We split into two groups at Rocky Park tonight: Team Roots and Team Big-Pile-of-Earth.

Team Roots consisted of Kareem, sleeping-bag Anna, Ruby, Sam, Kat (welcome back Kat!), and Ilana (still denying she's banned from the George & Vulture). They were concerned with digging out roots from a planting area. Our hosts Ash and Margaret had already removed some of the more complicated roots from the planting area, but there was much still to be done.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the space, a large mound of earth had been compacted by rain into the ground. It needed loosening with forks, and all worms rescued, before being shovelled into large bags, handily held open with string. This team was Maddie, me, Rohan and new-boy Gareth, doing his first ever Good Deed. Welcome Gareth, who was working so vigorously the picture was blurred! And while the other team were digging out roots, Maddie was revealing her roots (Scottish).

We'll be back there next week; sign up here: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/the-big-monday-night-task-february-fitness-gardening-on-the-hollybush-estate

And if you can make it, don't forget to sign up for the Kent Coast Walk on 15th March. Join the GoodGym train at St Pancras or Stratford: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/the-kent-coast-walk

It was a pretty wild and windy evening in Bethnal Green tonight, but that didn't deter 19 GoodGymers descending on Rocky Park to do battle with a particularly stubborn border garden.

Led by the brilliant Margaret and Ash of the Teesdale and Hollybush TRA, this task forms part of an ongoing project to transform gardens, planters and allotments across the estate.

Our job tonight was to remove some unwanted shrubs, load them into wheelbarrows, and transport them across the park. Working mainly in the border garden, in a large group, trying to ignore the rain, teamwork was the order of the night. Wheelbarrows were loaded and soil and shrubs shuttled across to the other side of the park. Even when the heavens opened, the GoodGymers didn't stop.

By 7:50, the job was nearly done - and the team pretty drenched.

Having wheeled the last few barrows of soil and gathered equipment, we posed for the final couple of pictures.

And then came the reward: Lobo’s doughnuts and Margaret’s Cadbury’s Twirls. Glycogen replenished, we sloshed our way to the pub for well-earned drinks and a lovely birthday celebration.

Until next time.

GoodGym has been supporting the Hollybush Estate for years, and the wonderful Margaret and Ash have transformed every bit of spare space in the area into a thriving green oasis.

On a drizzly Thursday we were continuing to shift soil from old planters which had been demolished, ready to be planted in brand spanking new ones!

Most of the team were on shovelling and wheelbarrow duty, moving the surprisingly heavy sold, from huge containers to other huge containers.

The green fingered among us (Nada and Theresa) started work on planting saplings in some of the filled bags.

After a swift 40 minutes we had emptied the last bag, before packing up the spades and heading off into the cold December afternoon.

One by one the GoodGymers arrived at Rocky Park this evening, ready for a big lifting task.

We've been enjoying regular sessions with Margaret and Ash this year, on this particular project which has seen old planters demolished, new ones built and filled with new soil.

Margaret and Ash, on behalf of the Estate's TRA, support the Estate gardens, which, over the years has seen multiple sites transformed into allotments, orchards and play areas.

We've enjoyed sessions right through from the summer, with Task Force leading many weekend sessions, and throughout the Autumn too, which has seen us shovelling and wheeling in some pretty rainy conditions.

Tonight we were continuing with the emptying and relocating of tonne bags of soil in Rocky Park.

With a short briefing from Margaret, the team soon dispersed throughout the garden emptying large bags at a great pace. It was heavy work, but rewarding to see the bags speedily empty with a good bit of teamwork.

It was fun, it was fast- and it was fab to see some familiar faces. And as usual, the time flew.

As we approached 8pm, Margaret indicated which bags we were to finish up with, and then the team gathered shovels, rakes and brooms to load into wheelbarrows, ready to be packed away.

It seemed like no sooner had we arrived were we gathering for the final pic, before leaving several members in the capable hands of Chris and the Central team for some final GoodGym pics and soundbites.

A great evening's work, and particular shout-outs to Team Pun, headed up as usual by the legendary Lucinda and Ilana.

Next week, it's another big leaf clearance over at Cranbrook.

You snooze, you lose…

Until then.

The rain started during the afternoon, so it wasn't unreasonable to think it might have fizzled out by 7.

No such luck.

But a great-sized group of GoodGymers nonetheless donned waterproofs and head torches and headed out to Rocky Park, in the heart of the Hollybush Estate, to join Margaret and Ash in the big garden makeover.

Why were we here?

• Margaret and Ash are are part of the Teesdale and Hollybush TRA, an active, productive Tenants and Residents Association working across the two estates. Since 2008, the TRA have transformed 13 disused sites, with the help of volunteers, 'creating a mini Eden where local nature can thrive.'

• There's a big project underway at the moment: the redevelopment of the planters in the communal garden areas, park and allotments. Over the last few months, GG TH Task Force and Margaret and Ash have worked hard to redistribute a whopping 96 tonnes of soil!

• Tonight we were carrying on that tough task - emptying old planters of soil, redistributing the soil, and demolishing the planters (as fun as it sounds).

The teams were divided into four initially, which then became five, spread out all over Rocky Park emptying planter after planter with the rain not taking a break. The bags were filled, to be moved another day ("That's something to worry about another time.") and a lot was achieved in a mere 45 minutes.

With just a small corner of a planter remaining at 7:45, we called it a day, making our way back to the centre to grab bags and leave gloves to dry.

Posing for that all-important final pic, we said our cheerios to Margaret and Ash, tentatively making a plan for a December visit.

The shout-outs

A big shout-out to the whole team tonight, who showed up ready for a big physical task, despite the wet night. And a huge shout-out to Vanessa, who joined for her first ever GoodGym! Amazing work, and we hope to see you again soon.

Next week we're Limehouse-bound, ready to crack on with the painting and leaf-clearing with Kamal down at Ocean Youth HQ.

Until then.

Monday night is Margaret night, quite often. She’s the cheery lady we help at Rocky Park, an urban growers project. This time we encountered a severely reduced number of planters, and instead, many larger-than-usual soil bags filling the area. Our task, simple but typical, was to fork (and shovel, and spade) the high-quality soil from the remaining planters to the bags, to facilitate a more methodical arrangement of planters to which the soil can eventually be returned.

As well as a strong workout, this provided the chance to catch up with everyone’s news. Danya is still recovering from a party to celebrate the “last year of her youth”, while Louise has moved house and is currently lodging in someone’s kitchen sink (or something like that). Dan has been mixing with celebrities – he was recently chatting to no less than Basil Brush! And welcome to his first Monday night task Alejandro, who, unlike Paddington, never returned to Peru after arriving in London five years ago.

Meanwhile, another Basil joined our group picture – he’s the one wearing orange. I don't think he'll join us at the Felix Project on Saturday (https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/saturday-morning-session-at-the-felix-project-s-poplar-depot-5b0a18c7-38fd-4390-b56d-ef4bef0243da or https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/saturday-afternoon-session-at-the-felix-project-s-poplar-depot-ad18c1d2-b2e1-4c22-aea3-371481b26272, but you can..

And we’ll be back at the Cranbrook Community Centre next Monday https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/the-big-monday-night-task-november-garden-clearing-at-cranbrook-community-food-garden.

Also - don’t forget to sign up for the BIG SOCIAL on Thursday 14th https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/celebrate-goodgym.

Happy Good Gymming and Keep Pets Indoors!