This was stage 2 of the national bat survey, covering the same stretch of the river Test as before. Not quite so many bats this time but still plenty to find, including a very active gang of pipistrelles flying around our heads. We also saw swans, many huge spiders and a got an amazing closet up view of an otter!

This evening we headed back to a cooler Aldermoor Farm for a mammoth weeding session amongst the leeks, carrots and pathways.

The hour flew by as we worked our way through what felt like an endless supply of unwanted greenery. We were a keen team and so we stayed on for a bit of overtime, determined to make as much of a dent in the task as possible. As Philip very wisely pointed out, "With weeding, you can spend five minutes or you can spend five hours!" Tonight definitely felt closer to the latter.

We welcomed Matthew to his first GoodGym task. Between pulling weeds, he shared his thoughts on healthier pastry-making for pies, proving that GoodGym tasks are great for baking advice as well as getting jobs done.

We also unearthed two rogue self-seeded spring onions and three radishes, which went home with Sarah, though i think after the uphill cycle home she may wish we had unearthed a pie.

By the end of the evening we'd shifted a huge amount of weeds and left the growing beds and paths looking much tidier. There was still plenty left for another day, but eventually we had to admit defeat and call it a night. Some tasks are just bigger than a single session!

Good gym southampton carried out a waterside bat survey, as part of a national survey during august for the Bat conservation trust. This was a later task than normal, starting just after sunset. We followed the river for a kilometre, stopping every 100m to count bats We spotted close to 100 bats, so it was very successful! Just as excitingly, we also spotted a badger and an otter! We'll be back in a couple of weeks for the follow up survey, fingers crossed for more wildlife next time too!

A new task at Aldermoor - the GoodGym crew set about reclaiming the paths around Polytunnel 3 from the weeds that had taken over. Bindweed, thistles, stinging nettles and long grass were all cleared away, getting the paths back and making the area much easier to get around. We also gave the potato patch a tidy-up and spent some time inside the polytunnel weeding around the cucumbers.

It was great to welcome Amy to her first Southampton GoodGym task. Its lovely to have you on board and look forward to seeing you at another task soon.

A big well done to Beth for successfully making it to the right farm this week 🤣 And hats off to Laura for climbing onto the compost heap to stomp it down a bit..... brave considering the stinky stuff we had uncovered (though not sure she had seen that bit).

Awesome job team!