The challenge was to set a new Guinness World Record for the most trees planted in a single location in one hour. After being briefed on how the event was organised, we were given our saplings, and a few minutes with which to get to our team's planting location and to come up with our strategy. We divided the team into two halves: one half would be responsible for placing the baby trees on the ground, for fetching and carrying extra trees and extra shovels and for shouting general encouragement, and the other half made up our group's designated planters. I was a planter, so I spent most of the day bent-over at the waist!
When the clock started, it became a frantic race to dig, plant, stamp-down and repeat. We were competing with teams in St Albans and Northern Ireland, and we were given regular updates over the tannoy system so that we had an idea of how well we were doing compared to them.
The hour went by surprisingly quickly, but it was definitely a relief to hear the final hooter sounding.
As it turned out, we'd smashed the existing record by about 200 trees, planting 20,312. Sadly, though, we came third out of the three locations taking part, with St Albans just beating us with 20,326 and Northern Ireland way out in front with 26,422! (We reckoned they must have had a very different strategy - probably cheating!) Still, it was fun and the real aim of the day was to do our bit to improve the UK's lack of green spaces.
As well as us, there were groups representing the Scouts and Cadets and other organisations, and we all left in the knowledge that we can go back in 20 years' time and visit our own little piece of Hainault Forest.
But before that, we all trudged back home through the mud for some well-deserved rest!
Read about and watch the event on BBC London News
Tree O'Clock at BBC Breathing Places
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