On Monday evening, for the first time this year, Team Tower Hamlets did a full task entirely in daylight! And not just daylight, glimpses of SUNlight! No headtorches, no guessing what that shadow might be, no losing your belongings (unless you're John of course... even the light can't help him keep track of his running backpack)…

We met Des at Parkview Estate and wasted no time getting stuck in across the estate and the Glasshouse surroundings - spreading out so efficiently we left no corner of the estate untouched. Recent newcomers Jack and Chloe got straight into Team Weeding and Raking, two minutes before we were even due to start! Not long after, Team Bench #1 (Ilana, Darren, Kareem, Jo and Leisurely Lucinda) took on the well-loved bench wrapped around a huge tree trunk in the estate play area, sanding and painting it back to life (and a 50th shade of green it seems...).

Over in the community garden, Team Potatoes (John and Emily) were busy earthing up the spuds to keep them growing strong - future chips in very safe hands. Meanwhile, Team Alleyway (Ivo and Oliver, later joined by Anna and others as their jobs wrapped up) tackled moss scraping, weeding and clearing leaves from drains and gutters with some rather interesting-looking, unidentified, medieval tools. It's the kind of job that is oddly satisfying once you get going! Chris kept the whole operation moving, wheeling what felt like an endless stream of barrows to compost or bins depending on their contents - we wouldn't want litter to end up in the compost, especially so close to Earth Day!

And, because apparently word got out that this was the place to be, Team Bench #2 (Lobo, Anna and Jack) formed as more GoodGymers kept arriving - sanding and painting a bench back to life in the community walled garden area. As for me, I mostly roamed between teams capturing the action, the chaos and the questionable cycling techniques (Kareem...) before getting stuck into a bit of weeding myself.

Somewhere in the middle of all this chaos, a resident stopped Oliver to hand over a stash of Penguins and Orange Club bars (big throwback to packed lunches for many of us!). She’d seen the work going on and wanted to say thank you - a small moment that summed up exactly what these tasks are all about - working out for the future, environment and helping out the local community whilst boosting that sense of togetherness

We wrapped up with a “quick” group photo (they're never quick, I can only apologise...), then a good chunk of the crew headed to the nearby Approach Tavern to celebrate the release of the brand new GoodGym Sky TV advert, which has made us all celebrities in our own right.

Des, from Parkview Estate, said "They were a great bunch tonight. They managed to get through all the jobs I'd lined up!"

A brilliant evening: loads achieved, lots of laughs, and a proper reminder of what a difference a bit of collective effort (and daylight!) can make. 🌿

8 of us met in the shadows of Mile End Art Pavilion - a nice flat surface if you ever want to practise riding a bike. Also, a convenient meeting point for a night of litter picking. Shout out to Dan for leading a run from the Town Hall hotel. No doubt more runners will join him in future weeks!

People arrived in dribs and drabs and were kitted out with pickers, bin bags and gloves (all kindly provided to us by Kamal of Ocean Youth Connexions). What a legend. Before we got to the task at hand, we first addressed the question we all wanted to ask each other, but hadn't until now dared to ask: What is your favourite sandwich? Answers included salf beef, cheese and pickle, and coronation chicken. Some loved cheese, others hated it. The latter were asked to leave the task immediately. Only joking, all cheese views welcome. One (John) refused to answer the question entirely, not being a fan of sandwiches (too much bread). Fair enough, though I would argue it's all about the ratio of filling to bread, which can always be increased. Sandwich discussion complete, we got to work seeking out litter in the park (well, most of us did. My contribution was helpfully instructing John to place rubbish in, surprise surprise, a bin bag).

We focused on the Art park which is sandwiched (...) between Canary Wharf and Victoria Park, sometimes venturing towards the towpath. The hour passed swiftly and we ended our clean up at the top of the big hill, the lights of the city twinkling behind us. At that point, it seemed appropriate to undertake some experimental photography, under the guidance of Gabe (teaching some of us how to use the Long Exposure button on our phones for the first time). Then commenced, what onlookers may have mistaken for interpretative dancing, attempts by Darrenand Gabe to write the GG logo with the light of their head torches. Great effort by all (and some impromptu direction by Emma . You can judge the quality of the results yourselves...

Amongst the sandwich chat, and photo shoot, we did in fact fill a few big bags with rubbish. I believe Anna and Gurprit achieved the greatest rubbish haul (results not verifiable as I was not paying that much attention). It was an enjoyable evening spent in good company.