10 of us came out this morning from four different GoodGym areas to St Paul's Shadwell to help Micheal and Tabard Growers' Peter continue with the digging we started two weeks ago. This time we were joined by first timer Ben. Welcome Ben!

Our instructions weren't different from last week's: shovel soil into wheelbarrows and empty them into ton bags to be picked up by the Council at a later date. This time however we had to demonstrate a certain level of creativity to avoid gigantic/never-ending tree roots: digging them out was no use and alas Michael's pickaxe didn't help either. I suspect a chainsaw will be required next week if we want to get rid of them!

In three weeks, a total of 31 amazing GoodGymmers have managed to remove 27 ton bags worth of soil! This soil will then be dropped off in a Tabard Growers allotment down in Borough to create a green space for locals. Another 90 minute session will be required to finish the job next week (at the very least!). Watch this space for more details!

GoodGym Tower Hamlets will be extremely busy next week with SIX community misssions coming up.

Take your pick and sign up here!

Another big crew...

A whopping 34 runners gathered in the Hollybush Estate's Rocky Garden this afternoon to help Michael and Margaret, probably our longest standing task owners, with some big winter tasks.

...for some heavy duty work

Having all met successfully eventually (postcode/Google satellites seemed to be a hit & miss combo) at the garden, Margaret proceeded to run through our 4 huge tasks:

• One team was heading to neighbouring street to shift a vast amount of stone cobbles, forming the most impressive human chain
• Another team was tasked with planting the big delivery of young tree whips, with a splinter task then digging over some neighbouring ground
• Two teams headed to the back of the gardens to move compost, with another splinter task then shifting multiple bags of compost

An hour of heavy lifting, digging, running (for some), turning, carrying and planting later saw every last bit of work completed, and two absolutely delighted task owners.

Having expressed heartfelt thanks to our big team of runners, and a very appreciative thanks in particular to our many new runners, Margaret and Michael bid us farewell as we trundled off to neighbouring Middleton Green's basketball court where Chi had carefully laid out some cones in preparation for this afternoon's fitness session.

And an INTENSE fitness session...

The team brilliantly sped through an intense running, core, stretching and tough body weight-move session, finishing the watchful eye of Chi, for the second time this week. Way to go, crew.

What a vast, vast difference you made on a grey January afternoon. You just kickstarted 2020 and then some.

And we have some big thank you's for today's session...

• Thank you to Chris, for stepping in so quickly and efficiently, to greet all runners, especially our new runners, and lead them around to Rocky Park.
• Thanks to Chris and Si for leaving the fitness session, to help Michael complete the cobblestone task.
• Thanks to Isabelle, Leo, Chi and Liz for some brilliant pics.
• Thank you to Chi for co-hosting the fitness session.

And the biggest of thank you's to our wonderful, wonderful first time runners, Laura, Sohere, Charlotte, Sarah, Ailsa, Mia, Jeremy, Millie, Evie, Amy, Niamh, Keara, Rebecca, Krisztina, Sunny, Richard, Anna.

You achieved a staggering amount this afternoon, and the only question remaining to be asked is, when are you coming back?

We're running again on MONDAY!

Talking of which, we're back on Monday - yes,just 48 hours away, for a whopping THREE-TASK EVENING!

Followed by some more life-enhancing fitness in beautiful Meath Gardens, so I'd get yourself booked in now, if you want to start your week with a bang.

In the meantime, have a lovely, lovely weekend everyone.