Stories from the trenches

Those who have visited Dean Gardens earlier in the week - at Tuesday volunteering session might have heard stories about bunkers buried beneath the green space. Three GoodGymers decided to grab spades today and verify whether the story was true!

That was not what exactly Auberon from Cultivate London wanted them to do... His plan was to dig horizontally rather than vertically. Sticking to the military theme, Auberon painted two lines in white spray and ordered his recruits to dig two parallel trenches along the railings next to Leeland Terrace.

That was the start of the community activity organised by Cultivate and the council: planting a new wildlife hedge in Dean Gardens. The number of volunteers, including groups of college students looking for volunteer experience, surprised Auberon. Luckily, he brought enough tools (in a van larger than CultiVan) to keep the production line going. While some people were still digging the trench, others were already planting the trees and covering the roots with soil (or mud!). Another group was already progressing with the second trench, and soon, a mulching unit was needed.

Auberon knew he had a perfect squad that didn't need to be told how to mulch. The GoodGymers grabbed shovels and a couple of wheelbarrows and started woodchipping the newly planted trees. They were already warmed up for all aspects of tree planting that day, after the morning session with HANGOT at their orchards.

With plenty of volunteers, the planting operation was finished in 90 minutes and the length of the hedge in Dean Gardens tripled! The spare 30 minutes and the spare woodchip were used to mulch the existing young trees and the flowerbeds in colourful wooden boxes.

The next session with Cultivate London will be in Acton next Sunday - sign up now!