What a beautiful evening for tonight's task!

Shortly before 7 a good-sized group gathered in the corner of the Royal London Hospital forecourt to speed through tonight's short fitness session.

It was a fantastic area to workout in, complete with steps and small walls, perfect for shoulder-taps and step-ups.

We headed over to meet the rest of the team after a few stretches, delighted to see how steadily our little group was growing.

Following a briefing from Nancy and Richard, we divided into small teams, each tackling one of these large planters.

The planters are a good addition to the A&E area of The Royal London Hospital, but needed a good weeding after a damp and mild start to summer. Armed with gloves and bin bags, off we headed, determined to get the better of some giant thistles, nettles & co.

To say it didn't take the team long was an understatement. The first planter was clear well before 7:30, leaving plenty of time to turn the soil, ready for Operation Planter Part II.

With a new team put to work on weed and rubbish disposal, we were done and dusted - literally - at a quarter to 8!

What a fun evening.

A big shout-out to the team, especially to Ismet, who joined for his first, brilliant task.

Next week, we're back to the Yurt Cafe for one last final push in the landscaping project!

Until then.

A mild Monday evening saw no fewer than 13 GoodGymers head to the Community Garden, at James Middleton House, in the heart of Bethnal Green.

Tonight we were joining Margaret and Ash for Planters Part II, helping distribute a vast amount of compost into these newly-constructed planters.

This garden forms part of the well-tended Hollybush Estate community gardens. The gardens include an orchard, an allotment and a play area, and offer residents bundles of well-kept space to enjoy.

Forming several teams, we loaded wheelbarrows full of soil and headed over to the planters and other parts of the garden to help get these new areas ready for an exciting bit of planting.

The rain started - nothing new there - but did little to dampen our spirits. With such a large, fun and productive team, superbly headed up by Margaret and Ash, we pressed on until after 8.

After posing for the all-important group shot, the team returned barrows to the Nature Reserve and the Community Centre, already looking forward to next month's visit.

A big shout-out to the whole team, for a fab, fun, effective evening, and in particular to Charlie, who joined for his first task!

Next week, we're heading to the Cranbrook Community Centre for our first visit of summer! Sign-up here.

Until then.

Tonight a good-sized group of GoodGymers headed to the Yurt Cafe at the Royal Foundation of Saint Katharine in Limehouse to help in the exciting last few weeks of this new community garden.

The garden is taking shape nicely, with a new pathway along the side, the monastic garden now housing benches and fruit bushes, and the sides of the garden clear and ready for more planting.

Having started work on this garden at the start of the year, it's been great to see it take shape as the months have gone by: from demolishing sheds and old planters on cold January nights to laying the final barrows on gravel on a balmy July evening, visits to the project in Limehouse, overseen by brilliant task owner Larry, have been a 2024 staple here in Tower Hamlets.

Tonight three teams worked on shovelling gravel, spreading gravel and weeding in-and-around the monastic garden.

By the end of the evening, we weren't sure which was the best workout.

Having assumed weeding would be the gentler task, we realised very early on that tough, well established weeds combined with dry soil meant a claw hammer came in very handy. But then a sidelong glance at wheelbarrows of stones being upended wasn't such an easy gig either.

It was certainly a physical evening, and a fun one too. Welcoming John​ to his first session, it was a splendidly sociable start to the week as usual.

A great effort, team, and I look forward to the next time.

Until then.

What a beautiful evening for tonight’s activity!

We started out as a small group working out on the planters in busy Ravenscroft Park, but slowly grew, until there were a good number enjoying the final stretches shortly before 7.

Making our way around the corner to meet Ed, our task owner this evening, we decided tonight might be a hayfever special, thankful we’d come armed with tissues and antihistamines.

This evening we were working around the pretty race track garden (so-called due to its winding gravel path) and the grass-filled garden at the front of Sivill House, helping to clear some of the many weeds.

A third team were dispatched to the Orchard area, to complete an extensive watering operation.

The Columbia TRA are the tenants & residents association for the Newling, Dorset, Virginia and Gascoigne Estates in Tower Hamlets. These estates sit on-and-around the Columbia Road area, and are home to some much-loved green areas.

Our team continued to grow as we plucked weeds and hydrated trees, and we made a good dent in the garden tasks.

At shortly before 8, we started to think about wrapping-up, tipping one last bucket into the weed pile and winding the hose away for the night.

Posing for that all-important final pic (thanks for your patience as always) we wheeled barrows back to the lock-up, said our cheerios and wandered off into the beautiful evening sun.

A fantastic start to the week.

Shout-outs

Thanks to our brilliant task owner, Ed for this evening’s great activity and for tonight's pun, and to Lucinda for another splendid pun, Green Green Dry Grass of Home.

Until next time.

We joined Margaret and Ash from the Teesdale & Hollybush Tenants and Residents Association for our second May visit to help with some gardening tasks.

A group of us gathered at the Town Hall for some stretches and a pleasant evening jog over to the Hollbush Estates. There, we rallied more troops and received our mission brief.

We handed out the tools and started helping Margaret and the team to clear and tidy one of the community allotment spaces for the Hollybush Estate. While some of the group got stuck into weeding, others shovelled soil and dismantled the allotment beds. The wheel barrows raced back and forth to Rocky Gardens where the soil was put back to good use.

Many hands made light work of clearing the space, and it was satisfying to see the signs of our work. Well done everyone for clearing the space and making it feel loved again :-)