No-one missed the train, which was a good start. Most of us began at St Pancras, three Tower Hamlet-ers got on at Stratford International, then Geraldine and JC, having almost done a ParkRun, joined us at Ramsgate. We had to wait for Kat to arrive on a later train, which was a good thing as there was a long wait for the toilet.

The first five paragraphs of the walk instructions only took us as far as Ramsgate Old Harbour, but Lucinda had arrived early to do a recce, so we followed her along the attractive old High Street, down to the sea.

Because of the low tide, we were initially able to walk along the beach. We hadn’t done a warm-up routine, but instead performed repetitions: leaping away from a series of mountainous waves crashing over the promenade.

Eventually we came across some steps and continued along the cliff top, finding beautiful views of Kingsgate Bay, with its accompanying castle, and Botany Bay, at Broadstairs.

As we approached Margate, we thought we spotted a swimmer, actually a statue in the water, which we correctly speculated must be an Antony Gormley effort.

Amazingly, we hadn’t lost anyone, so there were too many of us to get in the first pub we tried in the old town, the situation not helped by rugby internationals on telly. However, we managed to squeeze into a second hostelry, which had plenty of room upstairs, for those who wanted a thai meal – others went off to the chippy. Which indeed is what you’re supposed to do, at the seaside.

Thanks everyone for coming, there wasn’t much persuasion needed this time! A special welcome to Vidur – it was his first GoodGym experience, so we hope to see him at an upcoming task. And let’s do another walk soon!

It was a smaller but thoroughly committed team tonight who arrived at Newell Street to see Kamal at the Tower Hamlets Community Transport Hub, the new base for Ocean Youth Connexions.

Why were we here?

Ocean Youth Connexions (OYC) is a youth and community organisation established in September 2000 by local volunteers from the Ocean Estate.

OYC offers a wide range of activities, including youth club sessions, half-term and summer provision, cycling proficiency training and employment support.

Having relocated last year to the Tower Hamlets Community Transport base, Ocean Youth Connexions are playing a key role in tidying up the back yard of the space, ready for it to be transformed into a hive of activity, including hosting workshops and housing minibuses!

Community transport is an essential part of a thriving local area, making sure that everyone can get where they need to go, regardless of age, ability, or income.

It also allows community organisations and charities to offer more opportunities, making sure that cost and lack of transport don’t become barriers to taking part.

Our task tonight

Tonight we were preparing one of the containers for another big paint job, and continuing to clear the back of the yard for the new fence.

Despite being short of a few lights this evening, the GoodGymers managed well, climbing ladders, navigating wheelbarrow punctures and shifting a lot of soil.

With many trips around to the debris area, as always, this was quite the workout. Up and down ladders, emptying loads, plenty of crouching and squatting. Quite the Monday night upper body workout.

The beautiful sound of St Anne’s chiming 8 let us know time was nearly up.

With one final barrow-wheel and a run-in with a blocked sink, we proceeded to finish up for the evening.

Posing for our final pic with Kamal, we said our cheerios around said sink, rooting for Lucinda and Kamal as they gave the stubborn blockage one final push.

Heading out into another chilly Monday night, we concluded that was another fun night with Ocean Youth Connexions and we look forward to returning in a couple of weeks.

We met from this task outside the Asda supermarket, which was handy as it gave Asad and Kat the chance to grab a late breakfast to fortify themselves for the task ahead.

We were also joined by new-boy Yagiz, who lives a short walk away, doing his first ever Good Deed. Welcome Yagiz, see you again soon! We made our way to the night shelter, which has worked with the local community to provide support to people experiencing homelessness for over 25 years.

They provide emergency shelter and hot meals with structured individual plans to assist guests to move into longer term accommodation.

However, some areas of the shelter were starting to look a bit shabby, and the fearless foursome soon got to work with stepladders, rags to protect the carpets, and plenty of white paint.

We wanted to finish the job, so spent an extra half an hour over our allotted time to make sure the ceiling of two rooms, the door to another and that difficult bit above the door, were all covered in a shiny new coat of paint.

For the first time ever, I completed a painting task without a trace of paint on my clothes! But Kat walked away with plenty of souvenir white splashes on her shirt...

A chilly evening saw a team of 15 enthusiastic GoodGymers in the James Middleton Garden to help with the creation of a new ecology pond.

This addition to the community garden will provide a rich habitat for local wildlife (including a dedicated Frog Hotel and a Bug Hotel). Enhancing biodiversity in an already flourishing green area, the pond is set to become a thriving ecosystem for amphibians, insects, and other small creatures.

We were joining Margaret and Ash from the Teesdale and Hollybush TRA tonight, who do a great job improving and enhancing the Estate’s gardens.

The main task for the evening involved digging out an irrigation area close to the new pond. Good drainage is crucial, ensuring excess water is effectively managed during heavy rain and preventing oversaturation of the surrounding soil.

Most of the team headed to this area, putting their spades to work and making swift progress, while a smaller team transported the excavated soil to a designated corner of the garden.

Another group was dispatched to the far end of the site to re-home a sizeable pile of woodchip, spreading it around the planters. (This layer of mulch helps to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and enrich the soil).

And guess what? The time flew!

It was nearly 7:50 when we started to gather tools and pose for the final pics.

The team then rallied together to return the wheelbarrows and tools to the Rocky Park toolshed.

Another satisfying evening in East London.

Until next time.