Richmond

Community mission

GG back "on the pull"!

13 GoodGymers made their way to help the Friends of Ham Lands in Richmond.

  • Kate Holmes
  • Jane Yelloly
  • Chi Nwa
  • Sal Wardeh
  • Anita
  • Rob Haworth
  • JP
  • Windsor and Maidenhead runner
  • Richmond runner
  • Charlotte
  • Maena D'Auria
  • Richmond runner
  • Rebecca Bissell
 
Saturday, 11th of July 2020
 
Led by JP

After a grey and rainy week it was lovely to see the sun shining on Saturday morning as a group of 12 GG heroes from five different areas (+1 nephew volunteering as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award) gathered on the banks of the Thames between Richmond and Teddington for a bit of balsam bashing.

Himalayan Balsam is a very large and invasive plant which takes over much of the land alongside the river, crowding out other plant species and generally making a nuisance of itself. "Bashing" means getting rid of it - by ripping it up - and together with a large group from the Friends of Ham Lands we really made a huge difference today!

This community mission to support the Friends was listed a number of weeks ago, and as one of the first larger group tasks to be made available it proved hugely popular. We met up at the Ham Street car park, then moved down to the area 1km along the river where the FOHL were already in full swing.

We could see huge areas of balsam to tackle, so we got stuck in, spacing ourselves out to observe social distancing. As the uninitiated soon discovered, this task is a whole lot of fun. It’s enormously satisfying to pull up weeds which can grow to several metres in height, laying waste to vast areas and piling them high into huge heaps. Mena was delighted, on her own little "killing spree"!

At times it felt like we were far, far away from suburban Richmond, perhaps in some (very mild!) tropical jungle, as we pushed deeper into the thickets and the plants towered over us. Everyone was super focused on the task and powering through the undergrowth, and when we looked back towards the towpath we were surprised to see how much progress we had made.

Huge thanks to everyone who made the trip from further afield to join us, and look forward to seeing everyone on another community mission soon!

Report written by JP


Discuss this report

sign in to add a comment

JP
Led by JP

GoodGym Richmond TaskForce member

GoodGymers helping out
  • Photographer

    Take photos for the session report

    • Teresa Gebski
  • Walk Leader

    Lead a walking group to the task

    • Kate Holmes

Share the love

Join us on the next run

Gardening at GoodGym sponsored riverside Three Pigeons Plot and monthly social drinks

Monday, 8th of April 2024 18:45 - 20:30
Led by Liz


Tap Tavern

Find out more

Become a member

with an optional monthly donation

  • Run, walk, or cycle to help older people
  • Access sessions across the country
  • Claim your GoodGym t-shirt

Need help with a community project?

If you're a community organisation and have a physical task then we'd like to help.

Request a task

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more