To quote Sara “I just love rakes, they were so effective”

4 good gymers headed to poets corner on a windy, bright Sunday afternoon to help out allotment user Fatima in clearing away rubble, weeds and leaves from between the beds and around the storage garage. At first the task seemed impossible but the team worked methodically from back to front in a really satisfying task where we could see instant progress. Good gym newbie Benoit won MVP for a seriously impressive clear out of the east corner and taking full pride in making sure the path to the storage shed was pristine “just like it’s your front door”. Sara was relentless with the shears clearing areas around the fence and offering motivational quotes and puns. Jen and Aine worked with another allotment volunteer on the west side to clear leaves, nettles and grassy weeds.

Conversation topics varied from being a female Uber driver to the 6 nations to the to the old classic in Good Gym TH - “why didn’t we take a BEFORE picture?!”

The team were having so much fun we stayed an extra 30 minutes to really blast through the task and discussed a return trip soon with Fatima to keep going

Five intrepid GoodGymers made their way to Poets Corner Community Garden to join John, Georgina and Tish for an epic task of gardening in the beautiful sunshine.

Scythes were held aloft and swung through 50cm of grass, paper scissors used for that extra short trim, paving scrubbed and swept, water butts raised atop multiple wooden pallets, and a whole corner of the garden cut down and made more accessible.

Thanks so much to Jo, Becky (who did so well to take part after her Ultra run yesterday!), Phil and Joanne for joining, working so hard and making it such an enjoyable couple of hours.

Welcome also to Joanne who took part in her first mission and did brilliantly!

A chilly, two-task start to March

23 runners gathered this evening for two tasks to local community gardens.

We were lucky enough to have brilliant task force member Bryon leading one of our tasks to a new task, the Poets Corner Community Garden where task owner Tahera had prepared the task very carefully, complete with a fine array of snacks. The runners wasted no time in getting stuck in to the gardening task which included clearing, weeding, leaf-collecting...a mixed bag of gardening tasks. Said task owner Tahera of the runners after they'd finished, "They covered so much ground, you can really see the difference."

Meanwhile I led a group to Rocky Park on the Hollybush Estate where Margaret, Michael and Basil the dog had a wonderful selection of tasks for us all, including wood shifting for the bug house (as it sounds); clearing leaves and branches and redistributing various bits of plant debris to another part of the garden.

As the evening got chillier, the runners didn't stop and they worked tirelessly for 45 minutes.

We gathered for some final pics before being joined by Bryon's team at Middleton Green's basketball court for tonight's fitness session, where the runners performed even more amazingly, whizzing through a long session of marching tricep dips, v-sits (on a cold wall), skipping shuttle runs, prisoner lunges...and that's just to name a few.

And then we ran back to base, after a few finishing stretches, to say cheerio for another week.

What a start to March.

What's coming up

So, here's what's coming up...

• On Thursday, the phenomenal Redbridge are hosting the GG social in the centre of town. Details can be found here

• And next week, we head to Columbia Road Youth Hub for a brand new, indoor, decorating task. Followed by our monthyl social! It's all go. Details and sign-up are here.

And not forgetting...

And a big shout out to Bryon tonight for leading our second task, and taking some good pics, and to Polly for backmarking.

Have a brilliant week, everyone, and hope to see you soon.

It's Monday - we're motivated

34 runners braved another chilly night to head out into our beloved Borough to see what treats some of our wonderful local neighbours had up their sleeve for us.

Leo headed up the squad destined for the new task at the Poets Corner Community Garden, just off Roman Road. Wonderful new task owner Tahera greeted us with lovely biscuits and the tastiest drinks while briefing the team on what was to be done.

With the crew paired up throughout the garden, she proceeded to talk them through the intricate tasks of weeding between cobbles, de-littering vegetable beds and tending to borders.

Meanwhile, Bryon and Kat led the other team to Meath Gardens where task owner Jane met the runners, slightly apologetic that the task was no more exciting that a litter-pick tonight, and soon dispatched them to all four corners of the park where they proceeded to fill bin bag after bin bag, even in poorly lit conditions.

Lots done...

Tonight was one of those nights where our task owners were incredibly appreciative and also a little incredulous at the size of the turnout - overwhelmed by the number of GoodGymers who really were happy to be out in the winter chill, quietly, conscientiously working away happy to be making a very small, consistent contribution to their environment.

And so we all met at the fitness tree (log, as it's not really a tree anymore) for our guest run leader Danny to set the group some drills, before we finished with a handful of resistance exercises and made our way back to base.

A big week of shout-outs tonight...

• A massive warm welcome to our first time runner, Miriam. Thanks for a great, great time; a huge contribution on your first run, and do please come back again very soon.

• And a HUGE shout out to our task force this week: to Bryon and Leo for stepping in and agreeing to lead and help co-ordinate our two tasks tonight; to Kat for helping lead a task, too.

• To Danny for coming and helping provide some lovely fresh content for us all.

• To Liz, for being a brilliant backmarker (a general great addition to our run), and a fab walk leader tonight, and making this run tonight accessible to all.

• Thanks to Leo, Kat and Emma for some brill pics, and to Joel & Sian for tonight's pun.

• And a GREAT BIG GLORIOUS shout-out to Lieke, our wonderful regular runner and trusty Task Force member, who tonight reached 50 good deeds. You're such a huge part of the group, it feels like 500. Lieke's run some brilliant community missions recently, and is always in the wings helping out. So here's to the next 50.

Now, next week

Next week we're off to Parkview to help the powerhouse that is Catherine plant one thousand snowdrop bulbs, before heading to neighbouring Fugitive Motel for our first GG Tower Hamlets social, so do check out the details and sign up here.

Until then, have a really great first week of February.