On a warm summers eve, 4 of Redbridge finest ladies got together with lil 'ol me to do what Goodgymmers do best - helping out in the community.

This balmy evening we didn't have just one, but two tasks to deal with! So at 7 on the dot an eager squad moved out towards Wanstead tube station for part 1. Marian, the energetic head of Wanstead Community Gardeners, left instructions last time regarding thinning out the thick bundle of sunflowers growing on the edge of the station driveway. Helene, Lauren & Stefania got stuck in thinning out the sunflowers, while Beth & myself roamed the usual hotspots around the station clearing Marians flower/plant beds from all sorts of dumped rubbish that seems to find its way there time & again...

A crisp 15 minutes later the rubbish was disposed off responsibly (read: put in the bin!) and a bundle of sunflowers was ready for transport to the cornerhouse, Marians base. There we dropped them off, a message to Marian to follow after the run to let her know where the plants were waiting for her attention.

On we went to part 2, expertly led by 'Michael Jackson impersonator' Beth. Last summer Marian led us to a forgotten corner at Snaresbrook Tube station, which we transformed to a flourishing wildflower garden. So earlier this year our fearless leader James started working on a second patch across the road. Today part 2 involved clearing that second patch of rubbish & weeds, preparing it for a seed bom or two in the near future, to see if we can make it as lushious & colourfull as the first one.

Job done it was time to stretch those legs and clock up some mileage, combining some regular routes with a little trail section introduced by Matt on a previous run. A few stretches back at base and a happy crew said their goodbyes and made their ways home.

Next week a visit to one of our favourite locations, FRP aka the paint recycling place, is on the cards, but we'll try and have that confirmed beforehand so people can keep it in mind when picking their running kit - the risk of some paint stains might impact on what clothing to wear, as shown by my usually paint stained kit :-)

With an eye on the always temperamentfull Central line & other methods of public transport, it was mentioned that perhaps a little WhatsApp group might come in handy to alert the rest of the team if someone is running late or cant make it.... or just to chat about anything Goodgym / running / etc. So if you'd like me to add you to this, please let me know - peter@goodgym.org

Thanks for joining me tonight, see you next time!