Late 2019 and early 2020 was a busy time for Market Road Gardens and Goodgym Islington- our crew committed to re-building the vehicle entrance for coaches and minibuses to drop off children for The Hayward Adventure Playground (which has operated here since the 70's) and clearing pathways for a lovely green garden space.

It was so lovely to return for the first time since February, and to catch up with Frannie of Octopus Communities. She was really happy to see that the months of minimal maintenance actually turned the space into a flourishing wild garden! Our task for the evening was to spruce up the place by clearing weeds, nettles and brambles from the pathways and seating areas. Trainer Simon, Steve and Abi pulled on their protective gloves and got right to work.

Marie-Laure and John snipped and tidied vines and thorns off a lovely old tree stump near the makeshift green waste bins. Very satisfying work- the weeds came straight out of the trunk without much effort, and it looked as good as new in no time!

As we continued to clear a few more weeds towards the exit area at the end of the evening, we were approached by Robin, a leader at The Hayward Adventure Playground. He told us how appreciative he was of all the work we had put in for renovating the entrance, and offered us a collection of beers and chocolate as a Thank You! It was a great way to finish our task, and we proceeded to sit down and relax on the now weed-free seating area.

Excellent work everyone. We will certainly have more Market Road and Octopus Community Tasks in the near future. Watch this space!