Not for the first time, Des had a seemingly infinite variety of tasks lined up for us at Parkview on Monday. He’d informed me there’s be digging - always a good workout, and at this task, there are even enough spades for everyone. It seemed we were merely shovelling earth from one part of the planter to another. In fact we were digging out the soil in order that a base layer of planks could be laid down, for a no-doubt very sensible agricultural reason. When the earth was shovelled back into the planter – in record time, as we all needed to go home by then – the whole thing looked much tidier, and rather pleasing to the eye

Des knew what he wanted doing, unlike the task organiser, who was still in a fragile state after noticing his phone on a station seat as his train pulled out – but I retrieved it later. Robbie had run all the way from Greenwich in the drizzle, but the distance had somehow expanded since he’d checked the map. However he made himself useful, clearing a corner which had accumulated a mixture of bamboo sticks and metal poles

Ilana and Lucinda had been planning an exciting foreign holiday, but for the time being had to be content with a gloomy, wet council estate. There were nails to be yanked - rather satisfyingly - out of wood and plaster to be applied to brick walls. Darren and Chris disappeared for some time, on some top-secret task to which the rest of us were not privy

Somehow, everyone was gathered together for the group picture, despite a unanimous rebellion against the photographer’s plans. To be fair, it was the only good picture of the whole evening, after which it was time to be cycling to Stepney, running back across the river, or tightly holding your phone on the Tube

Six GoodGymers braved a gusty morning to tackle a grotty and forgotten spot at the end of Bugsby's Way. This overgrown patch of grass had been neglected for some time - plenty of half-buried dog-poo bags, crushed drink cans, dirty bottles, vapes and multiple crisps and sweet packets. Maybe the football was an omen for Charlton's chances this season?

Thanks to everyone who turned out - 8 bags collected and there's more down there for another time!

We had a great group of 16 runners gathering at Hollybush tonight, braving a very chilly (but thankfully dry!) evening to take on a truly mulch-needed mission, shifting a massive new delivery of mulch and transforming the space in record time 🌿❄️

It was lovely to see a mix of familiar faces alongside some new ones, including Justin, who joined us for his very first GoodGym task, a huge welcome to you!

Meeting on site, we quickly broke out the tools and got straight to work. Our task was to spread the fresh mulch across James Middleton Community Garden, giving the beds a smart new layer to protect the soil and prep everything for future planting. At the same time, some of the previously laid mulch had broken down beautifully and was ready to be dug up and reused in the planting areas, a great example of garden recycling in action 🌱♻️

With Margaret and Michael expertly leading the charge, we soon formed a slick production line, shovelling, barrowing, spreading, and smoothing. Despite the cold, everyone kept moving as the mulch piles steadily disappeared and the garden visibly transformed before our eyes.

In just 45 minutes, what had looked like a huge job was completely turned around. The beds were freshly covered, the planting areas prepped, and the whole garden space was looking smarter, tidier, and ready for the next stage of growing.

We wrapped up with our new group photo method: everyone forming a circle, bending over and facing the camera on the ground while someone captured it in .5 mode, (Thank you to Emma for the idea) resulting in a wonderfully ridiculous (and very GoodGym) moment to end the session on

All in all, a brilliant evening of teamwork, community support, and a seriously mulchtastic transformation, huge thanks to everyone who came along and made such a difference despite the chilly temperatures!

About a dozen earthlings seized the day by taking up the opportunity of partaking in another fun task at Oceans Youth Connexions. Task owner Kamal opened the room divider to reveal a space we hadn't been in since we started our tasks here 2 years ago. The partition removed, we stepped into another dimension - a well sized room which used to be a carpet shop. A bunch of the gang put on some protective overalls and gloves before getting to work here, painting all walls white. Rohan had some unfinished business with an unpainted patch next door so he swiftly sorted that first. In the carpet room, the team started low, gradually moving up. None of the carpets turned out to be magic but we did have ladders to help us reach higher places. Conversations flowed as smoothly as paint rollers on exposed brick. Lots of chat about running endeavours, past and present. Good luck to those running Brighton half in a few weeks! A few drops of paint ended up on some visages but most of it covered the intended surfaces.

Outdoors in the yard, this was a paint free zone. The team here got to work clearing up leaves, other foliage and rubbish. The theme outdoors was South American with two of our group travelling there in the coming weeks. Bon Voyage to those soon embarking on adventures, be they travelling, culinary, or expressed through the medium of dance. Whilst this team mainly worked behind bars, this was no prison. They roamed back and forth, from the smaller yard, to the bigger yard, to the magic circle outside where the leaves have a temporary stay. Once the free-range roamers had finished up, they joined the decorators indoors.

We ended the task with the customary group photo and a somewhat tuneful rendition of Happy Birthday for Anna.

• Shout outs to:
• Anna on her first task, and crossing the Thames to do so!
• Robert for also crossing the Thames (not his first task)
• Anna for it being her birthday week - happy birthday!

We'll be back here next month (date TBC)