A kale of a time

The drizzle and dark were no match for tonight's group of sturdy GoodGymers.

Gathering just around the corner from tonight's task, the team focused brilliantly on a variety of lower body moves. Working hard on balance, strength and patience, they moved swiftly from one exercise to another, pausing only to contribute to "Highlight of your weekend?" our regular Monday game.

After a couple of familiar lower body stretches, at 7pm we headed to the GET OUT garden gates to meet Kieran.

What is GET OUT?

GET OUT is a charity whose goal is to use environmental education to strengthen the connection between Tower Hamlets' young people and the natural world.

Through a programme of outdoor education, surfing and food growing projects, GET OUT strives to increase young people's self-confidence, life skills and experiences, helping to enhance their education, and encourage them to become environmentally-conscious members of their local and global communities.

Tonight's task

Tonight Kieran needed us for a variety of tasks...

• One team was heading over to the large bed to remove everything, including the green, leafy vegetables! Their job was to take everything out of the ground, separating weeds from the edible, collecting snails as they went (not a typo).

• Another team headed to the small polytunnel to remove the jalapenos, to make way for new produce in this little indoor space.

• ...While a third team headed to the large polytunnel to clear another bed, before heading over the compost bay to spend the rest of the night turning compost.

• Then shortly before 8, a final, tough task was introduced: the carrying and laying of three large compost bags over the paving stone area.

Tonight's members worked hard and continuously, digging, carrying and turning.

This help is much appreciated as the garden will be busy come the summer months. Used by local newly-established gardening groups and local schools, getting these beds cleared, and making the concrete areas smooth and safe was a job well done.

We gathered around the shed for our final photo of the night, and to select our produce for the week's meals. Armed with kale, chard and a few onions to add a bit of flavour, we headed back onto Harley Grove for a quick upper body flexibility blast.

What a lovely night.

Shout-outs

Shout-outs to the whole team tonight: To Simon for heading up The Big Kale group; to Rohan, Chris, Jonny and John, for lifting and distributing the compost at the eleventh hour, and to Jonny for a great GoodGym debut!

We'll be doing it all again next week, so do join us for another fitness-filled, fun task!

Until then.