Ah-Ah, Ah-Ah, Stayin' A-chive!

10 GoodGym volunteers put on their gardening gloves to help out at the community garden at Donkey Lane in Bath. We removed bindweed, controlled some rampant mint and cleared some overgrown paths. It was a hilly run but we were rewarded with amazing views over Bath!

Welcome Richard!

After meeting at the leisure centre we gathered into a group and welcomed a new runner, Richard, to his first GoodGym run. Thanks for coming along and helping us out last night, Richard. We hope you will come back again and give us a hand in the future!

Congrats on 50 good deeds, Allie!

A massive congratulations to Allie who was earning her 50th good deed with us at the task! Getting to 50 is a fantastic milestone and you will be rewarded with a shiny new black running top!

Hilly run, time for a silly pun

We ran through town, up the hilly Lansdown road, down Camden Crescent and along Perfect View to Donkey Lane. This was a particularly hilly route but it was fantastic training for us. Plus we got to see some of the best views over Bath (after all, the place is literally called Perfect View!!).

What a time to be a-chive!

Our hosts, Sue and Jeremy, welcomed us to the garden and, as we caught our breath, gave us an overview of the project and the tasks at hand. The community garden is maintained by Sue and Jeremy but anyone is welcome to help out and enjoy the fruit, veg and herbs that are grown there. Some of the things grown there include apples, Japanese wineberries, chives and mint. We had three main tasks and we split into groups to make sure we got everything done on time.

Pathway to heaven

One group was tasked with clearing the path that meanders around the garden. With the recent good weather, the path has become overrun with weeds and plants and it was very hard for the gardeners to move around and tend their produce. The group used an array of tools (and a good deal of determination!) to clear the path. This makes the path far more accessible and a lot safer and the volunteers who maintain the garden will now be able to get to work.

We prefer to shear-mint instead of spearmint!

Another group were in charge of controlling a patch of mint. It has become overgrown and is invading other parts of the garden so the team of volunteers used their shears to cut it back to a manageable level. The breeze was blowing up the hill and we were all rewarded by the refreshing scent of the freshly cut mint.

One pun to rule them all ... and in the darkness, bind(weed) them!

The final group had a task that required concentration and a great deal of patience. They spent the evening using their nimble fingers to untangle bindweed from the shrubs and plants it was strangling. Bindweed is a very aggressive plant that wraps itself very tightly around stems, shoots and leaves. The team had to be careful not to pull up any of the 'host' plants by accident and make sure just to remove the bindweed. It was a very satisfying job once it was done.

Sue and Jeremy were really pleased with the work we managed to get done. We managed to get so much done in such a short space of time, and it just goes to show what a positive impact we can make to community projects like this.

To say thanks, we were kindly offered some Japanese wineberries that we plucked off the vine. What a delicious treat!

Thanks!

Thanks to Mary for the pun this week and thanks to Emily for backmarking for us to make sure noone got left behind. And many thanks to Sue and Jeremy for hosting us! We shall return!

Upcoming runs

• There is a fun Community Mission happening at the weekend in Bristol
• Further afield, it is the GoodGym Olympics in London on Saturday. Having been to the inaugural event a few years ago I can definitely recommend it as a really fun day out
• On 17th/18th August we have the GG West Summer Party. Go to the event listings change the filters on the right to 'all areas' and 'all events' to see all that is going over that weekend.
• Next week Alison is leading you to The Nest