Not a damson in distress!

On an overcast evening in Bath, 12 fantastic runners ran a total 6km to improve Alice Park Community Garden.

The garden is a volunteer-lead community space where anyone can get involved growing and enjoying fruit and veg. We did some essential weeding, watering, pruning and tidying to keep this wonderful community space welcoming and usable.

Welcome Moira!

We welcomed Moira along for her first run with GoodGym and presented Pascale with some wings to wear to mark the massive achievement of completing 100 good deeds! After a brisk warmup and a group headcount, we got underway on a route that took us along the beautiful canal path in Bath. Always keen to be even more active, we paused at a few points and did some squats as a group. Right on schedule, we met our wonderful host Kathy at the gardens and she outlined our tasks for evening.

Digging deep

Emily and Pascale did a great job using their spades to turn some compost. We learnt how this helps the compost break down faster as it gets more air to the soil. They also found some nasturium plants and had a light refreshment of a few petals to keep their energy up!

A dam(so)n good job

Catrin, Emma and Bee did a wonderful job picking a big basket of damsons from the trees. The damson trees were ripe for plucking and we made sure we got a good bunch of them (and tried a sample or two!). The group also gave some other trees and bushes a well-needed watering.

No rakegrets

Rob and Moira were kept busy clearing the pathways by raking up some recently cut hedge trimmings. There was a lot to clear up, but awesome teamwork and GoodGym spirit helped them power through.

A weedy good job

Joe, Oliver, Steve were busy cleaning away some pesky bindweed from the beds where the damson trees live. They did a great job removing the weeds and giving the plants a thorough watering.

Where there's a willow there's a way!

Dan used his legs of steel to help deadlift a grill that covered the surface of a pond so we could turn the willow reeds that have been soaking in it. By turning it, the willow can properly absorb more water and soon it can be used at a 'willow weaving' class held at the garden.

Kathy was impressed by the work that the GoodGym group accomplished and rewarded us with some freshly-grown raspberries and plums. We kept our energy levels high for the run back with these sugary treats.

Thank you to Emma for being our back-marker this week and for Joe, the pun master, for this week's pun.

Next week we are heading out to Action On Hearing Loss in Twerton. We have lots of tasks planned to help keep the grounds tidy, clean and safe. Sign up now to let us know you will be there!