The rain had gone by the time we all arrived at Camden Square, but we were hoping the earlier downpour had softened the ground a little, because our task today was to prepare the ground for bulb planting, by removing leaf cover, clearing the weeds and churning up the ground a bit

Emilie turned up looking fit from recent Big Half training, while newbie Susannah (sponsored by Google DeepMind) arrived from Texas, USA, via a nearby road where she now resides. Rhonda also attended her first ever task, and similarly had minimal distance to travel to this task. Hope to see you again at distant tasks a whole mile or two away...

By diligent clearance of unwanted foliage and plantage, we were in a position to hose the ground so it was nice and soft, helping us to disrupt the earth and various small creatures living therein with a variety of implements

We were kept busy for an hour, until the ground was in perfect condition for bulbs to be planted. Bags of debris were taken away at such a speed, my picture was all blurry!

There's no truth in the rumour, however, that the snail sitting on Alison's running shoe was a comment on her pace...

In mid-August heat 10 wonderful GoodGymers caught a lovely evening in Kentish Town!

Cressfield Close is an unassuming cul-de-sac — houses and quiet — and yet hiding special community spaces!

There's the city farm — with goats and guinea pigs and sheep and more — and there's also the sheltered housing, which was our home for the evening :)

This lovely group — Alex, Alison, Claire (on their first Camden good deed – great to meet you!), Danny, Jackie, Jessica (on their first good deed — welcome!), John, Lydia, and Steve — were welcomed by residents Marie and Michael, and we got quickly to our evening work.

The communal garden is a bountiful space (fruits, vegetables, and flowers aplenty) and we were tasked with targeting the thistles and weeds that have sprung over the summer.

Armed with trowels and forks, this group donned gloves and made light work of everything — and all while connecting and sharing stories :)

Thank you, everyone! See you soon!!

Wednesday evening saw 9 of us head to the beautiful St Luke's Church for a spot of midweek cleaning. Half of the crew, led by Julian, clocked up 3.5km from the Naval College, while the rest of us met at the task. We were warmly welcomed by Liz and Rick, ready with lots of jobs to keep us busy.

Speaking of stairs – some of us decided to climb the incredibly steep, narrow, and very old spiral staircase up the tower. It might have been built hundreds of years ago, but it still gives the quads a workout today. And the view at the top? Absolutely worth it. Coming down? Let’s just say our knees will remember it. Shout-out to Alex and Louise who somehow managed to dust on the way down?! At the bottom Louise assured us her trainers were always that shade of grey...

Outside, Ashton took on the job of giving a wooden bench a fresh coat of teak oil and although we didn’t see the final result, we’re confident it now gleams fantas-teak-ly.

Meanwhile, inside the church, Jenny and Marta worked their magic on sorting out a collection of candles into a 'won't ever light again, bin it' and a 'probably light again keep it' pile. The rest of us took on hoovering, dusting, and the oddly satisfying job of scraping melted wax off the glass table panels. In just 30 minutes, the place was looking noticeably more polished, and we wrapped up with a classic team photo.

What’s next?

This weekend we’ve got more garden clearance at St Richard's and a bonus run on Sunday to Mycenae Gardens for a bit of weeding.

Next Wednesday we’re heading back to the Memorial Hospital for more bramble bashing and a run up Shooters Hill Road (brace yourselves!)

Until next time

Rachel

The London Permaculture Festival is an annual celebration of natural ecosystems, and it's being hosted at Camden's Cecil Sharp House this Sunday!

Which was why our wonderful group – of Alex, Dani, John, Lydia, Nivia, Sarah, Siobhan, and Steve – assembled for an hour of nature-based volunteering!

Our task was to make sure Cecil Sharp's gardens were crisp and tidy, and ready for London's permaculture devotees!

We started amidst a flurry of brooms, rakes, and conversation – under a July sun we swept the paths and combed the lawn – and we filled bag upon bag in short order!

We then turned our attention – en masse – to the entrance gates.

John, Lydia, Sarah, and Siobhan tackled the main pathway – and they made quick thrift of weeds and leaves – leaving things looking perfectly wonderful!

Dani and Nivia focused their efforts on an area under a large tree – and they cleared the debris (and weeds and leaves!) – leaving an inviting shade spot!

And Alex and Steve helped our brilliant host (Susannah) move a chunk of festival fare down to the basement storage!

We finished by piling up bag (upon bag upon bag) of green waste into the van, before meandering off into a gentle evening :)

Thank you, everyone!!

10 wonderful GoodGymers made a HUGE difference... amidst the beats of a city festival!

Regent's Park is usually a sanctuary of peace – there's green and trees, flowers too – and you can often escape the sounds and bustle of nearby Camden.

But last night... we arrived to beats and drops and cheers... as well as three hefty security people guarding our entrance to the (wonderfully hidden) tool yard!

Pete – all round Camden nature hero – soon smoothed the way and we arrived at a yard that was desperate for a little GoodGym TLC :)

Our special group – Alex, Caitlin, Emily, Jackie, John, Michael, Natalia, Pete, and Steve – swiftly split into groups:

Michael and Jackie started by sorting and folding the pile of garden sacks – the holed sorted from the non-holed, and everything tidied and ready for use! And they then picked brooms and swept the yard to shine!

Alex and Natalia grabbed shears and tackled a Jumanji-esque patch of vines – they cleared everything and it was wonderful!

Caitlin, Emily, John, and Steve made light work of a pile of wood (keeping the larger bits that can be used for poles or building), before raking and sweeping and bagging a mountain of leaves (sifting the plastic trash from it as they did!)

And Pete was here and there and everywhere coordinating everything!

The yard looked liked a different yard at the end – a huge difference – even if we didn't quite get the peace we'd envisaged!

Thanks everyone!