We were back at Hollybush Estate on Monday night, joining Margaret and Ash to shift the mulch we laid down several months ago, now rotted and ready to nourish a fresh round of bedding plants.

We were also joined by Michael from the Hollybush team, who came armed with a surprise for later in the evening. And a big welcome to @Dan Baker, newly arrived from Liverpool but already well at home with GoodGym thanks to his TaskForce experience. Thanks for the extra pair of hands, Dan! We also had a furry visitor, Missy the Beagle brought by Emma, perfect for the role of GoodGym mascot I must say!

With so many willing volunteers, the mulch was swiftly cleared and replaced with fresh material, leaving us plenty of time for the real highlight of the night: celebrating Margaret’s 70th birthday. Sparklers were lit and a caterpillar cake (expertly sourced by Lucinda) presented.

Margaret has been a constant, warm presence at Hollybush Estate for years. Anyone who’s volunteered here will know her trademark “How are you, darling?” and her tireless commitment to the gardens and community. GoodGym Tower Hamlets and Hollybush itself wouldn’t be the same without her.

We braved the cold and darkness on Monday night to help Ken with some flower planting in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. Trowels and head torches at the ready, we split into groups and set about digging holes and planting hundreds of daffodil bulbs throughout an area of the cemetery park. We worked our way diligently through all of the planting, some even digging so furiously that their tools snapped!

Big welcome to Ariane who joined as from Hounslow. And a big thank you to everyone for a very productive evening. Make sure to take a stroll through the park from February to April to see the fruits of our labour!

It was late November showers that greeted us this morning under the big tree, and as our hardy volunteer team appeared from all directions to discover that efficient Run Director Rue had already set out most of the course and checked it was "runnable", we stood in somewhat nervous anticipation as to whether any junior runners (and/or their coaches) would actually brave the conditions...

But at five to nine the first few enthusiasts started appearing, and before long we had a crowd, huddled in their rain jackets. Rue put a call out for additional volunteers and a few willing hands went up, so alongside local GoodGymmers Lucinda (timekeeping duty/scaring the Run Director) and Nick (first turn Marshall), we finally corralled 11 hi viz heroes...and in today's conditions they were just that.

A brief Hackney Haka warmup led by Rue and they were off - the going was soft to treacherous in places, so care had to be taken at the turns and the especially muddy parts, but great running by all 22 of today's participants, including 3 first timers, and everyone got round seemingly without a tumble and just a lot of muddy ankles as a souvenir. Amazingly there was even a PB.

Same time next week for more fun at the fields, come along if you can - hopefully we'll be back to glorious blue skies by then...