12 goodgymers travelled to Ocean Youth Connexion on a chilly Monday evening. Some cycled, others walked, John braved poorly lit towpaths (successfully managing to remain a land mammal). Taskowner Kamal instructed us on the two jobs for the night 1) bagging up leaves in the yard and 2) painting the roller shutter.

Nia and Darren transformed the roller shutters from a muted grey to shiny metallic, almost rivaling the brightness of the jackets sported by myself and Emma. They were meticulous with their paint rollers, trapping us all in the yard at the end just to get the job done. Or one could say, painting us into a corner (pun credit/blame: Darren)... We were all happy to stay to witness the finishing touches of their Rothko-esque masterpiece.

The rest of the gang were busy beavers running around the yard clearing it of loose leaves (which Kamal had already kindly swept into piles). Wheelbarrows, brooms, brushes, leaf scoopers and hands were employed to get the job done. It seems like every time we come to Ocean Youth, Kamal provides a new helpful item - headtorches this time. So industrious were we, there was a constant background rustling sound throughout the hour. Countless trips back and forth were made to the designated leaf drop off zone for the leaf fairies (aka the council) to pick up at a later date.

Bang went the clock tower, and with jobs complete, a cheery gang made their way to the pub round the corner.

7 GoodGymers added good deeding and coffee to their Saturday mix!

There are three flower beds on Camden Square that are now cared for by the local community.

Two are already filled with rich colour while one is getting ready for shaping.

And it was this latter bed that caught our focus this morning.

Hannah joined us on their second good deed (welcome!) and Maria traveled over from West London (welcome!), and they joined our regular Camden crew of Imogen, Helen, Jackie, and John.

We grabbed spades and forks and dug deep into the earth to lift a hefty pile of weeds and roots.

After 60 minutes of work and conversation, we left a tidy space and headed out for coffee :)

Thank you, everyone! Here's to next time!

8 GoodGymers made a wonderful difference in Kentish Town!

We took a visit to one of our usual haunts last night.

Nestled in a corner of a cul de sac — away from the usual bustle of Kentish Town — is a very special sheltered housing scheme.

With a winding garden full of seasonal delights, this group got to quick work yesterday evening!

❤️ Alex, Sam (on their first good deed — welcome!), and Steve transformed a weed strewn vegetable patch into a perfect image of fresh soil ripe and ready for next year's planting :)

❤️ Gary and John started off by weeding one flower bed... then two... then three! And then they turned their quick hands to raking and sweeping, making everything better by the minute :)

❤️ Caitlin and Jackie visited a resident's garden and made the swiftest and most efficient work of the fallen leaves, gifting this space back to the very grateful resident :)

Thank you, everyone! Here's to next time!