An almost perfect evening for a pleasant 3k social run and return visit to the communal gardens at Wild Green E13, where this week we were tasked with weeding the "mural bed" (aka disturbing yet again a lot of snails), and after being given a crash course in weed identification ("take out all the ones with the big rabbity ear style leaves"), and armed with an impressive collection of trowels, and a wheelbarrow to use as the collector of said ears and anything else that could be composted, Hilary, Graham, Brad and Nick got to work.

We had an audience, as the evening sunshine had brought out the crowds to enjoy the park and gardens, and we received quite a few compliments from the benches on the great work we were doing to keep the garden neat and tidy - our hosts were equally delighted with our efforts, and once we'd got the weeding done, it was time to water the vegetable patch in advance of the forecast hot spell later this week - Graham discovered the Edvard Munch "Scream" watering can was surprisingly accurate...After an equally pleasant run back, we decided Hilary's birthday of last week needed celebrating, and conveniently our run had finished right outside the pub...always great when a plan comes together.

We'll be back again to help out at the gardens on 4th August - more watering, weeding, composting and whatever other tasks that Fleur and her friendly colleagues need doing to keep this particular community garden in excellent condition.

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.