5 Goodgymers made their way to the gardens of St Margaret's House on a clear November evening. Emily (Operations Manager) and John (Head Gardener) helpfully directed us to the tasks that needed doing, primarily giving the ivy bushes a haircut and loose leaf gathering.

Shout out to Jo who was the the first goodgymer on the scene and promptly got to shearing the ivy after a consultation and shampoo (or so I can only assume - I wasn't there).

John arrived stealthily and joined Jo on the job, which was at the very least a two-hander given that it had been a while since the ivy's last trip to the salon.

Soon enough, the darkness drew in (thanks to daylight saving) but it wasn't all doom and gloom - Ilana and Kareem arrived and happily got involved in the ivy/leaf sweeping business.

By the end of the session, the ivy bush was looking very sharp indeed, just in time for the weekend.

In the backdrop of the majestic mulberry tree (which keeps the leaf sweeping trade booming by raining leaves every time the wind sighs) we finished the task by taking a customary group photo.

Before leaving the premises we popped into the chapel which was holding a dazzling exhibition of film noir-inspired block prints, painted ceramic tiles and pots.