And one by one our little group grew tonight, until there were no fewer than 13 GoodGymers working on the new hazel fence at the pretty St Leonard's Priory Park up in Bromley-By-Bow.

We said hello to first time GoodGym-ers Gurprit, Anton, Anna, and a warm welcome to Tower Hamlets to Anna!

Starting with four teams (one chopping hazel, one weeding, one digging fence-holes and one repairing our less-than-perfect previous hazel fence), it was definitely a case of learning on the job as we pruned, stripped and chopped; weeded and wove, blitzing multiple jobs at one time.

With the team working flexibly, rotating out of one task to another, particularly as time sped on ("Hazel! We need more hazel!"), it was a busy but sociable evening, with the countdown to sunset well and truly on.

A decent workout was had by all, whether digging up weeds or sawing tough branches.

It was after 8 before the team were generously stacking up the kit, and wheeling barrows to the back of the park.

With Kareem providing decent tech assistance, the all-important group pic remained in tact, despite the lack of light.

A great effort, everyone - and a final shout-out to Charlie, who came up with tonight's belter of a pun.

Next week

...we're back to Hollybush Gardens, for our first visit of Autumn with Margaret and Ash.

Until then.

A brilliant little squad showed up tonight to help Margaret and Natalia tidy the well-used garden around Patriot Square.

This small garden area aligns both sides of the path leading off the square. Used as a useful access to Russia Lane and neighbouring Old Ford Road, as well as a popular dog-walking spot, overhanging rose and blackberry bushes can mean the path gets a little congested.

Last month we headed to join the team to tackle the worst of the branches, returning this evening to finish the inside and bag up last month's stash.

With Natalia on Operation Strimmer and Margaret joining the pruning team, it was down to Oliver and Lucinda to tackle the bulk of last month's waste.

As luck would have it, we were joined relatively early in the proceedings by Cameron, also part of the neighbourhood gardening team, who kindly brought us the team's new supply of sturdy gloves, which helped matters no end.

It was a lovely evening to watch the sunset and join this productive, welcoming team for a spot of gardening, getting the week off to a really great start. Well done everyone.

Next week, we join Larry back at St Leonard's Priory Park, for our first visit of 2024!

Until then.

What a beautiful evening for tonight’s activity!

We started out as a small group working out on the planters in busy Ravenscroft Park, but slowly grew, until there were a good number enjoying the final stretches shortly before 7.

Making our way around the corner to meet Ed, our task owner this evening, we decided tonight might be a hayfever special, thankful we’d come armed with tissues and antihistamines.

This evening we were working around the pretty race track garden (so-called due to its winding gravel path) and the grass-filled garden at the front of Sivill House, helping to clear some of the many weeds.

A third team were dispatched to the Orchard area, to complete an extensive watering operation.

The Columbia TRA are the tenants & residents association for the Newling, Dorset, Virginia and Gascoigne Estates in Tower Hamlets. These estates sit on-and-around the Columbia Road area, and are home to some much-loved green areas.

Our team continued to grow as we plucked weeds and hydrated trees, and we made a good dent in the garden tasks.

At shortly before 8, we started to think about wrapping-up, tipping one last bucket into the weed pile and winding the hose away for the night.

Posing for that all-important final pic (thanks for your patience as always) we wheeled barrows back to the lock-up, said our cheerios and wandered off into the beautiful evening sun.

A fantastic start to the week.

Shout-outs

Thanks to our brilliant task owner, Ed for this evening’s great activity and for tonight's pun, and to Lucinda for another splendid pun, Green Green Dry Grass of Home.

Until next time.

After arriving at the Hackney local farm, Alice, Alicia and Kareem helped with soil shifting, barrow moving, and covering dry areas with compost to help with growth. Alice shared exciting stories from a recent trip to Bolivia, and we came across a cute little newt in the pond 🦎