Ms E has a reputation as a sociable beneficiary. A chatterer and someone who likes to make GoodGymers a coffee. Today was no different and coffee was offered before Sevan even did any work! Sevan wanted to earn the coffee and cake, so first it was time to start the mission.

First up was trimming a small tree in the front garden that Ms E's upstairs neighbour had partially cut back, then left the branches in the flowerbed. As Sevan was chopping the upper branches, some neighbours from a few doors down started talking to him about "his garden" and asking how long he'd lived there 😳, so Sevan set them straight.

Once the front was complete, Ms E strongly suggested a coffee break, so the pair sat and spoke about Ms E's past and present. She said that she'd always had a good memory and been strong willed since she was young. She told Sevan that she'd recently surprised her doctors with the speed of her recovery after a recent operation. Ms E was determined not to have to sit down any longer than necessary, so mastered using crutches at record speed.

After coffee and cake, the last bush to trim in the back garden was an overgrown hydrangea. It was planted behind something else, so Sevan cut back the sides of both. Reducing the height was more difficult as the loppers could only reach so far without the now sharp branch ends poking Sevan in the chest and face.

Sevan cut and bagged what he could, ending up with 5 black bags of cuttings. There's still a bit more to do to in the garden, plus Ms E is now thinking ahead to planting new flowers in the spring 🌻.

Staring by greeting Ms C at 4pm sharp, I understood quickly what was at stake: this was already the second week and clearly it will not be finished at once. Getting to work quickly I cleaned the full front area before taking a look at the vast back garden. As i would not be able to clear it out i focused on the area near the avocado and rhubarb to let these plants grow better. then did a broad sweep to make the remainder look nice, until the next goodgym Mission there. Mission accomplished!

Last minute drama! 😱 Our original task got cancelled, but luckily, we had the opportunity to lend a hand at the amazing Tiny Forest instead! 🙌 Chau and I geared up for a quick run 🌟 to get there and got straight to work.

Our mission? To tackle those pesky weeds! 🌿 We pulled out a bunch, including one mysterious plant that had us scratching our heads 🤔. A quick reverse image search later, and we discovered it was a sneaky mallow plant! 😳 Who knew they could be so stubborn? 💪 Those roots were deep, and we were determined to get them out. We ended up on our bums a few times 😂, but at least we gave it our all! 💥

The soil, on the other hand, was looking fabulous 🌸! We spotted plenty of worms wiggling around, which is always a good sign 🌿. However, there was one mallow that decided to put up a fight 😤. Even after some serious stone bashing 💪, we deemed it a 2-session weed 🤯. Don't worry, we'll be back next week to finish the job! 🔥

We managed to dash back in time before the sun dipped too low ⏰. The run back was just what we needed to cool down 😎. The real takeaway from our session? We're both inspired to start growing our own herbs 🍃! Mint cocktails, anyone? 🍹

It was a gloriously sunny afternoon when I knocked on Ms C's door. And also when I said goodbye. In between was a different story as a rain and hail storm was an unwelcome accompaniment for much of my time out in the garden. Fortunately I'd come equipped with good waterproofs and AirPods + a podcast blocked out the sound of thunder.

The back garden was quite large and very overgrown so in the time available, I was only able to do a first pass at weeding it. Nevertheless I managed to fill 12 bags, and Ms C was grateful to see some progress.

Last night at TRAID’s Hammersmith shop, we had a super productive (and slightly sweaty 😅) evening packing up after their big summer sale! There were mountains of clothes 🏔️ to get through, and we kicked off by taking all the hangers off to speed things up. Once we found our flow, we switched things up—keeping the hangers on and neatly packing everything into crates 📦. By the time the delivery team arrived, the big boxes were ready to roll. Job done! 🙌

A big warm welcome to our newbie Chau👋—you jumped straight in and smashed it! It was great having your energy on the team, and we hope to see you again soon. Speaking of which… our next mission is coming up next Thursday at the Kathy Dolan community centre 🏢. We’ll be lending a hand with cleaning and some gardening. Come along, bring your smiles, and let’s keep the good vibes rolling! 🌟

Great to always return to the food bank with a lovely energetic team and run stock in and out to customers