A bitterly cold Sunday morning on an estate in the Barbican was the meeting point for Clare and I, ready to tackle Mrs E's garden, in need of some TLC. When we finally found her flat, Mrs E gratefully welcomed us in, showed us the plot and pretty much gave us free rein to tidy at will.

What looked like a modest amount of leaf fall lulled us both into a false sense of security as it took the best part of an hour and a variety of rakes and brushes to make the garden look presentable. Clare completed the lion's share of the raking as I struggled to light a fire and burn Mrs E's waste paper. In the end, I managed to smoke out not just her garden but half of the street; however, she seemed happy enough! Lastly, we were tasked to leave out the rubbish and some electronic items for recycling, which disappeared within 15 minutes!

Not the biggest job (or garden) but it seemed to make a substantial difference to Mrs E and she'll certainly call on GoodGym's services again. She let us go only after we agreed to accept some chocolate orange, an early Christmas stocking filler, gratefully received.