A couple of us went to the Warwick Percy’s allotment by the river between Leamington and Warwick to assist “Bee friendly” in clearing Himalayan balsam from the site.

[Bee Friendly](https://sites.google.com/view/beefriendlywarwick are a fairly new, locally based environmental group, committed to making land in their care more amenable to wild bees and other pollinators, which are, of course, fundamental to the survival of life on earth. They have recently rented the allotment space we worked on with a view to restoring wild native flowers to it which can thrive in a meadow liable to flooding. This is a difficult task at the best of times but will be impossible to achieve with the existence of invasive species such as the balsam, which grows very quickly, depriving other flowers of space and light.

We managed to clear a large proportion of the weed but I suspect there is more work needed that we can assist them with.

After an hour of fairly intense activity by the dedicated, we tucked into some pizza which Bee Friendly kindly provided.

Thanks must be given to Sara for organising the workparty & telling us more about the group and the other volunteers from Bee Friendly, as well as Sam who came from Good Gym.

I look forward to returning and seeing the progress that has been made. In the meantime we wish Bee Friendly every success.

It's been a few weeks since I last visited the community garden and it was really nice to see how far it has come along in such a short space of time.

Obviously the lack of rain has tampered with the plants looking their best but it is clear to see which plants are thriving in these dry conditions and which ones needed longer to become established before the dry the spell.

We watered, cut back some of the over gown shrubs and there was a little fairy door which had been made out of driftwood installed for the fairies to find a new home in the garden.

I didn't take any photos so I will share some next time

It was a beautiful morning with sunshine from start to finish, but sadly it was also the most shocking clean-up we've seen since helping Leam Trash Trash Friends with their community litter picks.

What greeted us was nothing short of a sea of litter. In places, rubbish was piled deep, making it clear that this area has been neglected for far too long. It was heartbreaking to see, but rather than be put off, our fantastic team got stuck in and started turning the tide.

A huge thank you to the management team from Sainsbury's for rolling up their sleeves and joining in, to the amazing runners from GoodGym Warwick & Leamington Spa for lending their energy, and the regular litter-picking heroes of Leam Trash Friends, who do an amazing job week in week out.

Thanks also to Sainsbury's for providing much-appreciated refreshments during & afterwards.

By the end of the session, we'd made a real dent in the mess.

Mission stats:

🗑️ 32 sacks of litter collected 🚛 A huge amount of fly-tipped waste removed, including two computers, a sandwich maker, a walking stick and plenty of other discarded rubbish ☣️ 4 used needles safely recovered 🔪 4 knives removed from the site

While there's still plenty of work ahead, every bag collected makes a difference to the local environment and helps make this space safer for everyone who uses it.

A massive thank you to everyone who gave up their time to help. Together, we're proving that many hands really do make light work—even when faced with a mountain of litter. Until next time! 💚🏃‍♀️🧤

It was another fantastic community task for GoodGym Warwick & Leamington, Tim and I headed to the park armed with litter pickers, brushes and plenty of enthusiasm.

Our mission was simple: make the park a cleaner, safer and more welcoming place for everyone who uses it.

Together we:

🗑️ Collected bags of litter from around the park. 🎨 Removed graffiti from the park bins, helping to brighten up the space. 🌳 Cleared low-hanging branches from the pathways, making them safer and easier for walkers, runners and families to enjoy.

As always, it was amazing how much can be achieved in just an hour when everyone gets stuck in. Every bag of litter collected, every bin cleaned and every branch moved made an immediate, visible difference.

Whether you were a regular GoodGymer or joining us for the first time, your efforts help make our local green space something we can all be proud of.

Here's to many more miles run, friendships made and community projects completed. Until next time—keep doing good! 💚

It was a lovely Sunday morning at Lillington Library Community Garden. The weather was a bit cooler than we’ve had lately, which everyone seemed to really appreciate! A wonderful group of people turned up even earlier than usual. This is such a fantastic ongoing project — it’s brilliant to see the community garden taking shape. This was my second visit, and it was great to notice all the positive changes already happening. Today’s main task was clearing a patch of land right alongside the library wall. We removed old branches, then turned over the soil with a mattock. There were plenty of stones and rocks hidden underneath that needed picking out. Doug and I took turns digging so we could rest in between. The stones we cleared were used to build a neat little wall at the end of the patch. We mixed in some new soil, and I believe some plants will go in next week. There was plenty of other activity going on too — with people pruning, watering, and mulching. The kids got stuck in as well, sweeping up and doing a brilliant job. It was awesome to see! I’m already looking forward to going back soon.

Another enjoyable morning at the Lillington Library Community Garden, where the little patch of green continues to flourish.

This week's tasks included giving the garden a much-needed watering to help everything thrive during the warm weather, planting more flowers into the border to add colour and biodiversity, and spreading a generous layer of mulch to help retain moisture, suppress weeds and give the beds a neat finish.

We also rolled up our sleeves for a sympathetic border extension, carefully expanding the bed we created last week to make room for even more planting while keeping it in harmony with the existing layout. With the border extended, there was plenty of space for new plants, and it was incredibly satisfying to see the garden grow a little larger with every spadeful of soil.

Week by week, this new community garden is becoming a vibrant and welcoming space, and it's wonderful to see what can be achieved through a couple of hours of teamwork.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, great to see James & Goodgym newcomer Mlaykah who helped to dig, plant, mulch, water and chat. Every session leaves a lasting mark, and we're excited to see how the garden continues to bloom over the coming weeks.

🌸 Here's to many more Sundays of growing together! 💚