Lovely Monday evening and the crew was back at Sunnyside for some composting action. The key master Eslam was here with his bunch of keys. First task was opening the container to get the tools out. Then the Fantastic 5 started moving compost from one area to another in order to air it. First pile moved, then it was time to overturn and move the massive dry pile to the other side of the wooden edge...dry pile so the Key Master had to use his magic keys to allow Hermione run the tap and spray some water on her fellow goodgymers and the compost. At this stage, the Key Master 🔑 had another trick with his other keys and went to show the GG Crew the other garden just across the road which was a direct impact of their Good deeds at Sunny Side. Then came the Thief's...sorry the siev came in action as Eslam demonstrated to curious children how to sepaarate the soil from the twigs etc. Future goodgymers ?

Steph led the run round the stadium and to the task. We were then met by Matt and Deirdre. A very friendly task owner who enthused about his car park-cum-allotment.

We all got stuck in with the compost heap, bagging up dry branches and pristine soil. We tackled most of the first heap before time was up. I'm sure we'll be back.

On a warm Monday evening, 13 keen Goodgymmers arrived at the idyllic Olden Community Gardens, just opposite Drayton Park station. This beautiful spot is could be easily missed when walking by Arsenal Stadium, but there are hidden allotments, butterfly gardens and neighbourhood connections built on an area that was dedicated for gathering WW2 debris in the past!

More information about Olden Community Gardens can be found here: https://www.oldengarden.org/

Welcome to first time Goodgymmer Lisa - Thank you for joining us!

We had a variety of tasks on offer for us, stretching between the main garden entrance, past many fox dens, and over to "the bridge gardens" (which expand over a working railway bridge for National Rail services).

- Task 1

Together, we helped to shovel 2 full builder's merchant bags of mixed compost from the main entrance (the only vehicle drop point for gardening material), over to a more convenient location. At least 6 of our crew filled portable tubs of compost, before carrying this material by hand. By the end of the session, we came together to lift the final bag of mulch safely and carefully to the intended spot. Great job all!

- Task 2

Our team helped with preparing the gardens for the potential heat wave next week! We located all of the available water points for hose pipes and watering cans, and set about dousing as many of the plants and saplings as possible. This was a difficult task, as Olden Community Gardens is set on a hillside, and we needed to stretch the hose pipes around awkward corners and down slopes to effectively cover as many beds as possible. Between us, we did a smashing job within an hour of problem solving and teamwork!

Following our session, we enjoyed a trip to the Highbury Library bar and bottle shop to celebrate former Area Activator Simon's 800th good deed! A great way to close up a quality evening of Goodgymming- well done all!

Monday night brought out a magnificent twelve GoodGymers to ARC, with six running with Steph Ducat from Arsenal stadium, and all 12 rolling up their sleeves to get the towpath garden ready for planting out.

While some of us were still buzzing from Sunday's Arsenal Parade, others were visibly relieved that football had packed up for the season - and that this wasn't a week for litter picking!

Amy from ARC marshaled this particular Red Army into action across three fronts: one crew tackled the prickly job of cutting up and bagging thorny hawthorn branches; another set to work building raised beds along the garden border; and new member Devika and I got our hands well and truly dirty turning the compost heap.

The transformation of this little patch - small in size but brilliantly situated - since our last visit is genuinely impressive. A good night's work, a fresh set of raised beds, and all last night's rain should combine to even more progress and growth by our next visit. Bring it on.