A small but mighty crew gathered for this week’s GoodGym Tuesday evening spectacular, with a few of us squeezing in a sunny loop around West Ham Park before the main event. Legs warmed and spirits high, we made our way to Barnard Grove to meet Carol — our task owner and the long‑time guardian of the two big planters that she has been maintaining diligently for the last 30 years or so.

The planters had become a bit wild lately, with overgrown greenery and a couple of unwelcome bushes muscling in. Carol gave us the lowdown, we cobbled together an assortment of tools and got stuck in.

The team made quick work of cutting back the messy, overgrown foliage, revealing the shape and structure that had been hiding underneath. Meanwhile, a determined subgroup took on the bush — the stubborn one that clearly had no intention of leaving quietly. After plenty of digging, tugging, and tactical discussion, we admitted we needed reinforcements. Cue a quick dash to the shop, returning triumphantly with an axe and a pry bar like a pair of DIY superheroes.

Armed with the new kit, we gave the bush a fierce battle. It put up a fight, but we made serious progress and left it significantly less smug than when we arrived.

Throughout the evening we got a few encouraging comments from passers‑by, which added a nice boost as we worked. By the end, the planters looked far tidier, Carol was pleased, and we’d earned that satisfied, pleasantly‑tired feeling that only comes from doing good with good people.

Another rewarding GoodGym session — teamwork, fresh air, and a bit of improvised tool‑based problem‑solving. Perfect.

What can a small team of GoodGymmers achieve in a couple of hours? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

This Saturday, we headed over to Little Ilford Community Garden with a task: build some new planters to help this growing community space. Armed with enthusiasm, a few tools (thanks Peter!) and a healthy willingness to work things out as we went along.

With a couple of pallets, reclaimed timber and assorted bits and pieces that our host, Ray, had set aside, we had to channel our inner engineers... Thanks to a combination of innovation, initiative and teamwork, two "new" planters gradually emerged from what had previously looked like a pile of wood.

Once assembled, the planters were lined and filled with soil, leaving them ready for future food and flower-growing. Seeing them completed in such a short space of time was a great reminder of just how much impact a small team of GoodGymmers can have.

A huge welcome and thank you to first-timer Lekbira, whose project management skills quickly became apparent - no descending into organised chaos on her watch... Massive kudos also to fellow first-timer Ryan, who threw himself into trying something completely new, picking up a host of practical skills along the way.

Big thanks also our host Ray. It was inspiring to see everything he's already achieved with this little patch of land. What would otherwise be an overgrown and forgotten space is becoming a valuable community asset where local residents can grow food, connect with neighbours and enjoy a greener environment.

Well done to everyone who came along and contributed. The garden is making fantastic progress, and we're delighted to have played a small part in its journey. Something tells me we'll be back before too long.

A team of three had been summoned to tackle Ms E's garden which she had not been able to tend to since moving into the flat over 5 years ago. However, it turned out that finding the location of this mission was the biggest challenge of the evening.

Once on site, the team were pleasantly surprised to find that the anticipated jungle was a perfectly respectable garden that simply needed a little sprucing up. And so the sweeping, raking and pruning commenced and within an hour, four bags of leaves and cuttings were ready for collection. Extra effort (and entertainment) points go to Fuad and Ewa for their volleying skills, to get the bagged up waste over the 8ft fence and over to the collection point!