This task was all about trying not to cover ourselves in green paint while sprucing up the playground fence at Garfield Recreation Ground. Luckily the afternoon rain had stopped so we had a healthy turn out of 10 GoodGymers, with a group of us running over to the park. It was lovely to welcome local councillor Eleanor Stringer, fresh from re-election last week, first-timer Ralph and GoodGym superstar Louise, who came all the way from Tower Hamlets. The enthusiasm and hard work of the group meant that we glossed up our allotted section of the fence in record time and made good progress with another unpainted section on the other side. Afterwards we enjoyed a well-earned drink at the Garden Shed pub and raised a glass to brushing up our painting skills.

It was a small but mighty team of four this week as we returned to John Innes Park to support the Friends group. We started at the circular bed that we seem to have now adopted. It’s always satisfying to see the progress we’ve made on this particular patch, and a quick clear-out and watering ensured it remained in top shape.

After a round of watering next we moved on to a much larger challenge: a massive bed completely overrun with alkanet. Known for its stubborn roots and hairy leaves, the weeds didn’t stand a chance against the team’s persistence. By the time we finished, the bed was transformed, with a large pile of weeds for the compost and leaving the area looking much tidier.