0 Month Streak
0 Month Streak
4 Month Streak
Tower Hamlets
📍Soanes Centre E3 4PX
Tonight we join Ken for a big planting task in this gorgeous park!
Mon 16th Sep at 7:00pm
Tower Hamlets Report written by Laura Williams
"We gathered for yet another memorable evening of volunteering at this well-known urban community garden in the heart of Bethnal Green.
What started as a routine mission to move soil and wood chips quickly turned into an unexpectedly lively and fun event—complete with record-breaking attendance, a pink-hued sunset, and the kind of teamwork that would make even the busiest ant colony jealous.
We were all hands on deck right from the off.
As soon as the shovels hit the ground, it was as though we collectively tapped into some sort of communal rhythm. A human chain formed, with everyone passing, digging, and moving soil with the efficiency and focus of, dare I say it, a swarm of ants. You could almost hear the theme music to a heist movie playing in the background. (Instead of robbing a bank, however, we were enriching the earth and helping the garden flourish).
Emma, assumed the role of our unofficial forewoman. Her managerial oversight was crucial to the operation—spurring us on from a comfortable vantage point. (We’ll pretend the regular supply of snacks and much-needed pep talks didn’t help that much).
We also welcomed a couple of new and familiar faces into the fold: Ramón, the rookie of the group, stepped into the gardening scene with admirable enthusiasm. And then there was Anton, back for his third round of soil-shoveling glory.
As the evening progressed, the sun began its slow descent, offering one of those final summer sunsets you wish you could bottle for the darker months ahead.
The sky turned a brilliant pink, casting a soft, warm light over the garden, a reward for our hard work.
Hard to say what felt better: the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of our labour come together, or the stunning sight that marked the end of the day.
And the best part? We finished everything double quick. Whether it was the accompanying breeze, our ‘swarm-of-ants’ approach, or simply the record turnout, we blitzed through what should’ve been an all-day task in less than an hour.
Of course the evening wasn’t complete until we wrapped at a pub nearby. What’s an evening’s productivity without a pint to celebrate. So a few of us found our way to local favourite, The Approach Tavern. With (garden) gloves off, dirt-free pints in hand, we toasted to an evening well spent and a garden well nurtured.
Cheers to all who came out. Here’s to the first of some fabulous Autumn evenings, both in the garden and down the pub."
Tonight's big shout-outs
To Charlie, and Emma, powered by ChatGPT, for tonight’s splendid report.
To Gurprit for tonight's ace pun.
Next week we're back to the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park for our first Autumn visit!
Until then.
Mon 16th Sep at 11:02pm
This really does make me sound awful... chatGPT has it in for me hahah
Mon 23rd Sep at 7:00pm
Tonight we join Ken for a big planting task in this gorgeous park!
Read moreMon 16th Sep at 7:00pm
Come and join this active task in the heart of Bethnal Green!
Read moreMon 9th Sep at 7:00pm
Tower Hamlets Report written by Laura Williams
And one by one our little group grew tonight, until there were no fewer than 13 GoodGymers working on the new hazel fence at the pretty St Leonard's Priory Park up in Bromley-By-Bow.
We said hello to first time GoodGym-ers Gurprit, Anton, Anna, and a warm welcome to Tower Hamlets to Anna!
Starting with four teams (one chopping hazel, one weeding, one digging fence-holes and one repairing our less-than-perfect previous hazel fence), it was definitely a case of learning on the job as we pruned, stripped and chopped; weeded and wove, blitzing multiple jobs at one time.
With the team working flexibly, rotating out of one task to another, particularly as time sped on ("Hazel! We need more hazel!"), it was a busy but sociable evening, with the countdown to sunset well and truly on.
A decent workout was had by all, whether digging up weeds or sawing tough branches.
It was after 8 before the team were generously stacking up the kit, and wheeling barrows to the back of the park.
With Kareem providing decent tech assistance, the all-important group pic remained in tact, despite the lack of light.
A great effort, everyone - and a final shout-out to Charlie, who came up with tonight's belter of a pun.
Next week
...we're back to Hollybush Gardens, for our first visit of Autumn with Margaret and Ash.
Until then.
Mon 9th Sep at 7:00pm
Come and enjoy a satisfying Monday night at our first visit of 2024 to St Leonard's!
Read moreMon 2nd Sep at 7:00pm
We're back with the brilliant Patriot Square TRA to help tidy this busy area's gardens.
Read moreMon 30th Sep at 7:00pm
We were so good last time, we're going back again
Read moreMon 19th Aug at 7:00pm
Tower Hamlets Report written by Laura Williams
This was our first task with Ocean Youth Connexions (OYC), a Tower Hamlets-based provider of youth provision, over at their new base in E14, alongside Tower Hamlets Community Transport, a small charity based in Limehouse, set up to provide transport to voluntary and community groups in Tower Hamlets.
Kamal, tonight's task owner, greeted us with brand new equipment and a choice of jobs: outdoor gardening, or start the paint job?
The team opted for the outdoor clean-up.
We spread out all over the outside yard, pulling up weeds, chopping back branches, sweeping and bagging leaves, and collecting large amounts of rubbish.
The 'after' pic was certainly a stark contrast.
This was a brilliant start to our first task, here with OYC at the Community Transport Hub.
This clearing and decorating activity, both today and planned for the coming weeks, means that:
The Community Transport area will be ready for when services are up-and-running on a larger scale.
Both indoor and outdoor facilities have benefited from a bit of a makeover, enabling the organisations to focus on delivering services, existing and future.
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