A small group gathered on the steps of the Town Hall Hotel tonight before our task on the pretty Parkview Estate.

It was a gorgeous evening to sit and have a quick chat, soaking up the sun and discussing what we'd be doing that evening.

Setting out along Old Ford Road, we headed up leafy Approach Road, turning into Sewardstone Road, only to be greeted by task owner Catherine and young Liam, who were just heading out to meet us in the Community Garden.

Joined by fellow resident Seb, we were briefed on tonight's task: watering rather thirsty young fruit trees in-and-around the estate.

The estate gardens are large, and enjoyed by many residents, particularly those without their own gardens.

Adding fruit trees to the estate has meant residents also get to enjoy some edible produce (we were approached by several young residents this evening, keen to let Catherine know they'd tried some of the raspberries grown on the estate!).

With three teams tackling the whole of the estate, a lot was accomplished in a short space of time.

Danya, Esme and Seb headed off first to the areas of the Estate near Old Ford Road; Rosie, Catherine, Liam and I headed off to the fruit trees behind Sewardstone Road, while Heather and Martin remained in the community garden, watering each and every tree and plant!

We switched teams and trees every so often on meeting back in the garden to fill cans, bucket and barrows with water, pleasantly surprised at what a good little workout this task was proving to be.

We finished on Sewardstone Road, gathered around what appeared to be an exceedingly thirsty silver birch, before making our way back to the garden, stacking watering cans and buckets, and posing one final picture.

We said our cheerios, promising to return soon.

A really good start to the week.

Next week, we head around the corner to the Cranbrook Community Garden, to help Janet and Eileen with another grand gardening task.

Until then.

We returned to the lovely Town Hall Hotel last night for a short run to our task on Columbia Road.

It was a gorgeous evening to sit on the steps and catch up on the weekend news: all the latest from Shindig, and what we would be doing this evening.

At 6:45 we ran through a couple of warm-up exercises on the steps before heading out on tonight's run.

Ivo and John led the route this evening, taking us down Old Bethnal Green road, a quieter route, perfect for a leisurely run. As we turned the corner of Gosset Street into Columbia Road, we found Ed waiting patiently for us with a large bag of woodchip.

Our task for tonight

Tonight we were joining Ed and Ed (not a typo) from Columbia Tenants and Residents Association to help distribute the new woodchip around the borders for the new trees and plants in the Orchard area. (Woodchip can help soil retain moisture, deter weeds and acts as a boundary between plant and mower).

Having been introduced to the two types of woodchip this evening, we moved to the Orchard area to meet the other Ed who was busy distributing cardboard around the plants to be woodchipped.

Having received great instructions on the plan, we divided into three teams: one shovelling woodchip into barrows; one wheeling the barrows around to the orchard and the third distributing the woodchip around the young trees and plants.

There was quite the variety of bushes and trees with edible produce here, from strawberries to gooseberries; pears and blackcurrants.

As the first woodchip pile was finished, a small team was then assigned to planting, while a new watering team proceeded to wet all the newly-laid woodchip and plants.

At shortly after 8, we started the task of wrapping up, culminating in a group shot inside the woodchip bag (not a typo).

Going our various ways, we said our goodbyes, thanking Ed and Ed for a lovely evening in Columbia Road orchard.

Heading slowly back towards the Hotel, the running group chatted and ran at leisurely pace, stopping at the lights for a final stroll.

Shout outs A shout-out to the whole team tonight for some brilliant work, but especially to Ivo and John for leading tonight's run.

Next week

...we return to the Parkview Estate on the edge of Victoria Park, to see Catherine, Liam and Seb, who will be guiding us through a big tree-watering task.

Until then.

Tonight's task started at the earlier time of 5pm, due to park closing times and the need to maximise daylight.

One by one a committed group of GoodGymers arrived by Victoria Park's Hub area to be briefed by Lizzy as to this evening's task.

What were we doing in Victoria Park?

Tonight we were helping to distribute the remaining 4 tonnes of (original 20 tonnes) of sand around the playground area. This is no ordinary sand: this fine, treated, soft sand used to keep a soft, safe surface throughout the playground.

Although the park have been hard at work distributing the huge mound, there was still a decent-sized pile left for us to tackle.

Working in pairs, we shovelled sand into wheelbarrows, wheeled it to areas which needed filling in and....repeated! It's a tough task, particularly for those on wheeling (ever tried wheeling sand through sand?).

We made a nice dent in the pile however, stopping only to receive direction from young, local park residents keen to join in.

It was a beautiful evening to enjoy one another's company, and a workout-with-a-purpose.

At shortly after 6:30, the team opted to pose for a final pic on the wobbly bridge, before cycling, walking and running home in different directions.

A big pat on the back to the whole team, who got stuck in on a huge scale to this very physical task, and who left work stations at an early hour to accommodate this evening's task. And a big shout-out to Fiona, who took all this evening's lovely pics!

Until next time.