No (wood)chip on our shoulder!

On a sunny but cool March afternoon two keen GoodGym-ers arrived at Iona Orchard, tucked away in the corner of Ladywell Fields.

Iona Orchard is a nature reserve and an old orchard, which was formerly the gardens of the pair of villas on Ravensbourne Park, close to the junction with Bournville Road. The site is a designated 'Site of Importance for Nature Conservation' and is owned jointly by the Borough of Lewisham and L&Q Housing Association.

Once we had managed to find the hidden entrance (tucked away behind a line of hedges!) we received a quick introduction and briefing from Robert. We were also in the good company of local residents David and Sam. The main order of the day, we learned, was moving woodchip that had been donated by the council and left at the bottom of the hill, to build up a path down the centre of the Orchard.

After a few hours, lots of shovelling, and many trips up and down the hill with loaded wheelbarrows, we'd topped up the sections of the existing path that were looking a bit thin on the ground, and built several more metres of new path at the bottom. Great work everyone!

Robert informed us that the Orchard is regularly looking for help from volunteers, often on every other Sunday afternoon, so do come along if you can!