Trees the Day

Rain and resilience

Jo and Liv were ready and waiting at our Bethnal Green rendez vous point at 8.30am, keen to get going.

As we gazed at the skies, pelting out ferocious, unrelenting rain, we agreed that no weather forecast ever quite prepares you for non-stop downpours. But, as Jo put it so pragmatically later on, "Once you're wet, you're wet. So it's fine."

And so we headed down Old Ford Road to today's task, via Victoria Park, where, having found shelter(ish) under a tree, we ran through some dynamic stretches, ahead of our very physical task ahead, and to prepare us for the run back to the office later.

We then jogged a short way around the corner where today's task owner, Catherine, was ready and waiting for us, well prepped with tools, shovels, and wheelbarrow. Off we headed, around to the soon-to-be-wild-meadow area.

A Parkview powerhouse

Catherine is on the TRA of the Parkview Estate, and is a real powerhouse, holding a realistic but wonderful vision for the present and future of the estate. In the time GoodGym Tower Hamlets have partnered with Parkview, we have worked with Catherine planting fruit trees, bee-friendly plants, and helping clear and weed the estate. One of the aims is to create an estate garden which eventually produces food sources for residents that are affordable. While also creating a wonderful habitat for endangered species such as bees. So the prospect of being joined this morning by enthusiastic, hardworking and very fit willing Airbnb helpers was so much appreciated.

And so we set about, a small but very determined crew, in digging a meadow area in the middle of a grass covered island on the estate! Kind resident Joanna popped out onto the balcony to enquire whether we wanted biscuits, "Do they want biscuits, Catherine?". "I don't think so, thank you Joanna, these guys are getting really stuck in and I should imagine they'll pass on the biscuits." "But everyone needs biscuits."

And so the new meadow started taking shape: Jo used his previous construction experience to dig deep, both literally and metaphorically, while Liv recalled equally wet past DofE experiences, so knew the drill when it came to getting stuck in and picking up a new skill very quickly, in, er, trying conditions.

Grass, weeds, top layers were all taken off as part of a super strategy: not only was room made for the wild flower seeds, the soil was then used on the new fruit trees. Planning, Catherine. High five.

What a workout

As far as incidental exercise goes, this was a workout-and a-half. Where to start? The hour-long isometric squat? The love we showed lats and obliques as we dug and rotated? Or the core-carving involved in getting shovels into the ground, and wheeling heaving barrows?

As the last barrow was emptied onto the fruit tree, a little tree that's proudly getting going in the front of the estate, we reflected that it had a been the most incredible morning in tough conditions. And as if Liv & Jo's Herculean effort weren't already enough, Liv then came up with today's outstanding punchy pun. Amazing.

To complete our morning's work, we then took a decent-speed run back to Compton Street, weaving our way not so much through congested streets, but streets full of the most heavenly food aromas, stopping only to turn to one another, wide-eyed, and mouth, "YUM!". Maybe we should have gone for Joanna's biscuits.

We finished with a last couple of stretches, going for a decent calf stretch on the office steps, to ease any lower limb stiffness. What. A. Morning. Jo and Liv, you absolutely rock.

On behalf of the residents of Parkview Estate and every driver, cyclist and pedestrian who will see your hard work from busy Old Ford Road: thank you. Today you were beyond any strapline, any hashtag...You were community. Thank you.