13 inspiring GoodGym folk made a wonderful difference in Kentish Town last night!

Some people can distinguish a grass from a weed and a weed from a flower. I am not one of these people.

But many of these intelligent beings... everyone apart from me... were present in our special group!

Our group in red 👉 Alison, Danny (on their first good deed - hello!), Helen, Imogen, Jackie, John, Majid (on their first good deed - huge welcome!), Sarah, Siobhan, Steve, and Will 👉 arrived in Kentish Town (not far from the Prime Minister's house!) to meet the wonderful Hilda (who was also on their first good deed!!) 👉 and we were there to help her cultivate a healthy hedgerow 🌳💚

I watched in awe as this group identified the 'keeps' from the 'get-rids' while also sharing stories and connecting. The weeds were piled – bag upon bag – and the remaining wild flowers and bushes noticeably started to breathe. And I resorted to taking photos and walking up and down in an attempt to look busy.

Across 60 bright evening minutes this group opened space in the hedgerow – and the fruits of their efforts will carry through into June and beyond – this would have taken a single soul 13 hours to match!

Thank you so much, everyone, for a well-spent evening ☺️

Here's to next time!

BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP...

...what's that, we all said...

...BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP...

...it's a fire alarm, we all realised as we arrived at Ashdown Crescent Sheltered Housing yesterday evening...

...IT'S BEING SORTED...

...we were assured – which it safely was – just as our wonderful group (of Celine, Danny, Hanry, Helen, Emilie, John, Justine, Siobhan, and Steve) got going with multiple tasks in Ashdown's special communal gardens!

Emilie, John, and Siobhan cracked a thirty minute miracle turning an overgrown patio into a serene space to relax - amazing!

Justine and Danny seemed to be constantly filling green bags – they captured weeds, trimmings, and other debris – and their efforts transformed the main entrance way into a space to enjoy - wonderful!

And Celine, Hanry, Helen, and Steve must have dabbled in a little magic to make the difference they did - tired and dead-wood filled planters ended up pruned, spruced, and planted with seeds and blubs - magical!

Thank you so much, everyone! Here's to next time!

There's a distinct odour to gardening in April...

...some people call it mulching...

...others call it preparing the soil...

...but that's not what it smells like...!!

This lovely group - of Andy, Helen, Steve, and Tom - got the full farmyard experience on Tuesday!

Working in the twilight-lit Listening Space Garden (which is gorgeous) in Kentish Town, this group worked with the lovely Jo and Sarah to give the flower and tree beds what they wanted...

..the heavy bags displayed words like mushroom mix and extra special mulch but they didn't smell like either of those things...

...as the bags were cut and poured, and as the 'mix' and 'mulch' was spread, a distinct aroma caught in the breeze...

...call it poop or muck or manure... it was unmistakably new for Camden!!

Thank you, everyone! Your work will give life and nourishment to this very special green space!!

This special group of eight GoodGym folk caught the best of the morning sunshine today, and as they did they also gifted flowers and blooms to the community at Ingestre Road Estate.

Across 90 active and happy minutes, nine recycled planters (from a fancy complex in Battersea) were filled with gravel, lining, compost, and perennials :)

Thank you, everyone, for your time and energy this morning! It was just great to see you!

Camden is a wonderful place where odd things usually happen.

This is why Camden residents rarely look twice.

Some tourists aren't like this and regularly look twice. This has resulted in many Camden tourists leaving the borough with neck aches, cramps, and twists.

They realised too late that oddities are normal in Camden, and that looking twice really isn't polite.

However I do wonder whether our wonderful group took second glances as we made our way through sunny and busy King's Cross.

Thirteen of us - Alison, Auriela, Charlie, Danya, Gosia, Helen, Imogen (on their first good deed - welcome!!), Jackie, John, Michael, Siobhan, and Steve - met at the (remarkably special) Story Garden.

Carley, our brilliant host, was waiting for us with a caravan of wheelbarrows and trolleys, each piled with tools, bags, and high-vis jackets.

This was the moment when our team of red t-shirts trundled everything over to the other side of Coal Drops Yard.

Our destination was the Story Garden's new (and gorgeous and permanent!!) community site on York Way. It's called The Triangle because it's shaped like a triangle, and it's mid-way through being built and transformed.

We were there to rescue and prepare a mound of earth that will soon be sewn with bee-loving flowers.

And yesterday - rescuing and preparing meant collecting, snapping, and bagging the thousands of weed sticks that covered the mound - the group's laughter and wood-snapping sounded like a happy family sat around a bristling bonfire :)

Many industrial bags filled and with the twilight fading, we made our return journey through the evening city - and I think the addition of huge bags of sticks made even Camden regulars take a second look...

...thank you for a wonderful evening, everyone! Your work made a big difference!!