Another mission which was exactly as described on the tin - the biggest challenge was finding enough floor space to lay out all the parts of Mr R's new table to be able to build it close to it's final resting position, and without having to contort too much during assembly (human, not table...).

Thankfully the instructions were in large(ish) font, there were more than enough bolts, and all were tightened using the same Allen key (supplied), so it was just a question of following the steps, and it all came together quite neatly with reasonably little contortion.

A quick lift and rotation from upside down to correct way up, and Mr R has a new table on which to eat his dinner

Bookbike pick up and drop offs this morning. Brian has been giving away books from his collection and today he reached the milestone of 800 books shared.

Brian's generosity has bought happiness, smiles and laughter yo so many people and from all walks of life

It was a good turn-out at Cranbrook Community Centre tonight, with a lot of “Fiona-style” late sign-ups. Which was a nice surprise actually, after initially low numbers. Anna arrived ultra-punctually (i.e. early), and was soon planning the cutting back of hedges overlooking the public areas, though we weren’t entirely sure whether we were supposed to be cutting down a tree somewhere

We were dazzled by Lucinda’s arrival on time, or maybe it was her bike lights. Kat came pretty much straight off the plane from Canada. Having found the country rather large and spaced out, she was relieved to get into the close confines of Cranbrook garden

Laura turned up full of enthusiasm, and immediately started organising things. I’m sure I’ve seen her before somewhere…

Fiona, who’d run from Clapton, thought she’d left her bag at the station, but it was at home all the time. That’s what happens when you get a year older

Ciarán and Kareem swept and swept, until the main area was completely clear of leaves – for now. Chris was a whirlwind of energy, keeping everyone stocked with bags for both foliage and branches from the other side of the fence

It was a productive hour filled with good conversation, collective effort, and a significant improvement to the area’s appearance

Next week we’re at Columbia Road gardens. Sign up here, sooner or later: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/the-big-monday-night-task-planting-weeding-and-topping-up-woodchip-in-columbia-road-gardens

Before that, on Saturday, you can help with a water station in Chingford, feeding hungry and thirsty 50km runners https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/camino-ultra-epping-forest-50km-and-25km-eco-trail-aid-station-superstars-2025

On Sunday, you can take part in a GoodGym advert, filmed at Hollybush, Bethnal Green, which will appear on Sky TV https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/filming-a-goodgym-tv-ad-at-hollybush

And looking ahead, we’re getting a train to Dover later in the month, to do a 15km coastal walk https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/walk-from-dover-to-folkestone

Three GGers made it along to Emily (pictured middle) from St Margarets House's social gardening club, joining a handful of others who turned up to volunteer. She started with an interesting history lesson of the renovation that's taken place there over the last few years and how the garden has been designed and built, including detail such as the different shades of green of the shrubs, carefully with those recovering from trauma in mind. So it was for this good cause that we went along to help out. Frankie put in a true shift around the decking area while John and Sam chipped in with the leaf sweeping and working on the compost. Next social gardening club is Thursday 16th October 4-7pm so please come along!

We were back at the Hollybush Estate this evening, rolling up our sleeves (and working up a sweat!) as we helped Margaret and Ash shift mulch from Middleton Green over to Rocky Park. Teamwork made light work of those heaping barrow-loads, and we definitely got our steps in along the way. 💪🌱

A big shout-out and warm welcome to Ciarán, who joined us for his very first GoodGym session, thank you for jumping straight in and lending such great energy! It was also fantastic to catch up with John, Charlie, Ivo, Lucinda, and Martin, so good to see you back after a little while away. And of course, we can’t forget our four-legged cheerleaders, Basil and Wicket, who kept spirits high with their wagging tails. 🐾

On an exciting note, you may have seen that GoodGym was recently named one of the winners of Sky’s Zero Footprint Fund 🎉, which will help us share our sustainable mission even further. As part of the project, we’ll be creating a TV ad to air next spring. We’re planning to be back at Hollybush Estate this Sunday (28th) at 10:30 AM to film some content for the commercial. If you’re free, come along and be part of something special, we’d love to have as many of you there as possible!

A group of us headed to the Women's Holiday Centre in Horton-in-Ribblesdale on a balmy Saturday afternoon.

We were greeted by the lovely Amy, who took us on a tour of the gardens attached to the centre, briefing us on the jobs that needed doing.

Two of us, myself and Liz, got to work on the overgrown grass, weeds and thorns on the borders of the garden. The electric strimmer and shears we were provided with enabled us to work really effectively on this area.

Chien, El, Fiona and Ilana split off into two groups: one applying wood treatment to a wooden play frame and the other doing the same to a well used table and bench. By the end of the hour both these pieces looked like they had spent a few hours on sunbeds.

The surroundings were serene, with the only background noise being the sound of baaing sheep, punctuated with bursts of loud strimming.

This was a truly satisfying task, and a great precursor to Sunday's 'task' of completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge.