On a bright June evening, GoodGymers gathered in Meath Gardens for an hour of hands-on care in this well-loved park.

The team were focusing on two simple tasks: relocating salvaged logs and stumps to support newly planted trees, and giving the park a thorough litter-pick.

The first task saw us heading into a dense patch of greenery, where partially hidden tree stumps and logs lay entangled among bindweed, brambles, and long grass.

Armed with gloves and determination, we managed to free the wood from its weedy hold, unearthing a surprising amount of wildlife in the process — from industrious woodlice to clinging fungi.

We loaded the logs into wheelbarrows and shuttled them across the park to the woodland area. They were then arranged around the bases of young trees and along informal pathways to offer a natural barrier that helps shield saplings and root zones from the wear and tear of maintenance equipment and foot traffic.

Meanwhile, John and Chi took to the four corners of Meath Gardens with litter-pickers and bin bags - we later joined them after the tree task.

Our final haul included plastic bottles, vape cartridges, takeaway containers, and bundles of crisp packets! We completed our productive evening by depositing the rubbish in nearby bins before taking a final snap.

A great night with our terrific task owner, Tunde, and thanks to Chi, Asad and John for tonight's great pics.

Next week it’s back to Rocky Park to see Margaret and Ash!

Until then.

A mild June evening saw 13 GoodGymers gather at Tower Hamlets Community Transport in Limehouse.

It’s coming up to a year since we first visited Kamal here, the new home of Ocean Youth Connexions admin and training operations.

Since then we’ve weeded the wall multiple times, cleared soil, raked zillions of leaves, picked litter, emptied barrows full of greenery and done our fair share of painting.

A popular task (due to the location, well organised activity, great before and after pics and the organisations we’re supporting), this Monday night activity is always well attended, so we were able to form multiple teams again tonight to:

• Pull large areas of weeds away from walls and fences.

• Clear small weeds away from the areas of the yard.

• Dispose of the greenery in the outside park area.

• Pick litter.

• Paint gold drainpipes!

It was a fab team effort, with GoodGymers joining forces to rake piles, blitz troublesome weedy areas and climb ladders to reach high painting spots.

The time as usual flew by, and it seemed like we'd only just started before the group were gathering for the final photo and congratulating Lucinda on her 50th good deed! John presented Lucinda with her very own black t-shirt before they both posed for the obligatory pic. Congratulations, Lucinda - you're such a big part of Tower Hamlets GoodGym!

Thanks to John and Chris for pics and project management tonight.

Join the team for a fun get together in Bethnal Green this Friday at Mother Kelly's, while next week, we're back to Meath Gardens for our first visit of 2025!

Until then...

17 GoodGymers spent their Monday evening helping out at the Prospect Walk Allotments just off Meath Gardens.

The task, led by longstanding task owner Catherine (and supported by Des and Liam) was straightforward but much needed: clearing bindweed from fences and cutting back overgrown trees and weeds that had started to take over the borders.

With private gardens often limited locally, allotments are a great asset for locals, but keeping them usable and accessible takes ongoing effort, so it was good to come and lend a hand with the weeding and pruning of the communal areas tonight.

Armed with gloves and tools, the group made a start, unravelling the long vines and clearing the way for light to reach the plots. (Bindweed's spread across large sections of the site, particularly along the fencing, where it tends to cling tightly and block out sunlight).

The team also pruned tree branches, including the wonderfully-named Heavenly Tree, and removed other fast-growing weeds that tend to creep in when left unchecked.

Working for just over an hour, the GoodGymers covered a great section of the site.

At just after 8 we posed for our final pic and made plans to return to a similar task a few doors down next month! A great night with a good turnout (and a big welcome to Nancy, who joined for her first GoodGym session!).

Until next time.