On a warm Thursday afternoon, Thaty and JP met at Mrs P’s home to help her with two tasks.

First was the changing of a light bulb, which took 30 seconds. Then we did a full tutorial on how to set up YouTube on the TV. This was complicated by all Google’s latest tech barriers (including trying to make a QR code work on a 2010s iPhone) but eventually the second light bulb of the afternoon appeared and we were in business!

In preparation for our 10th birthday party this Saturday, we headed to Buccleuch Gardens to sweep, dust and tidy up! There is plenty that needs watering on Saturday as well as all the party prep, so we can't wait to have lots of GoodGym hands on deck! Sign up and join us if you can, we would love to have you there!

In years gone by, missions to tackle Himalayan Balsam in the areas close to the river were many and not-far-between, with extra midweek sessions not a rarity. That Saturday’s task was our first (and possibly last?) of the Summer hopefully speaks to the efforts of many over the years to bring this invasive species under control, which are perhaps paying off. But it is a (little) shame because it’s always so much fun.

Himalayan Balsam, we learned from Friends of Ham Lands leader Sharon, escaped from Kew Gardens, whence it had been brought from afar (the Himalayas?) many years ago (19th century?). It quickly colonised large parts of the local area - as well as spreading all over the country - compromising the growth of important other flora and damaging soil structures on the river banks.

So on this beautifully sunny Saturday morning, 5 of Richmond GG’s finest met with Sharon and headed to an area close to the towpath on the river side of the Ham Lands to deal with a couple of patches of Balsam.

The fun part is in the ease of the job: despite their apparent size and sturdiness, Balsam plants are easy to uproot, having shallow roots as they do - and their wide hollow stems create a satisfying pop sound when pulled from the ground. So satisfying it makes you want not want to stop.

Stop we eventually did, however, as plans for the rest of the day (and a build-up of nettle stings) eventually required us to. We stood back and admired the result of our efforts - large clear sections and large piles of uprooted Balsam. And then off we popped.

Next time at Ham Lands is on Saturday 8th August. You can sign up here: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/helping-the-happy-ham-landers-b8f34de0-18b2-4779-8129-bff4f391fa5a