An epic evening once again helping out the lovely volunteers at Shepherds Hill Gardens! Deep summer brought all sorts of fresh and woolly faces together into our flock, from the lesser-spotted Peter to first-timer Marija. Great also to see Memory and Anthony out and about, as well as Phil, who walked to and from the site. And we had a visitor, Emily, joining us from Islington and who may come again given how close the gardens are to her.

Many hands made light work. Our host, Pat, had her arm in a sling, so she wasn't as able to get stuck in as she often does. Sprightly still, she made her way around showing us the various jobs and setting us to work. There was bramble-bashing - taken up by Lucy and Subham; some ivy clearing, which Paul and I had a crack at. And then lots of sweeping and tidying for the others, making the area safer and more inviting for visitors to enjoy. One of the Friends of Shepherds Hill, Joan, meanwhile, gave the area a quick litter pick. And, of course, we were joined by the boundless ball of furry energy that is Gus, who did a good job of sniffing out anything interesting in the bushes we might have missed.

Pat's message of thanks described us as, "A jolly and very hard working crew, who have given us peace of mind." Most welcome and we'll be back again soon!

NINE GoodGymmers shovelled earth and mulch in 29C heat for Light of the World Church.

Alice, Cat, and Hermione helped Eslam to shift and water some soil while Matt, Sarah, Emily, Caitlin, and Alison laid mulch over coffee sacks to make a path.

10 wonderful GoodGymers made a HUGE difference... amidst the beats of a city festival!

Regent's Park is usually a sanctuary of peace – there's green and trees, flowers too – and you can often escape the sounds and bustle of nearby Camden.

But last night... we arrived to beats and drops and cheers... as well as three hefty security people guarding our entrance to the (wonderfully hidden) tool yard!

Pete – all round Camden nature hero – soon smoothed the way and we arrived at a yard that was desperate for a little GoodGym TLC :)

Our special group – Alex, Caitlin, Emily, Jackie, John, Michael, Natalia, Pete, and Steve – swiftly split into groups:

Michael and Jackie started by sorting and folding the pile of garden sacks – the holed sorted from the non-holed, and everything tidied and ready for use! And they then picked brooms and swept the yard to shine!

Alex and Natalia grabbed shears and tackled a Jumanji-esque patch of vines – they cleared everything and it was wonderful!

Caitlin, Emily, John, and Steve made light work of a pile of wood (keeping the larger bits that can be used for poles or building), before raking and sweeping and bagging a mountain of leaves (sifting the plastic trash from it as they did!)

And Pete was here and there and everywhere coordinating everything!

The yard looked liked a different yard at the end – a huge difference – even if we didn't quite get the peace we'd envisaged!

Thanks everyone!