What’s a GoodGymer with a couple of spare hours on his hands meant to do on a drizzly Monday lunchtime? Why, a task, of course.

And so that’s what Leeds Area Activator Rob chose to do with a couple of hours to spare on arrival in London.

Meeting at the large Cranbrook Estate, we proceeded to tackle the 12-storey blocks together, with Rob starting at the bottom; me lift-ing it to the top, and meeting ‘somewhere in the middle’ (this is a bit of a stretch, as Rob was managing at least seven floors to my five).

Why were we doing this?

Trapped in Zone One are a local organisation delivering a HAF Easter programme around the corner at The Glasshouse Community Centre.

With the programme aimed at local young participants, providing free meals, fitness and creative activity throughout the school holidays, it feels like an important task to lend a hand with.

We blitzed no fewer than four blocks in under 40 minutes, and managed to distribute nearly our entire stash of leaflets.

Job. Done.

It was a great way to spend a lunch hour: sociable and active, and feeling like we’d been able to put fitness and free time to really good use.

Aine, John, Emma and Bablu joined some other Trapped in Zone One volunteers to prep the wall that will soon become a beautiful community mural.

The task was simple and just the right level of toughness for a cool and dry Monday afternoon as we tackled the long stretch of wall in the tennis court with our white roller brushes. Aine and John went with the broad strokes approach (where more than we might have liked ended up on the court) and Emma tackled the edges and groves for maximum coverage.

Spoilt for choice...

And so it returned: two-task Monday…

First up: Mile End Community Garden. This garden is a “community-led garden whose space, including pathways, seating areas and edible borders, is available to all, and accessible to all, in the Tower Hamlets community.” We were therefore really pleased to be invited down this evening to help with some gardening work, to make the area more accessible for local residents.

Leading this brand new task tonight was Becky J, along with task owner, Nic.

Writes Becky, “This evening’s task was to level the uneven ground ready for concrete to be laid, to allow for wheelchair and other access.

We all picked a patch to shovel: Simon took the entrance, levelling the earth under some old rubber matting; Hester took leaves, leaving everyone else taking on passageways between planters.

Ceiling proved Queen of the Wheelbarrow, navigating tricky terrain and a steep slope (carefully avoiding the samplings round the perimeter) to tip barrow after barrow into the designated spot at the bin in the back of the garden.

A satisfying task where we could clearly see the difference made - looking forward to seeing the finished pathways next year!”

Meanwhile, over on the Cranbrook Estate...

...a team of five tackled every tall block on the estate leafleting for the upcoming Christmas holiday HAF (Holiday Activities and Food Programme) project, for Trapped in Zone One. In a race against the clock, we took odd and even-numbered floors in pairs, making our way through the buildings at record pace. No landing left uncovered, no block too tricky to access, we were assisted by residents inside and out, as we distributed leaflets on this youth activity all over the estate.

The two teams finally called it a day a little after 8, and we all made our way home in different directions, chilly but cheerful, and glad to have spent another evening out in our Borough.

Until next time.

“So if you could just pose, like, smile, and freeze. That would be great.”

And that’s how it continued tonight, with our all-female crew on this Monday’s active leafleting task. Pic after pic, before, during and after.

And stairs were climbed, buzzers buzzed, workshops explained, cores worked...

Yes, we did lots.

How it happened

We met on the corner of Dellow Street before making our way around to the rather dark St George’s Gardens. This proved to be the perfect spot for this evening’s fitness session, with its winding paths, rubber surfaces and benches. Quite the fitness playground for the team as they motored through running drills (“high knees, high knees… Promise you won’t look like this”), bench Bulgarian split squats, numerous nasty v-sits and some more running drills.

After nearly 30 minutes of focused fitness and flexibility fun, we wandered to meet Bablu from Trapped in Zone One by the DLR.

The story behind the task

Bablu had asked us to help out distributing 500 leaflets for a couple of new creative workshops, taking place in Shadwell shortly, to help create a design for a big new community mural, acknowledging both the impact and effect of the pandemic on the Borough, as well as the efforts by the residents. The mural also celebrates 50 years of Bangladesh independence this year.

We divided into two teams to tackle dozens of flats and shops. We chatted to interested, helpful and enthusiastic business owners and residents, all keen to know more about the project and help distribute the leaflets.

The time flew by, and before we knew it we’d clocked 7000 steps and 13-plus floors, returning to the DLR meeting point leaflet-less. Re-sult.

Great evening, everyone. Well done for your determination, and your patience (for posing endlessly for Yours Truly).

Next week we're at Meath Gardens for the first time this Autumn, for a big gardening quadruple-bill, plus pre-task, basketball-court fitness!

Until then.

Trapped in Zone One is an arts collective, who build strong partnership with community groups and organisations. They host exhibitions, run monthly creative workshops and help create murals.

Next Monday, as part of Black History Month, they're holding a workshop to create a design for a community mural in Shadwell, on the theme ‘What defines Tower Hamlets as a diverse borough’. To publicise this, Bablu from the organisation is delivering 700 leaflets near the workshop site.

GoodGym’s Ivy and John were on hand to assist with the distribution. Ivy came smartly dressed, prior to a work leaving-drink. John was in the area for our own monthly drinks. We were warmly welcomed by those who had to let us into the flats.

We soon worked out a system whereby Ivy would take a lift to the top floor of each block and start there, while Bablu and John would work their way up each side of the building, until we all met in the middle.

Within an hour, all tonight’s leaflets had been delivered. Best wishes to Bablu for the workshop and mural.

"Hmmm, thought the rain might hold off a little longer," said Bablu as he greeted Sara and I for this afternoon's leafleting task, as we sat outside St Margaret's House, pondering our strategy for a dry-but-effective session this afternoon.

We made our way to the picturesque Parkview Estate, where we fortunately encountered lots of shelter from the rain as we whizzed up staircase after staircase to leaflet the blocks with all the details of the October youth sports-and-arts activity starting later in the month at the Estate's community centre.

We were a brilliant little team, though I say it myself: taking two landings each and meeting at the bottom.

At 1:40 we made our way over to the Cranbrook Estate and heading into the high buildings, the lift system was explained to us by a patient and thoroughly helpful resident, so off we headed to the 14th floor, dropping one another off on various stairwells as we went.

We walked, we climbed, we chatted... We got lots of leaflets dropped, so hopefully they will reach some of the many local families who might fancy this new, creative, active addition to the area, that doesn't cost a penny.

Well done everyone, such a lovely way to spend a drizzly Saturday. Until next time.