At this month's monthly social gardening club we were following the lead of John whose landscape gardening company completed the transformation into the appealing space it is today.

GoodGym's task was to lay a pebble path. We loaded bags of the muddy stones into wheelbarrows, rinsed them until their natural light colour returned and unloaded them on the snaking path.

Join us for the next social gardening club on Wednesday 19th November

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!

There are some very nice berry trees at St Margaret's Gardens, but tiny bits of the fruit drop between the slats of the patio, getting crushed and mingling with dirt and tiny stones. It's quite messy

We worked on clearing the cracks, and the entire area, of morsels of fruit and other dirt, and sweeping the paths. It certainly looked better when we finished than when we arrived

Welcome Gabriella for her first task, while taking a summer break from studying. We hope to see you back, all year round!

We gathered on a cold Friday evening to help Emily and the team at St Margaret's House to maintain the garden space. The space can be enjoyed by everyone and is used by the community cafe next door. We were kept busy cutting back ivy, weeding, sweeping, spreading mulch, clearing flower beds and reorganising the pots. Big shout out to Astha who joined Goodgym Tower Hamlets for the first time! We hope to see you again soon :-) By the end of the evening the front and back gardens were looking much tidier than when we arrived and the team really appreciated all the extra help. Well done team, great effort and thanks joining us on a bitterly cold January evening!

5 Goodgymers made their way to the gardens of St Margaret's House on a clear November evening. Emily (Operations Manager) and John (Head Gardener) helpfully directed us to the tasks that needed doing, primarily giving the ivy bushes a haircut and loose leaf gathering.

Shout out to Jo who was the the first goodgymer on the scene and promptly got to shearing the ivy after a consultation and shampoo (or so I can only assume - I wasn't there).

John arrived stealthily and joined Jo on the job, which was at the very least a two-hander given that it had been a while since the ivy's last trip to the salon.

Soon enough, the darkness drew in (thanks to daylight saving) but it wasn't all doom and gloom - Ilana and Kareem arrived and happily got involved in the ivy/leaf sweeping business.

By the end of the session, the ivy bush was looking very sharp indeed, just in time for the weekend.

In the backdrop of the majestic mulberry tree (which keeps the leaf sweeping trade booming by raining leaves every time the wind sighs) we finished the task by taking a customary group photo.

Before leaving the premises we popped into the chapel which was holding a dazzling exhibition of film noir-inspired block prints, painted ceramic tiles and pots.

This task operated a staggered start system with 4 Goodgymers making their way to St Margaret’s house on a balmy Thursday afternoon.

After some confusion over entrances, the correct one was located (helpfully signed ‘Main Entrance’) where we were met by Operations Manager Emily.

The task was to remove all weeds in sight (but not touch the nice mossy bits) and sweep up any loose leaves and debris.

Emily helpfully provided us with everything we needed to complete the task and more – we were even spoilt with knee pads.

Ilana was second on the scene and got to work removing weeds like they’d gone out of fashion.

Around 5pm the Goodgym baton was passed from Ilana to John. John remarked on the outdoor seating area being the easiest sweeping surface he had ever experienced. High praise indeed from a man who must have swept countless surfaces through myriad Goodgym tasks.

Last but by no means least, we were joined by Sam, a longstanding Goodgymer who has recently moved from Richmond to Tower Hamlets. A very welcome addition to the Tower Hamlets contingent! Sam was eagle-eyed at picking out litter camouflaged amongst the natural debris.

We ended the session by tackling the front area by the café, surrounded by the soothing scent of lavender bushes and a lovely sunset.