This week's big Monday night task took us to St Peter's Church and it was light work for the group of 14! We welcomed new joiner Emmanuel and wished Anna a happy birthday 🎂

The first half of the session involved a sweep of fallen leaves, a quick litter pick and removing misplaced large stones from the flower beds. With sunset falling at around 7.30pm, our attentions turned to installing a network of garden lights, planting stakes into the ground at well triangulated distances apart. The switch-on moment proved a satisfying end to the evening.

Two seasoned GoodGymers, John and Emma, were joined by Rachel and Mick (Emma's parents) down from Dudley to tackle a variety of jobs on the Usk Street Allotments wildlife plot!

The awesome foursome got stuck into tidying borders, pruning trees and clearing away dead vegetation and debris. A particular focus for the mother-and-daughter duo was removing the brambles and bindweed that had started to choke some of the apple and elderberry trees, helping to give the plants space to thrive and ensuring the wildlife area can continue to flourish. Meanwhile, Laurel and Hardy (aka John and Mick) got stuck in at the front of the plot to remove dead flowers and tidy the compost and bark chip around the rose bushes to give the space a welcoming border.

Amongst the piles of twigs and cuttings, we also uncovered an old bug hotel which had seen better days. Rather than leaving it hidden away, we found a suitable spot and hung it up again, ready to provide shelter for insects once more! A robin even visited us to say hello and see what treats we might have uncovered.

Catherine, the wildlife plot lead, thanked us immensely for our work in helping with the upkeep of the plot. After a productive morning in the fresh air and September sun, we rounded things off with a well-earned cup of coffee and a chat. A lovely way to spend a Saturday morning while helping both the allotment and local wildlife 🌿☕️🐝