Friday morning and it's a public holiday - what a great opportunity for some gardening - which is exactly what Asan and Mark did. After looking at the list of tasks for the session prepared by Jo, leader of the Mulberry Tree Community Garden (MTCG), Asan impressed all by indicating he wanted "something hard to do". A further task was duly added - continuing the work begun by our GGH team in March - digging up and shoveling a rich mix of compost-soil in to large bags. Mark meanwhile went orienteering around Haringey to find an open DIY store to buy a staple gun (Wickes) - which was used to secure plastic backing to a pallet - now a vertical bed for growing strawberries. Along with several other "regulars", all but one of the 10 tasks were completed, enabling three-cornered leek pesto and pasta for lunch, prepared by Jo, and a bag of "greens" for each person to take home.

Last time our heroes were at Blue House Yard, it was to clear an unloved bed in the entrance and get it ready for planting. And now the day had come! Goodgym Haringey assembled at the yard, only to be told by Sarah that the first job for the day was to get rid of a tonne bag full of weeds from last time! This entailed carrying it up the road to the garden at the Haringey Learning Project. They don't call them tonne bags for nothing - those things are HEAVY! But one thing Goodgym Haringey are good at is teamwork, and they all took turns doing their bit.

The school also happened to be where the plants for today's task had been delivered. So Job #2 was to carry plants and tools back down to Blue House Yard.

Once there, we got to Part Three of today's task: placement and planting of all of the plants. Many holes were dug and plants were planted - no, not there!!

Our team made short work of the planting and had enough time to return the tools and empty plant pots at the end. Our friends at Ludo's bus bar promised to water the plants in, and the only job left for our team was to ensure we were also well hydrated before heading away into the night.

Wednesday evening found us back at the Tottenham Community Sports Centre, and for some of the team it came with a strong sense of déjà vu as we stepped once again into the changing rooms beside the boxing gym. Armed with what felt like every cleaning product known to humankind, the team surged into action.

Gladys Gladys and Asan Asan — both fairly new to GoodGym - took on the women’s changing room with impressive determination. Next door, The Neil and Yann were deep in the trenches of the somewhat larger men’s changing room, while James, now showing the calm wisdom of a seasoned goodgymer, positioned himself strategically in the gym area to tackle the weights.

Someone, of course, had to make sure photos were taken, morale was high, and reinforcements were secured in the form of extra cleaning sprays for mirrors and mysterious floor types. That someone was me (Mark ), doing my best impression of a roaming supply officer while Cecile and Sylvie (our task owners) kept us well stocked.

In double‑quick time the rooms were sparkling, and we spilled out into the cool evening air before heading to our next mission: a room in the main building filled with treadmills and other gym equipment. By this point the team was in full overdrive—no doubt inspired by Neil, who was just about to complete his 100th good deed. A huge congratulations to Neil on reaching this brilliant milestone.

This was our 1st task at the Mulberry Tree Community Garden and the welcome was anything but “cold or frosty” (with acknowledgement to “here we go round the mulberry bush …”)

Task Owner Jo was ready for us when we arrived - two tasks awaited with plenty of physical effort required!

One group took on the mammoth task of clearing a section of the garden that had become a dumping ground for wood (branches, sticks, etc) and overgrown with ivy, nettles, creepers, etc. Once cleared it uncovered a rich vein of compost and soil which was bagged and made ready for use elsewhere in the garden.

Another group worked on rebuilding a raised bed with a “hugelkultur” approach. The soil that half-filled the bed was removed and stacked on one side and the raised bed rebuilt with a base layer of cardboard and logs, with further layers of sticks&twigs&vines from the first task, wood-chip, manure, grass cuttings, soil, etc. Effectively building a compost pile in situ, with the logs etc also helping to retain water and release it when needed.

Asan was kept busy loading and shuttling wood-chip from a mound to the raised bed, and a number of goodgymers found time to contribute to both tasks.

In just under an hour both tasks had been completed and the crew gathered under the mulberry tree to enjoy a cup of herbal tea and biscuits - very generously provided by Jo. Welcome first-timers Gladys and Sharon Sharon, and a warm thanks to the rest of the crew The Neil, Dave, Paul, James, Ellie and her sister Grace (who joined as a visitor)

For some this was only the start to the evening, with several, including Sarah and Latoya who had worked late, joining Paul at pizza and craft beer venue True Craft to celebrate his birthday.

Mark Jennings

On the morning of 14 March, four GoodGymers arrived at Bounds Green Scout Park to support work on the area being developed for “forest school” use by Urban Forest Tribe (UFT). We were warmly welcomed by task owner and UFT founder Paula, along with her husband Steve and their son, and were delighted to be working alongside several community volunteers. A GoodGym team had helped the previous Saturday, and our challenge was to continue preparing the space so children’s activities can begin in late April.

The weather was kind, the mud quagmire from the previous weekend had eased, and everyone quickly got stuck into a variety of tasks.

While Steve and his son built an outdoor wooden table from scratch, Amy — undeterred by last week’s mud — teamed up with community volunteers to clear an area of creepers and overgrowth and level the ground ready for the new table. Carola and Emily, both from GoodGym Islington, took on the fire‑pit circle, getting a full workout digging out soil tightly bound with roots. The excavated earth was used to reinforce a wooden retaining wall, and the discovery of a large amount of clay filled a container for Paula to offer to a local pottery group.

Mark worked with Paula, later joined by Amy, to clear an area where plastic and metal drum containers and other discarded items (including metal bookshelves) had been dumped. The rusted metal drums and bookshelves in particular posed a safety risk to children, so it felt especially satisfying to get them cleared and ready for collection.

Meanwhile, a mountain of woodchip was half‑depleted as pathways and seating areas were refreshed — and a few children who had come along with their volunteering parents demonstrated just how much fun a woodchip pile can be, giving us a glimpse of the joy this space will soon bring to local families.

By the time Paula called time at 2:30pm, a huge amount had been achieved. It was time well spent, spirits were high, and the sense of community was unmistakable.

A whole NINE Goodgymmers met at Blue House Yard for tonight's task. We welcomed first timer Asan. He and Mark walked to the task, with Sarah leading a running group by a slightly longer route.

At the task we were met by Luke, with Milo the dachshund.

The school garden has come a long way since we first started going there, and out was lovely to see daffodils in full bloom, and tulips about to burst open.

Luke had a few tasks lined up: first of all lifting a big heavy tank into the food growing garden. This was accomplished so quickly Sarah didn't even manage to get a photo.

There were also a couple of climbing plants to move, a large number of trees to plant to create a new tiny forest, some soil to backfill the holes and then the whole lot to be watered in.

The team managed all of this in time to finish by 8pm and melt away into the starry night.