20 of us were along for the ride on Monday to go and help out Whittington Park Community Association

We welcomed newcomers Jen, David, Gareth, Claire and Giulia and split into two groups to make our way on the 2.5k run up to the centre.

The main job for the evening was to shift a massive planter from A to B and on arrival we were met by Paul, who asked how many of us there were and pointed out the planter was rather heavy. We waved our hands and laughed and decided it would be no problem at all.

Then we tried to move it.

The main problem with the planter was not so much that it was large, but rather that somebody at some point had selfishly decided to fill it up with soil and plant stuff in it.

We heaved and heaved and 1…2…3ed and heaved again and did actually manage to shift it a few inches, but its structure was in serious trouble and we doubted it’d make it in one piece.

So instead of moving it we stared at it, pointed our fingers at it and resolved that we were not defeated, but would be back on a future week armed with trowels and buckets to get the job done. Watch this space for details (not this space specifically – the events page and emails is probably your best bet).

There was still a bit of sanding to do and the rest of us decided we’d tidy up the grounds a bit by doing some weeding. Unfortunately a lack of tools meant we had to use our hands and fashion instruments from discarded cardboard boxes which worked surprisingly well.

20 minutes later everything looked much better, so we washed up, thanked Paul and scarpered before it started raining.

On the way back we stopped off at Emirates for a 5-team 4-person relay. Things got a little bit confusing, but everybody made it round and got out of breath, which is the important thing. Especially team A which seemed to have all the sprinters.

Then it was time to jog back to the pool, with a quick blast up the hill chucked in for good measure. First-timer David was the speediest, and even had the cheek to turn round and grin at everybody else half way up.

In other news, first-timer Claire was the first person ever to spot the hidden message in the pre-run emails and will receive a lovely prize next week.

Keep your eyes open for more hidden messages.

In more news, regular Emma is off to Cambridge for an acting job for a couple of months but will be back in September. Good luck from everybody in Islington.

The night’s debate question was “who will win Wimbledon?” A couple of suggestions of Murray, one of the Williams, but most people admitted they know nothing about tennis.

Biscuits were Deli Choc. Very nice and slightly posh.

Great job from everybody and proof that GoodGymmers don’t mind getting their hands dirty to do a bit of good.

See you next week when we’re over to Barnsbury Square Gardens for some gardening and a spot of this sort of thing.

Simon