs to:

• Vidur and Jason on their first Goodgym task. A very warm welcome to you both!
• Ilana on her 50th task. Congratulations!

Until next time...

A group of dedicated community GoodGymers gathered at the Cranbrook Community Centre this evening to help clear the borders of this well used garden of fallen leaves.

Our group of 10 slowly gathered inside and outside the centre, where we collected bin liners, gloves and rakes.

After saying hello to task owners Janet and Eileen, and welcoming first time GoodGymer, Liz, we divided into four teams, spread out over all four borders.

What’s with the leaves?

Good question, given the number of tasks that currently include leaves.

Fallen leaves may look attractive, but leaving too many on the ground can cause problems. Wet leaves can become slippery, and if left in too dense a layer, they can also block sunlight and air from reaching grass and plants beneath, affecting their growth. Decomposing leaves also create the perfect conditions for mould and unwanted pests.

By carefully clearing the borders and some of the grass areas, we’re helping to keep the garden both safe and healthy.

While the leaves were bagged up and carried away in multiple trips to the bin, the gathered sticks were put to good use. Rather than them meeting the same fate as the leaves, Ivo and Rohan set them aside in a quiet corner of the garden, where they’ll hopefully provide shelter for insects, and useful materials for birds building nests.

By the time the last bag of leaves, meanwhile, was taken to the bin, the evening chill appeared to have set in.

After our obligatory final pic, and a cheerio to Janet and Eileen, we rounded things off with a short stretching session, focusing on upper body stretches to help ease us into the week.

With the borders now looking a bit tidier, we headed home, pleased to have seen Janet and Eileen, cleared a bit of the garden and helped to support the wildlife that calls it home.

Next week, we’re back to the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, for another fun-filled evening with Ken.

Until then.

Everything went successfully and perfect

A small but dedicated group of GoodGymers headed to the base of Ocean Youth Connexions in Limehouse this evening.

The Centre is taking shape nicely, with rooms being cleared and painted, toilets given a coat of paint and the yard spruced up.

Oliver and Sam were first to head outside. Armed with paint trays, rollers and overalls they made their way to the dark green container to complete a whopping two coats.

Meanwhile first time GoodGymer Liv headed upstairs with Justin to blitz the toilets in a speedy bathroom-painting double bill.

Charlie headed out to the shutters to start cleaning them for the next big paint job in August.

Ruby cleared the yard of leaves, twigs, soil and bits of litter before bagging and binning the lot.

It was another productive evening with GoodGymers working at an exceptionally fast pace.

At shortly after 8, paint trays were scraped, bins filled, dirty water emptied and pics posed for.

Another lovely night in Limehouse.

As I was leaving I asked Kamal how he managed to get the place looking so good in a relatively short space of time: "GoodGym", he replied, "It's the GoodGymers."

Until next time.

Background to today’s task

13 colleagues from Rabobank volunteered their time at the Grow to Share initiative this afternoon, a project based in Rocky Park Community Garden, Bethnal Green.

Grow to Share brings people together to grow food, learn new skills, and maintain a welcoming, fruitful, outdoor environment in the heart of East London.

The initiative doesn’t receive any funding, so today’s contribution from the team really did make a difference as Margaret, who runs the initiative, explained on our arrival.

All the produce from the garden, including the fruit trees in the orchard and potted plants, are shared among local residents and local community groups.

Our job today? To work alongside regular garden members Margaret and Ash on a range of seasonal tasks, from preparing beds and composting to planting and general maintenance.

And so to the start…

9 members of the team got the afternoon off to a thoroughly active start as they gathered in Reception at 60 London Wall before maintaining a decent-paced run along Bishopsgate, through Shoreditch and Bethnal Green before arriving at today’s task.

Cold water and a warm welcome from Margaret and Ash awaited us!

After a little background on GoodGym and the Estate’s work, and all its voluntary initiatives, the team set about tackling the numerous tasks prepared for them.

A busy afternoon

One team headed with a large board of wood to the back of the orchard. Once the wood had been established in its new home, the team set about repairing the sides of the compost bays, including reattaching a sad ornamental bumble bee.

Another team proceeded to clear the many, many weeds from the walkways around the planters.

“Why is this important?”

Margaret explained, “Weeding keeps clear access for garden users…Keeps the surfaces slip-free! It helps remove trip hazards. Essentially it’s good housekeeping in a garden used by so many.”

Another team were assigned to potting, planting and spreading mulch in some of the new border gardens.

With the compost bays tackled, the orchard team were then reassigned to other areas of the garden, including a clear out of the congested area by the hut.

It was a busy, busy hour and a quarter.

Pausing for a brief ice lolly break an hour-and-a-quarter in, we then wrapped up the last few tasks (including the report pun – thanks, Simon); shuttled the last couple of barrows of rubbish around the corner, cleared away, and enjoyed a top-to-toe stretch before heading back onto bustling Bethnal Green Road.

A fantastic afternoon’s contribution (confirmed by Margaret’s text following the task, “Thank you for today – a great group.”).

Indeed.

Until next time.