We had a great group of 16 runners gathering at Hollybush tonight, braving a very chilly (but thankfully dry!) evening to take on a truly mulch-needed mission, shifting a massive new delivery of mulch and transforming the space in record time 🌿❄️

It was lovely to see a mix of familiar faces alongside some new ones, including Justin, who joined us for his very first GoodGym task, a huge welcome to you!

Meeting on site, we quickly broke out the tools and got straight to work. Our task was to spread the fresh mulch across James Middleton Community Garden, giving the beds a smart new layer to protect the soil and prep everything for future planting. At the same time, some of the previously laid mulch had broken down beautifully and was ready to be dug up and reused in the planting areas, a great example of garden recycling in action 🌱♻️

With Margaret and Michael expertly leading the charge, we soon formed a slick production line, shovelling, barrowing, spreading, and smoothing. Despite the cold, everyone kept moving as the mulch piles steadily disappeared and the garden visibly transformed before our eyes.

In just 45 minutes, what had looked like a huge job was completely turned around. The beds were freshly covered, the planting areas prepped, and the whole garden space was looking smarter, tidier, and ready for the next stage of growing.

We wrapped up with our new group photo method: everyone forming a circle, bending over and facing the camera on the ground while someone captured it in .5 mode, (Thank you to Emma for the idea) resulting in a wonderfully ridiculous (and very GoodGym) moment to end the session on

All in all, a brilliant evening of teamwork, community support, and a seriously mulchtastic transformation, huge thanks to everyone who came along and made such a difference despite the chilly temperatures!

A cold February evening, softened by the silvery whole moon up high, turned into a very successful, and highly commended, burst of litter-picking activity. In short, half a dozen volunteers filled two large rubbish bags half-full of litter, in just half an hour... and that doesn't cover half of it! Buckle up for the full story...

This mission had been arranged by John as a garden-clearing challenge at the Cranbrook Community Centre and Food Garden. However, by 7pm, with our group of eight Goodgym volunteers (mostly) assembled, Eileen informed us of the sad news that Janet was poorly. Thus, the evening's activity could not proceed as expected.

We all wish Janet a strong and speedy recovery back to better health.

Back at the site, and with untapped garden-clearing energy on ice, our initial team of six considered the alternative outlets to pour forth the bucketfuls of positivity that come from any Goodgym gathering.

The mutinous thought of an early return home to enjoy a hot bath, tempting though it may have been, had not even started to cross our dedicated Goodgym minds. Well, perhaps there was a quickly murmured suggestion, but such ideas stalled and shrunk into silence, when, all of a sudden...

Dan seemed to pull off a miraculous conjuring trick, presenting a complete set of litter-picking equipment, Mary Poppins style, out of a modest-sized rucksack. With credit and thanks to Dan's GG Liverpool friends, his neat collection of picker, two bags and a hoop somehow near-perfectly provided for our team, keen to spread some clearing-up love around about the Cranbrook surroundings.

Rohan, whose kudos earnings were already high for cycling to the mission, set out to begin a careful and thorough picking operation, teaming up with trusty John and an unstoppably dynamic pair of Emmas.

John's responsible commitment to health and safety ensured everybody had gloves and knew why - apparently not just for keeping warm and dry, and preserving nail polish. No, gloves guard you from the not-immediately-identifiable and possibly sharp, possibly spiky items lurking in the undergrowth. So, hear this rubbish hunters, wherever you are picking: gloves on!

Fresh from birthday celebrations, Emma J. strode off, aglow with her usual vitality, such that most litter she encountered simply tidied itself into a nearby bin of its own accord. Completing that quartet, and undeterred by a recent nasty collision with a reckless cyclist, (Southern) Emma whirled her way around the area, taking excellent photos of all the best litter-picking action.

The remaining pair of pickers, Chris and Dan, stepped out at a purposeful pace, in strong agreement about the transformational improvement of litter-free flower beds, pavements and benches.

Also noted were the virtues of that finest of everyday walk accessories, the litter-picker: for Chris it was the comfortable reach it offers and for Dan it was the wonder of its dexterity, picking litter of all shapes and sizes. As per the gloves reminder above: OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

Oh! And, as per the photo evidence, whilst all off busy delivering our revised Monday night activity, there appears to have been a fly-by drop-in litter-pick moment from Lobo and Anna... They came and, like the eye of the (full) moon flashing open and closed between passing clouds, they slipped away into the fresh dark of the approaching night.

Rejoining up as a nearly fully unified team from respective adventures, we enjoyed, even indulged, that warm sense of satisfaction, some might say smugness: in the space of a half-hour or so's rubbish hunt we had collected enough litter to present the aforementioned pair of half-full rubbish bags.

The prize for top find was awarded to Emma J., who retrieved a completed school report card (see photo), which gifted the opportunity to generously self-assess our evening's efforts with a resounding "full marks". The inspiration for this report's self-congratulatory headline, too!

One final time, team scores on the doors: "Full marks, GG team!" That said, whilst some clearing up was necessary and noticeable, all agreed that this neighbourhood's hygiene rating was impressive. The local area appeared well-kempt with just a scattering of litter dropped here and there. To Tower Hamlets folk it is fair and right to share our praise and recognition: "(Nearly) full marks, TH!"