Insane in the membrane - insane in the rain!

We continued the project at St Martin's Garden school with volunteers from St James and St Phillips Church. The project is to redevelop the outdoor space in a block of classroom buildings and create a place where the children can enjoy learning and playing. We are converting some areas of poor soil and weeds by digging the area out and down, laying down membranes, adding bark chipping and bordering them off with some wooden planks and stakes. It's hard work but it's rewarding!

This week we made some great progress in each of the areas:

• Area 1: we fully completed the first area (by adding an extra layer of bark chipping). It looks great!
• Area 2: after the work digging it out last week, Emily, Ruth and Max cleared away some final few stones, loose root and even some weeds that have grown since last week! Andy and his team then laid down some membrane, ready to have chips added next time.
• Area 3: this was also dug out last week, and the team did the same as area 2. It's been flattened and was partly covered in membrane. Nearly there!
• Area 4: Michael and I used the mattocks and pick axes to dig this out the weeds and soil and then dig down about 6 inches. It was really hard work but an amazing work out! We then nearly finished scooping out the earth and next time we will finish this so the membrane can then be laid.
• Area 5: The smallest but trickiest area because of all the tree roots: the mattock made short work of this and next week we can dig it over again and remove more of the soil.

Everything was going well until the rain came! It absolutely bucketed down, but that didn't stop us! Great determination, grit and team work was on display. Thanks to everyone who came along and made this such a success. Sign up here for the next session on Saturday 15th August.

Some of the pun contenders that didn't quite make it (why can't we get more usually?!):

• A barrow-full of laughs
• Raking it in
• Wet, wet, wet!
• Back B(raking) work