There was to be no mulching at Columbia Road this time, the mulch heap having been removed by the council after a fire, an indication of the drought conditions endured by Londoners at present. So there's a hosepipe ban, but plants still need irrigation, which is where GoodGym come in...

A very healthy turnout of 19 GoodGymers soon grabbed a surprisingly adequate number of watering cans. They boosted their daily step-count while strengthening their muscles, returning again and again from the water tap in the storage area, to the bushes and plants on the other side of the estate. Doing good while keeping fit!

Ed and several of our crew seemed to have abandoned the task, but never fear, we found them using an alternative tap, unhelpfully situated behind a fence, but more handily situated for the bushes and trees on that side of the estate

Special mention to Lucinda and Chris who were prepared to stay in the confines of the storage area in order to serve a constant stream of GoodGym “customers”. Actually, they probably had the right idea, it was a bit cooler in there…

A whopping turnout of 17 GoodGymmers made a huge difference to the grounds that wrap around St Peter's Church.

One main aim of the session was clearing all sorts of unwanted stuff out of the gardens and filling up the bins outside, including a heap of old furniture and scrap metal, stray traffic cones, old plant pots and fallen leaves. Another task was scooping mulch out of a very large container and tipping it onto the flower beds and there was even time and enough helping hands for some litter picking.

A warm welcome to the three new faces, Ming, Lake and You who all made their GG debuts on this sunny evening. Afterwards a few people headed to the Royal Oak pub in Columbia Road for a well deserved drink. 🍺

Returning to the canal club, this time we concentrated on weeding the winding paths between the plant beds, alongside the canal. Others chopped and sawed wood. It was a crowded space for the lucky 13 of us, but we spread ourselves into twos and threes and set to work, while catching up with each others’ activities since last we met

Our reward, supplied by lovely task owner Sally, were weather-appropriate home-made lollipops, with even a choice of flavours! So we continued the socialising while exciting our taste buds, then after most people had dispersed, four of us decided that the night was still young, and headed for The Hare in Cambridge Heath Road

The Canal Club, however, is currently proposed as a site for development. It was built for residents of the Wellington Estate and its activities include toddler storytelling, baby dance classes, Tai Chi, knitting and sewing, outdoor pizza making, breakdancing, line dancing, karaoke social evenings, a science homework club, singing, refugee activities, a food bank, arts and crafts, and Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings. There is a ball court and a children’s playground

This is not an empty site! If you want the council to remove the site from its accelerated housing scheme, sign the petition at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/save-our-space-e2-save-the-canal-club

Three GoodGymmers Chloe, Emma and Sam went along to this month's social gardening club for a range of tasks, all designed to make the garden look extra special for a memorial to one of the St Margaret's House founding members and the Discovery week of activities.

We started on the fast-growing bamboo, taking out the very tallest canes. Then we removed some weeds in between the patio before moving onto the wooden seating and flower bed borders which we brushed down and applied a fresh coat of paint to.

The gardening club started just as an arts and crafts session was ending, and it was super peaceful setting to keep fit by doing good!

So tonight’s big question was – could we manage Fiona’s Cemetery Park task without her “expert guidance” and her Google-Maps Pin? Somehow we managed it; well we did have Nia and Anna, whose names rely solely on letters in “Fiona”

We originally had a healthy number signed up, despite warnings about covering arms and legs against nettles in heatwave temperatures. But gradually, the numbers reduced. Three people sent their apologies, another was held up helping the new PM with his Cabinet, or something, and two people who remained signed up, must have got lost on the way...

Of course we did have task owner Ken, who explained why the Friends of the Cemetery Park had embarked on a THIRTY-YEAR plan to improve the site. He also explained the effect of the dry summer on plants – they produce less flowers overall, but bloom early, to save water

Further, he told us that were everyone to leave the gardens alone, the hogweed would take over. Therefore our efforts tonight were focused on the “common hogweed” which produces its seeds at the top, like an umbrella, all ready to drop or be blown away. Which are things we didn’t want to happen, as the other plants would have less chance to thrive, such as the nearby aromatic stone parsley, which can be used as a substitute for nutmeg

Ken showed us how to snap the stalk, just below any branches, so any seeds dropping off would go straight into our buckets along with the top of the plant. And before we knew it, we’d de-seeded a whole chunk of the gardens. But there’s always more to do, and we’ll be back in September!

We arrived at St. Matthew's Church on Saturday morning ready to get stuck into the gardening club, only to find the gardens to ourselves. With no task owner around, we simply got on with it.

First-timer Helena saved the day by nipping home to grab some bin bags, and we got to work tackling the bindweed left over from Monday's session and doing a quick litter pick around the gardens.

A big welcome to Helena on her first GoodGym task: turning up, taking initiative, and getting stuck in.

(Pun credit to Chloe!)