Thicket to Paradise

It was after 1 pm when the first GoodGymer found her way to the Paradise Fields - or she thought she found her way. Kash, guided by the live location and the familiar voice of Emma of Horsenden Hill, penetrated the thicket just off Greenford Road, only to find herself on the wrong side of paradise. She waved at the volunteers on the other bank of the natural moat protecting the future beaver kingdom from too much attention. Jenni also had trouble navigating through the marshland, almost losing faith that she would find anyone on the other side of the thick vegetation. The surrounding scrubs and lack of wellies (they are not a runner's first choice of footwear) gave the GoodGymers a sense of adventure.

We were warmly welcomed by Sean McCormack, the founder of Ealing Wildlife Group, who explained the project of preparing the site for the re-introduction of beavers - a species that had been extinct on this land for 400 years! The scrub around the wetland had been already cleared. Our task was to collect the built-up litter. We've been offered hot chai and litter pickers. We chose the latter as we could only arrive quite late to the event. At first, there was no waste in sight and we started doubting whether our help is needed at all! Observing the other volunteers (including some familiar faces like Rachel, with whom GoodGym teams up at Furnivall Gardens), we learned that the litter was hiding deep in the bushes and underwater! It was like a treasure hunt.

Today we saw and participated in some excellent examples of teamwork: passing the rubbish to each other across the water using pickers and fishing out a sunken rake with a litter picker. We employed creative approaches to cross the water to reach the waste: various jumps and climbing tree trunks. We filled the blue LAGER Can waste bags with a number of wet and muddy objects. Kash fished out a drone's remote controller - an unexpected find but not as glamorous as the sequin dress discovered by Sean!

Next Saturday we will be visiting another Ealing Wildlife Group site during an open volunteering event: Costons Lane Nature Reserve. If you enjoy being in nature and looking after the wildlife, sign up and join us there!