It was a bitterly cold evening, with frost clinging to the ground, but that didn’t dissuade 13 Tower Hamlets diehards, wrapped in many layers, gathering for our first group task of 2026. Breath hung in the air as we pulled on gloves and got to work, determined not to let the temperature dampen our spirits. The Cranbrook garden was still carpeted with wet, fallen leaves, somehow unhardened by the icy conditions

Despite numb fingers and stiff muscles, the group worked steadily, gathering leaves into large piles, bagging them, and Chris even repeating his Cranbrook party trick of jumping into the wheelie bin, to stamp the debris down and create more space for the seemingly never-ending flow of leaf piles. Periodic bursts of laughter and much conversation helped to break through the chill, and the physical effort brought a degree of warmth

By 19:45, the thick carpet of leaves had disappeared, just a few clinging on between blades of grass, and the lucky 13 felt proud, rosy-cheeked, and energised. There only remained the logistically difficult problem of getting everyone in a selfie, and the difficult negotiation of the frozen pavements outside

7 goodgymers travelled to Ocean Youth Connexions for a festive evening of painting and leaf collecting. The ever 'elf-ful' Ilana and Rohan painted the shutters silver (bells); John and Kareem aka the two wise men, painted two doors: one gold, reminiscent of sleigh bells and one black, matching Santa's belt. Emma , Fiona and myself were on leaf picking duty. Kamal was no grinch and supplied us with excellent leaf grabbers to get the job done. Emma finished the task by channelling Santa, carrying big sacks (of rubbish) down to the wheelie bin. The key for the bin was triangular, resembling the green triangle chocolate often seen during the festive period - coincidence? I think not.

Once the tasks were complete, we all rolled merrily along to The Star of The East for a celebratory drink. That's a wrap for Gooddgym Tower Hamlets for 2025.

A return visit to a large back garden with plenty still to tackle. Thorny brambles were lipped, shrubs were pruned back and weeds were cleared, making a big improvement to the space. The garden is now tidier, safer and much more manageable for Mr D.