This afternoon, 10 GoodGymmers met up to help Surrey Docks farm.

Surrey Docks farm is a working city farm based in Rotherhithe. It's free to enter, and children of all ages (including GoodGymmers) are able to interact with the animals they have on site (think sheeps, pigs, mules, over-confident chickens, and goats).

As we arrived, we were given our briefing for today's task: Animals eat. Animals poo. Manure is useful. It's time to shift some s***.

We formed into three distinct groups: Team Fork-it-all, Team Splatter Zone, and Team Spread-the-filth (all names applied retroactively).

Team Fork-it-all (all volunteers, I hasten to add) had the unenviable task of standing in the manure and shovelling it into some waiting wheelbarrows. After switching from shovels to pitchforks, their efficiency went through the roof (we suspect the clumping nature of the wetter matter helped). Occasionally, a cry of "Splatter Zone!!" came from below them whenever they got too much into the rhythm of the thing.

That leads nicely onto Team Splatter Zone. Their job was to fill up some builder's bags located about 2 metres away from Team Fork-it-all with manure, and to move the wheelbarrows into loading position for Team Fork-it-all to fill. Occasionally, and always at appropriate moments, they yelled "Splatter Zone!!"

Last, but certainly not least, was Team Spread-the-filth. They wheeled lots of barrows of manure to a fruit and vegetable patch in the farm and spread the fertilisation liberally.

90 minutes or so after our start time, we were pretty much done, and were given some feed to give the goats so that they can make even more manure for us to shovel next time (aka, the circle of sh*te).

The next GoodGym Surrey Docks farm visit is scheduled for 15 December. It's currently full up, but keep an eye here in case someone can no longer make it. However, if you fancy visiting Surrey Docks Farm before that, they have a Christmas Fair on between 11 and 4 on 7 December (free entry!)