Raking it in

Thankfully, the August bank holiday sun shone on the Friends of Aston's Eyot for their first end-of-the-month Sunday volunteer session since the lockdown and on hand to help out were five willing Goodgymers.

Armed with gloves and an array of additional tools and shiny equipment, we all got to work raking in the loose grass cuttings from the previous day and trimming back blackberry bushes, whilst eating one or two tasty blackberries along the way. After clearing a few areas of loose cuttings and piling them into the surrounding undergrowth, we were offered the exciting opportunity to use scythes to cut back the nettles that were starting to grow. The eyes of Sarah and Angus both lit up at the opportunity to swing a scythe to and fro and we quickly cleared the area with all toes intact by the end. With physical distancing rules in place, the usual end-of-session tea and cake was bring-your-own but was a well deserved break at the end of a productive session.