A happy return to Petersham & Ham Sea Scouts last night where scout leader Russell, surely one of the hardest-working scouts ever, had tasks ready and raring to go for us!

The group started with an intro and marathon congratulations for Steph Ducat and Adam, as well as Susan and Sarah who were getting some well-deserved rest in! It wasn't a sunny evening but the Richmond riverside has its own charm for a 2.5km run to the scout base.

Russell introduced us to the cycle of driftwood that comes in on the high tide and rips up the plants and growth in the wooded area. One group collected large pieces to add to the bug houses and get them out of the tide line while the other group emptied the woodshed of last year's dried out driftwood to be used for kindling at campfires. Next time we will be collecting the smaller piece from the grounds to go into the woodshed to dry out for next year!

Bugs aplenty and lots of heavy-lifting action made this a lively workout before a run back into Richmond town centre. Join us on Sunday back at the Scout base to help with the next stage.

The London marathon is happening today and while some of the team were out running it, some of us found some more training to complete!

Arriving at St. Margaret's Station we received the briefing from Friends of St Margaret's for the two new planters that needed to be built, lined and filled with compost.

The task started with carrying the necessary wood from the storage room to the working areas, then cracking on with the somewhat IKEA-like instructions. As with all flat pack, the expected errors occured: bits the wrong way up, pegs in the wrong hole, unclear instructions and tools that weren't quite up to the job!

With some fast learning on the job we did manage to get back on track, just like the trains that brought happy Sunday commuters in and out of London. Many stopped to say hello and thank us as the planters progressed.

Once all of the wood was firmly in place and pegged in, we lined them with a damp-proof membrane and capped them off with the finishing layer. Time for a group shot and some well-earned pride before heading off to track Marathon runners and enjoy a Sunday lunch!

A massive hello and thank you to Andrea who joined for her first GoodGym task.

Keep an eye out for more tasks at the station as we have been asked to help with weeding the banks and looking after the new beds once they are planted up.