Once again, we were completely unprepared for the weather: suddenly, it wasn’t freezing! There was no icy wind from the East, or indeed from any point of the compass. But still, Anna was wearing her sleeping-bag coat, just in case. We even had a dry couple of hours in what promises to be a soggy week; as promised, the drizzle stopped precisely as we arrived for the task

Some task force members were held up by work commitments, or by walking down the wrong street, but we soon got underway. There were two beds to be tackled, one near the entrance and one labelled the “race track”; where GoodGymers were speedily yanking up unsightly weeds and filling large white nags with the debris

With the beds cleared of their leafy offenders, we moved on to the mulch stage: a generous layer, to lock in moisture, deter future weed returns, and generally give the soil a fresh lease of life. Where chaos once reigned, there was now order, tidiness, and a sense of horticultural achievement

For those eager for more chances to do good while breaking a sweat, Tower Hamlets members are branching out to tasks in Camden, Newham, and Greenwich. Closer to home, our own evening tasks return next Monday, and if one night a week isn’t enough, the next two Tuesdays as well!

Despite fingers so cold it was hard to use the pick, GoodGymer Anna managed to collect a whopping 5.7kg of rubbish from central Wapping.

The WaSh Wombles meet in different parts of Tower Hamlets every week to keep the streets clean, get to know their neighbours and have a warm cup of coffee or tea as a treat to celebrate the many kilos of litter collected.