It was our October visit to the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park this evening, which is always good fun.

At our last visit in September, we'd raked hay and grass around gravestones and monuments close to the entrance of the park.

Tonight, Park Manager Ken's plan was for us to plant crocus and camassia bulbs around this area, to produce an array of colour by the Spring.

With everyone arriving close to 7pm, we were ready to head to the well stocked tool shed shortly after, to grab trowels and barrows, bulbs and gloves.

We welcomed Sal to his first GoodGym session, and grabbed head torches and lights for the ground.

Making our way to tonight's spot, Ken proceeded to tell us a little bit about the area of the park, the purpose of our planting mission and the best planting know-how.

Wasting no time, the team divided into small teams, taking care to cover the entire area, distributing both types of bulb evenly. Returning to the wheelbarrows to restock buckets and occasionally relocate to a new planting spot, as always, the time flew.

Several broken trowels - and one spectacular pun - later we were calling it a night.

Wandering back to the Soanes Centre and tool shed, we concluded it had been a handy little upper body workout, and that we're looking forward to returning later in the Autumn.

Another fun night in the borough - well done team, and a big shout-out to Lucinda for this evening's pretty awesome pun.

Writes Emma,

"On a rather muggy Monday evening, a determined group of GoodGymers gathered at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park ready to tackle a task that was nothing short of monumental: raking the cut grass from the meadow site near the Soanes Centre.

Ken from the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park (an independent charity) kicked things off with a quick intro, sharing the park's vital role as an urban sanctuary for both nature lovers and local residents.

But this wasn’t just your average raking session. We were on a mission to create the ideal conditions for a wildflower meadow to thrive - working like ‘a swarm of locusts’ to clear the cut grass (as enthusiastic and methodical, but with better vibes).

Armed with rakes, wheelbarrows and a can-do attitude, we set to work. It was a lively, albeit dark, scene - grass flying, barrows wheeling and everyone chipping in to create a landscape where wildflowers can flourish.

Each sweep of the rake felt like an effective addition to a workout.

By the end of the hour, we were tired but satisfied by the HUGE mound of raked grass we had created. I would say that the meadow looked fantastic, but to be honest, we couldn’t really see it. We’ll take Ken’s word for it.

The night wrapped up with a big thank you from Ken, and a reminder of our celebration on Thursday for our work with Larry at the Yurt Cafe for the Foundation of St Katherine.

A huge thank you to the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park for leading the charge. And to the fantastic GoodGymers, as always.

Here’s to more meadow missions and green adventures in the autumn months ahead."

A mild, bright evening saw 17 GoodGymers head to Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park for a goose-grass and cow parsley bonanza tonight.

We started with 15 minutes of fitness outside the park office, which saw us welcome Nick to his first GoodGym, joined shortly by fellow first timers, Nia and Becky.

Speeding through the weekly lunge selection; adding in a little light upper body work, and finishing with a range of stretches, we managed to get through quite a lot in a short space of time.

Heading over to the well-stocked tool shed, we were greeted by Ken, who had wheelbarrows, rakes and gloves galore ready, and promptly led the way to our spot for tonight's task.

Background to the task

Our regular visits to the park, overseen by experienced Park Manager Ken, always ensure the week gets off to a good start. Although the park has a fantastic team, and a steady stream of volunteers, a decent-sized group of GoodGymers never goes amiss at this picturesque local spot.

Spread out over four corners in total this evening, we raked and plucked at these pesky weeds, which, given half the chance, would take over the park. It was a decent workout, particularly with the wheelbarrow runs to the big weed pile, and most importantly, we made a decent dent in the weeds in this area.

The team didn't stop (well, only to pose patiently for pics, and debate the all-important issue of tonight's pun, who we have Lukas to thank for, but our Emma's fantastic effort absolutely did not go unappreciated).

At around 7:45, we lined up wheelbarrows, collected gloves, and posed for one last pic before speeding back to base.

A brilliant evening once again!

Next week, Emma leads our Monday night activity to Rocky Park, complete with run from the gorgeous Town Hall Hotel!

Until then.

A short, sharp workout

No fewer than 9 GoodGymers joined for tonight’s short workout outside the Soanes Centre!

Welcoming first time GoodGymer Georgina, we popped bags to one side in order to get cracking on tonight’s short workout.

We started with a few dynamic stretches before moving to the obligatory single-leg squats; a seated abdominal exercise and a couple of lunge variations, before finishing with a handful of stretches.

We then made our way over to the toolshed to see Ken, the Park Manager of the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, and our task owner for tonight.

After a short intro, we piled wheelbarrows with gloves and bags, and headed over to tonight’s location, a little way into the park.

The best briefing in the world

Ken then gave his usual brilliant briefing, covering all aspects of health and safety as well as a speedy masterclass in goose grass and cow parsley removal.

Starting work on both sides of the park path, GoodGymers wasted no time in filling many barrows with these common weeds.

It was a productive evening, made all the more enjoyable by the daylight (and even a glimpse of sun).

At just gone quarter to eight, we wheeled the last barrow around to the weed pile and slowly made our way back to base via a most scenic route.

We said our final cheerios to Ken, delighted to be returning next month, to lend a hand helping to maintain this much-loved, beautiful park.

Next week, we’re back to the Columbia Road gardens!

Until then.

Two Circles squad rolled up with enthusiasm and numbers, as we strolled over to Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, an afternoon of giving back to the community lay ahead.

After admiring the Cable Street Mural, we got a brief history lesson by one of the knowledgeable Two Circle employees. A squad picture later and Terry had arrived, providing a wonderful introduction to the area, the history of the church, local wildlife, famous burials in the grounds and the job ahead. Terry is a member of volunteers, Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, a group that nurtures the land for others to enjoy.

A momentary spitting of rain ceased for us to be bathed in dappled sunshine for the rest of the session, we were to plant various bulbous flowers into the Church Gardens. Sweet Violets, daffodils, snow drops and another flower I now can't remember. Some of the Two Circles team weren't seasoned gardeners, but made up for it with a fuss-free, positive attitude. We estimated that around 300 – 400 flowers were planted. Some were clumps of bulbs, so probably many more flowers to be produced – courtesy of you all! An explosion of floral hues, increasing the wellbeing of those that pass through the park, not a bad afternoon’s work.

Thanks for making my job an absolute breeze guys, hope you got out of it as much as you put in.

Cheers

A relatively mild Monday evening saw 11 GoodGymers join Ken from the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park (FoTHCP) for a big ivy-removal session this evening.

Having gathered at the park entrance from 6:40 for tonight’s Standing Abs Workout, shortly after 7pm we were gathering the last of the loppers and lining up the wheelbarrows ready to make our way around to tonight’s task location.

The best health and safety briefing ever

Following Ken through what appeared to be a particularly dense section of the park, we arrived at our designated spot, where Ken proceeded to run through ‘the best health and safety briefing ever’.

Tonight we were pulling ivy away from graves, headstones and undergrowth, allowing gravestones to be visible and ground to be clear of this densely-growing climber.

Ken ran through the ivy removal basics, from the role of the lopper to the whys and wherefores of controlling this pretty plant, after which the team promptly grabbed gloves and head torches and chose a spot at which to start.

Stubborn stems

We were relieved to have the additional lighting, as, although only a few days from the next full moon, without head torches and work lights, locating and plucking the ivy could have been a tricky task.

As the first five wheelbarrows were piled high with ivy, a willing wheeling team quickly assembled. Ken accompanied the barrows to the park’s green waste pile, returning with some pungent bin bags.

With a ten-minute countdown given at 7:50, GoodGymers proceeded to move far behind the gravestones for a final push.

At 8pm, we gathered tools and trash and made our way back through the dark park, excited for our next visit.

A big shout-out to everyone for a productive and fun night with the FoTHCP team.

Next week, we head up to Bow Road, for another fun and varied evening with Frankie and Kieran at the GET OUT garden.

Until then.