It was a bright day in May, and the clock was striking 15:48. Yes, it was the first ever GoodGym bell-ringing social! The secret, according to task owner Lady Andrea (she’s really a Lady!), is to pull down sharply and just hold steady. Which various GoodGymers succeeded in doing, and all of them (well, apart from Kate) even stayed on the ground! The bells peeled out and the local populace probably emerged from their homes expecting a church service, some kind of jubilee, or just the surprisingly early arrival of four o’clock

Earlier, we did fulfil our usual “big-Monday night task”, albeit in the afternoon this time, with our efforts endorsed by the good Lady, who gave us "many thanks to all who attended". Emma J was trying to unearth a stubborn root, while litter duties were undertaken by Ilana, Fiona (all the way from Highams Park) and Jackie (all the way from Camden Town). Meanwhile Jack (all the way from Redbridge), Chloe (all the way from the next block but one) and Kevin beavered away at the growing plot, oblivious to some mayhem going on nearby

Four GoodGymers struggled for some time to separate a large bush from the earth beneath, then Lucinda arrived from nowhere (Tooting), applied her well-practiced carpet-rolling technique, and the roots just surrendered. Emma R was doing excellent work manoevering the dug-up weeds, dead leaves and large picked-up branches into small bags, while Emma J was pulling furiously, in a valiant attempt to unearth the stubborn root

Zak appeared for his first GoodGym and threw himself into the task and the conversation. Louise didn’t sign up until the clock was striking two, but that was nothing to do with us, this time

Nia, fresh from doing her first ever half-marathon - faster than she ever expected - introduced us to a first-timer, Alex. In contrast, Kate is a veteran, having undertaken her debut task all of three years ago before disappearing to the far North. Meanwhile Emma J was making a sterling effort, trying very hard to unearth that stubborn root

Sam had just about recovered from his amazing efforts in the London marathon, where he somehow evaded the gaze of every mile-24 GoodGym cheerer. Rue kept everyone informed with a stream of fascinating facts, before we moved on to our bell-ringing duties - all apart from Emma J, determined to unearth a stubborn root…

On a bright and sunny afternoon, a small crew of GoodGymers gathered at Whitechapel Station for the second instalment of our borough-wide leafleting mission, this time taking on the streets of Whitechapel.

With a route mapped out and flyers in hand, we set off on foot, weaving through a maze of backstreets that many of us had never explored before. Each turn seemed to reveal a different side of the area, from quiet residential corners to bustling community hubs, reminding us just how much there is to discover right on our doorstep.

The leafleting itself was a bit of a mixed bag. Some spots were unfortunately closed, while others turned into mini treasure hunts as we searched, sometimes in vain, for elusive letterboxes. Still, persistence paid off and we managed to get the word out in plenty of places along the way.

Pet spotting was notably down on the previous outing but the sunshine and good company more than made up for it. And, as ever, where leaflets could not be delivered, notes were taken for follow up.

We wrapped things up back near Whitechapel with a well earned pub cooldown, celebrating a job well done.

Join us next time around Stepney and Limehouse.

On a sunny (but pollen-packed) Tuesday evening, a GoodGym duo gathered at Leonard’s Priory to take on the spreading invasion of Green Alkanet - a very pretty but persistent weed. With just me, Chandrima and Larry (now working with volunteers over at Regent’s Park but providing direction on this evening), we got stuck straight in.

The site had become pretty overgrown since our last visit, so Larry fired up the lawnmower while Chandrima and I started on the alkanet, which had taken hold almost everywhere. Larry kept a watchful eye to make sure we weren’t pulling up anything important - not always easy in a historic burial ground! We made solid progress, even uncovering a few hidden gravestones along the way.

As we worked, Larry explained to us that this would be an archaeologist’s dream and told us about a planned exhibition at Bow Church showcasing his finds from the Priory in the coming months. After about an hour and with hayfever well and truly winning the battle for myself and Chandrima, we called it a night.

A great effort from a small team. We made a real dent in the alkanet, and a strong case for returning soon with an army of GoodGymers to finish the job properly.

On Monday evening, for the first time this year, Team Tower Hamlets did a full task entirely in daylight! And not just daylight, glimpses of SUNlight! No headtorches, no guessing what that shadow might be, no losing your belongings (unless you're John of course... even the light can't help him keep track of his running backpack)…

We met Des at Parkview Estate and wasted no time getting stuck in across the estate and the Glasshouse surroundings - spreading out so efficiently we left no corner of the estate untouched. Recent newcomers Jack and Chloe got straight into Team Weeding and Raking, two minutes before we were even due to start! Not long after, Team Bench #1 (Ilana, Darren, Kareem, Jo and Leisurely Lucinda) took on the well-loved bench wrapped around a huge tree trunk in the estate play area, sanding and painting it back to life (and a 50th shade of green it seems...).

Over in the community garden, Team Potatoes (John and Emily) were busy earthing up the spuds to keep them growing strong - future chips in very safe hands. Meanwhile, Team Alleyway (Ivo and Oliver, later joined by Anna and others as their jobs wrapped up) tackled moss scraping, weeding and clearing leaves from drains and gutters with some rather interesting-looking, unidentified, medieval tools. It's the kind of job that is oddly satisfying once you get going! Chris kept the whole operation moving, wheeling what felt like an endless stream of barrows to compost or bins depending on their contents - we wouldn't want litter to end up in the compost, especially so close to Earth Day!

And, because apparently word got out that this was the place to be, Team Bench #2 (Lobo, Anna and Jack) formed as more GoodGymers kept arriving - sanding and painting a bench back to life in the community walled garden area. As for me, I mostly roamed between teams capturing the action, the chaos and the questionable cycling techniques (Kareem...) before getting stuck into a bit of weeding myself.

Somewhere in the middle of all this chaos, a resident stopped Oliver to hand over a stash of Penguins and Orange Club bars (big throwback to packed lunches for many of us!). She’d seen the work going on and wanted to say thank you - a small moment that summed up exactly what these tasks are all about - working out for the future, environment and helping out the local community whilst boosting that sense of togetherness

We wrapped up with a “quick” group photo (they're never quick, I can only apologise...), then a good chunk of the crew headed to the nearby Approach Tavern to celebrate the release of the brand new GoodGym Sky TV advert, which has made us all celebrities in our own right.

Des, from Parkview Estate, said "They were a great bunch tonight. They managed to get through all the jobs I'd lined up!"

A brilliant evening: loads achieved, lots of laughs, and a proper reminder of what a difference a bit of collective effort (and daylight!) can make. 🌿