WANSTEAD COMMUNITY GARDENERS

A LOCAL GARDENING GROUP FOCUSED ON RECLAIMING SPOTS OF LAND IN WANSTEAD
Run by Marian this group helps take unloved patches of land in Wanstead and Snaresbrook and turn them into beautiful patches of flowers and plants.

62 GoodGymers have supported WANSTEAD COMMUNITY GARDENERS with 41 tasks.


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RedbridgeGroup run
Peter Van TongerenCedricJames C

Let's go wild!

Monday 20th May

Written by Peter Van Tongeren

In the spirit of #NoMowMay the Wanstead Community Gardeners and in particular Cedric created a leaflet to help convince local residents to help Mother Nature a bit more by a few little changes in looking after their gardens.

Next step, how to get the info to the residents.... up steps Goodgym!

So James & Peter joined Cedric for a jog round the target area. Couple of hundred leaflets and 3 miles later 2 boxes of leaflets were emptied.

The 3rd box was split up to be done in smaller sessions yet to come.

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RedbridgeCommunity mission
Peter Van TongerenHelen DoyleLinda SharmanEdward SharmanJames CCedricSibel

Table Turning, Chair Lift.

Sunday 19th May

Written by Linda Sharman

When the Wanstead Community Gardners needed some furniture moving to help them celebrate their 21st birthday of course Marian called in her reliable "Heavy Mob" GoodGym.

5 of us made our way to a local address where Peter picked up two tables, Ed popped another two on to a small trolley and James grabbed two chairs which left Linda and Sibel a cushion each and they thoroughly enjoyed the unfair division of labour 😂.

Back at The Corner House we met Helen and Cedric. Helen joined us setting up the tables and chairs before being called away to help the task owner with something. Cedric had brought some compost and disappeared off to deposit it somewhere useful to the community gardeners.

There was a little waiting around until the gazebos arrived but when they did we soon had them put up with a little improvisation for a couple of missing parts. We are nothing if not resourceful in GoodGym.

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RedbridgeCommunity mission
Peter Van Tongeren
James CLinda SharmanElegia Clancey

Special Branch

Monday 29th April

Written by Peter Van Tongeren

Not sure exactly what makes these branches Special, but who are we to question Marian's judgement!

So when the call came asking Goodgym for some muscle, we were happy to come and meet Marian to sort out the branches she sourced to be delivered to the different locations needed.

Linda, Elegia & James tackled the transfer of the big log to the roundabout, while Peter went to find the other branches to be moved from the green to the gravel garden.

Fashionably late arrival Julia managed to dodge a haphazard trip around Wanstead to try and catch up with the different transports and spend some quality time with Marian instead, 'networking'....

The 2024 account of Wanstead Community Gardeners X Goodgym has its first entry!

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RedbridgeGroup run
Peter Van TongerenLinda SharmanJoscelynJames CLauraAJHelen Doyle

Compromised Coffee Compost

Monday 26th September 2022

Written by Peter Van Tongeren

It has been a while, but this Monday evening we again had the pleasure of joining Marian, Queen of the Wanstead Community Gardeners, for a little adventure out on the High Street of Wanstead.

One of the local cafe's had been a bit exuberant in spreading coffee grinds on the flower/plant bed outside their place, resulting in the soil going more acidic than what the plants could cope with. So tonights challenge was to rescue the few surviving plants, remove the top layer of soil and replace it with fresh soil from Marians secret supply.

The lovely Joscelyn joined us for her first ever Goodgym experience (give her a welcoming cheer!) and already got acquainted with Linda & James on her way in to our base at Wanstead House, with Aj joining us soon after.

The quintet strolled/jogged down to the Cornerhouse to meet Marian and collect kit required, before setting to work sorting this poor flower bed. Many hands make light work, especially with Goodgym bringing the energy (we are nicknamed locally as Marians Muscles...). Even though the light was faded quick, the energy didn't so the job was done in good time.

After tidying up and a chat discussing the various plots and how they fared in the hot summer, it was time to leave a grateful Marian and go on our way again.

Next week Julia is planning something around Hainault - sign up here

In two weeks time we are back at Wanstead House starting the yearly challenge of leaves around our 'home' - sign up here

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RedbridgeCommunity mission
James CJenny McCurry

Team J to the rescue!

Sunday 14th August 2022

Written by Jenny McCurry

The plants at the station were looking decidedly crispy due to the heatwave, so we decided to come to the rescue. With many of the usual gardeners off on holiday, we met at the station on a super sunny Sunday morning after a cycle (James) and a gym workout (Jenny). Carrying some watering cans rounded off our morning's exercise nicely. Go team J! 👏

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RedbridgeCommunity mission
James CPeter Van Tongeren
AJSharon Graham

Marians Marvelous Marauders

Saturday 5th February 2022

Written by Peter Van Tongeren

For those who don't know Marian, she is the driving force behind the Wanstead Community Gardeners, a team of locals taking pride into caring for neglected pieces of land in the Wanstead area. Walking down Wanstead High Street, you cannot miss the different patches of land now showing a variety of lovely plants & flowers, decorating the landscape and cheering up the locals coming past.

Her latest protect has finally gotten the go-ahead, the car park at Snaresbrook station. A strip of neglected land along the edge of the car park has been handed over for a make-over. Today the focus was to clear rubbish, sift out rocks, spread soil & manure and in short get the stretch ready for planting.

As before, Marian put out the word that the project was on and the Goodgym crew was more than happy to get stuck in, delivering the usual level of energy and smiles, as well as welcoming the lovely Jenny on her first visit to this corner of London. Cedric popped in as well, having heard rumours about another project, as always a pleasure catching up.

Thanks to all joining in, we'll be keeping an eye on this to see how it develops and no doubt there will be more GG involvement!

Report/Feedback received by Marian:

"It was such a pleasure as always to have the Goodgymmers with us today. Very appropriate because they were there at the beginning of this project Nov 19th on a Monday evening, a group came along headtorches at the ready and took down a load of ivy from the wall. The bed we have adopted is long and narrow and was swamped by thick ivy growing wide from the wall. All that stuff was put in jumbo bags and they finished the job today by jumping up and down on it to compress it down so that the three bags could be put in the vehicle and away to the dump. Apart from that, more ivy roots dug up, rubbish taken out, another layer of leaf mould and top soil added, raked smooth and footed down. We've decided to have one more load of top soil added but that will be done from the garden centre vehicle so not a problem for us. Very soon, it will be time to plant this new border all 35 metres of it. (As usual, we've bitten off more than we can chew but usually manage to chew it.)

This is going to look so amazing. We're all so excited about it. We've already been given a wisteria and a rampaging climbing rose. Both needing new homes. Thank you from us to the GGs that helped us today. Your group really does make our projects possible. It's more than marvellous.

All good wishes, Marian. "
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