Two Goodgym runners braved a chilly Sunday afternoon to help tidy up Ms Es courtyard garden.

After a little confusion over which door we were aiming for, and making good use of the mission contacts we found the right address and were greeted by Ms E.

She explained that she needed a hand clearing up the leaves that were covering the patio and a bit of a tidy up of some pots that's had been broken during some recent work on the flat. Broom in hand and bags & gloves sourced, Qiao set to work sweeping the leaves into a pile while Hazel bagged them up.

As we worked Ms E regaled us of tales of her grandchildren (triplets) who live in North Wales but are planning to come to London for uni, and how she'd lived in the flat for 35 years with her Italian husband. The birch tree in the garden had been a sapling at the time & was full grown now but she loves sitting under it in the summer when the leaves are out, so no matter the damage to the paving she won't hear of it being taken out.

With the majority of the leaves bagged up we set to tidying up the pots on the shelves, emptying them of leaves and stale water, and to digging out a few of the weeds that had set in. We also emptied the good soil from a couple broken pots into some good ones, ready for planting in the spring.

With the garden spruced up, we showed Ms E what we'd got done & checked she was happy (she was) & shifted the heavy bags of leaves out to the front of the property, along with the broken pots.

Ms E plans to plant some flowers in the pots in a few weeks time so she can enjoy them under her tree in the summer.