We split into two groups at Rocky Park tonight: Team Roots and Team Big-Pile-of-Earth.

Team Roots consisted of Kareem, sleeping-bag Anna, Ruby, Sam, Kat (welcome back Kat!), and Ilana (still denying she's banned from the George & Vulture). They were concerned with digging out roots from a planting area. Our hosts Ash and Margaret had already removed some of the more complicated roots from the planting area, but there was much still to be done.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the space, a large mound of earth had been compacted by rain into the ground. It needed loosening with forks, and all worms rescued, before being shovelled into large bags, handily held open with string. This team was Maddie, me, Rohan and new-boy Gareth, doing his first ever Good Deed. Welcome Gareth, who was working so vigorously the picture was blurred! And while the other team were digging out roots, Maddie was revealing her roots (Scottish).

We'll be back there next week; sign up here: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/the-big-monday-night-task-february-fitness-gardening-on-the-hollybush-estate

And if you can make it, don't forget to sign up for the Kent Coast Walk on 15th March. Join the GoodGym train at St Pancras or Stratford: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/the-kent-coast-walk

Andrada met up with Asad, Kat and Louis and Oliver early morning at the farm. The sky was sunny and clear, and everyone was eager to get to work. Pat met us at the gates and given us the task for the session.

During this session, farm enthusiasts Asad, Kat and Louis filled the new raised beds with manure and reused soil from tomatoes pots from the greenhouse.

Oliver and Andrada were busy digging and filling up the space next to the main path around the raised beds with woodchip to prevent the main path from flooding. This involved doing multiple trips with full wheelbarrows and using the freshly removed soil to level up the entrance to the donkeys’ field, which needed a bit of flood prevention measures as well.

It was a busy 90 minutes for all of us, but we got to unwind for 30 minutes at the end by picking up apples from the orchid and feeding them to the lovely Rollo, Pollo and their piglets.

We ended our visit by hanging out with the new baby calves on site 🐄 whose names are still debated by the farm’s staff. All we know is that they will carry names of biscuits!

A fab-sized team gathered in Newell Street this evening for our task with Ocean Youth Connexions and Tower Hamlets Community Transport Hub.

Meeting outside King’s Wharf Park before 7, we caught up on the news from the weekend and discussed the night’s task.

Kamal, from Ocean Youth, came down to greet us as our group size was growing and we slowly made our way into the garage area to be briefed on tonight’s task.

Ocean Youth Connexions offer a range of youth provision across the borough, during term time and the school holidays.

The organisation has recently relocated its offices to Limehouse, to join the Tower Hamlets Community Transport team, a small charity ‘set up to provide transport to voluntary and community groups in Tower Hamlets’.

Gathering in the garage area, surrounded by equipment for tonight’s task, Kamal proceeded to run through the list of tonight’s activities, which included another big leaf-clearing in the outdoor area; a thorough cleaning of all the upstairs windows, and a sugar-soaping of the toilet walls, in preparation for next month’s big painting activity.

The GoodGymers worked fast, moving onto new tasks including radiator-cleaning and jasmine-pruning.

It was now well and truly dark, complete with an Autumn wind, but thankfully, the outside area at the Hub is beautifully (flood)lit.

As always, the time flew and just before 8, Emma, John and Lucinda were heading up the task wrap-up effort, finishing slickly and precisely at 8.

Another great night with Ocean Youth - we return on the 28th October... Save The Date!