Sunny, warm and picturesque: that's how we like our tasks in Tower Hamlets.

And so it was a group of 9 came to meet Marcelo from the Parks team this balmy Monday evening.

Some of us met at the Town Hall Hotel steps, glad to be free of makeshift home work stations for the day, armed with the perfect excuse to head out. Others met us at the task, at the north east corner of huge, bustling, beautiful Victoria Park, on bike and foot.

Trash treasure

There Marcelo met us, complete with gloves galore; sturdy bin bags and bin bag hoops, the ultimate volunteering accessory (the bin bag hoop enables you to bag your trash treasure with infinitely more ease, much-appreciated when tackling dubious-looking damp items, and weighty vodka bottles).

We were dispatched all over this hidden woodland area, close to the Park's yard, which Marcelo explained didn't get a lot of visitors. We discussed the future of this area, which, although a bit of a litter hotspot, is also a sanctuary to much wildlife, with bundles of potential.

As always it was a companionable, active way to start the week. After navigating uneven, rocky, dense terrain for nearly an hour, we grabbed our litter bags and accompanied Marcelo to the commercial bin.

Piling the trash high, we posed for our final pics, promising to return soon for Woodland TLC Part II.

Next week,

...we're back at the Cemetery Park, to continue clearing those woodland paths.

Until then.