It’s finally Gaze-built!

A strong team of hardy GoodGymmers heard Anne's calls, and responded in FORCE.

This amazing group spend 2 hours prepping, peeling tape, lifting and drilling to finally achieve the holy grail (wrong movie franchise) and put the roof on the gazebo.

Nathan as usual brought his calm and engineer prowess; Kareem held the fort (literally held the roof on!) as everyone participated in lifting and shifting it into place.

From the very first session with Anne, Jess, Nathan and Sooz, we've all been invested in the result!

It has been a labour of love and we've finally completed it.

I wish I had more Star Wars puns, but alas, escape me they did.

Undistracted by athletic events going on elsewhere in the city, 3 GoodGym volunteers were back at Mary Seacole Nursing Home in the hopes of completing The Great Gazebo Marathon - a project, which Goodgym has been helping with since November 2024.

As ever, task leader Varda, had put in extra hours since our last visit and had not only got the gazebo set in concrete but also completed 3 roof panels. Today, the priority was to complete the final roof panel and, time permitting, paint some planters.

To make the roof panel, there were 4 corrugated metal sheets and 4 metal trims to attach to a wooden frame (one we made earlier). All metal sheets and trims were coated - both sides - with incredibly tough, sticky plastic, which had to be removed before being anything could be attached to the frame. The plastic removal was a rather lengthy process. However, once ready, fixing the metal parts to the wooden frame was a pretty smooth process thanks to Varda's now expert tuition. To complete the roof ensemble, a 'cap' was assembled to sit atop the peak of the roof.

CALL TO ACTION Unfortunately, we were not a big enough team to lift the roof onto the gazebo structure, and with only 10 minutes of the session remaining, we stopped at this point, while making plans for the final 'Topping Out Task'.

We will need a solid team of 10-12 volunteers before this can be achieved, so please, please, if you can make it along to the next session, you can be part of the essential and most exciting final push to get this marathon project over the finish line and earn your invitation to the official opening ceremony (date TBC)!!

It was time for another shift at the Mary Seacole Nursing Home garden to progress construction of the gazebo. Out host and project mastermind, Varda, had already moved things along a little since our last visit and was clear on what was to be achieved today:

1. Move gazebo into position
2. Mark the final position in the soil
3. Move the gazebo so as to dig holes where it legs are to stand
4. Fill holes with concrete
5. Move gazebo into cement holes
6. Fix in place with pegs

Due to the size and weight of the gazebo, the shifting elements of the plan at least were deemed to be a 4 person task. Soon Alisha and Nathan turned up and the team was quorate but not before Charlotte responded to a panicked cry for extra help, offering to join us asap.

Plans unravelled slightly on discovering that the 'ready cement' wasn't a as ready as assumed and that sand was also required to mix in with it. Cue some urgent research into sand suppliers and a trip to the local (in east London terms) hardware store.

The team hit a further snag, or more accurately, a manhole cover, buried just below soil level, precisely where they planned to dig one of the cement holes. Cue further options analysis, measuring of available space, discussion about how the roof is to be hoisted into place when we reach that stage and ultimately a decision to move the gazebo 40cm east, square with the adjacent building and never mind the shrubs.

So, with Plan B agreed, Varda left the determined GoodGymmers to dig for glory while she went in search of the hardwear store and promised sand. Nathan took this opportunity to recruit a redundant concrete slab and very professionally place it in the spot where land needed raising not digging, to level it out.

Sadly, by the time Varda returned with Plan B supplies, time had run out to do any further work, which means there were be yet further opportunity to get involved next time.

Big thanks again to the team who helped out today.