Feeling Opti-mist-ic

7 hardy (or foolhardy?) GoodGymmers met at Ockwells Park, looking forward to a morning of tree-planting. However with temperatures well below zero, frozen paths, and a fog enveloping the site, it didn't look too promising. We welcomed new members Lauren and Lucas to their first community mission, so pleased to have you along. Feeling optimistic, we set off for the planting site armed with spades and an alternative plan for if the tree-planting was impossible. On the 1.2 km walk to the site we were treated to the beautiful site of frost-covered plants and frozen puddles. Kelley was in photographer's heaven! Luckily, last week's floods had subsided, so we could access the paths easily, but taking care in the ice. On the way we picked up a bag of trees left from a previous session and as many hazel plug plants as we could carry. When we got to the planting site, Garry tested the ground, and the spade just bounced off the surface. However, a recce to the suggested planting area by Garry and Kelley revealed softer ground - we were on for tree planting after all! Everyone got stuck in - either planting, or putting together the cardboard tree guards which are being trialled as a more environmentally-friendly alternative to plastic. These were trickier to assemble than you might think, especially with cold fingers! Sheila and Tessa also patrolled existing tree guards, removing any competing grasses. Eventually, frozen toes forced the session to a close, but we were pleased that we had managed to do quite a bit of planting despite the conditions. It was a great effort by everyone, and we look forward to further sessions soon