Today our Tiny Forest Tour took us to Hinksley Recreation Ground in Flitwick, ( yes like the professor ) supporting Anna from Earthwatch for another afternoon of citizen science and community engagement.

With temperatures well into the 30s, the council officers had very kindly put up a marquee to give us some much-needed shade. They had also set up a bug-hotel activity, giving the children another way to explore the wildlife around them.

This Tiny Forest was planted in February 2024 with help from local schools, but sadly it has suffered a very poor survival rate. Looking across it today, it appeared that perhaps two-thirds of the original trees had died. Whether that is down to the location, planting conditions, successive dry periods or a combination of factors isn’t entirely clear, but during the current heatwave the remaining trees were certainly struggling.

And that made today’s citizen science particularly interesting.

I helped the children with the ground-dweller survey. Before lifting the slabs, we talked about the incredibly dry soil and what sorts of creatures we might normally expect to find underneath. Almost every slab we lifted was virtually devoid of life — perhaps the odd creature scuttling away, but very little else. Even the slabs themselves were hot.

It was disappointing and quite shocking, but actually a powerful lesson. Citizen science isn’t only about finding lots of wildlife; it’s also about recording when it isn’t there and thinking about why. The children could see for themselves the connection between heat, lack of moisture and the life that depends upon the soil.

So we tried to turn that into something positive. The children loved the idea of adopting just one of the surviving trees giving it a name, keeping an eye on it and perhaps bringing it some water during these exceptionally hot and dry periods. Saving an entire forest sounds daunting; looking after one little tree suddenly feels possible.

Anna also demonstrated how quickly water soaked into the ground within the Tiny Forest compared with the surrounding grass. Despite how badly the forest is struggling, the difference was striking. It was a useful reminder that these areas aren’t only about trees: healthier, more absorbent soils can also help hold water and slow surface run-off during heavy rainfall.

Today’s results weren’t necessarily the ones we would have wanted, but that’s science. With temperatures forecast to rise again tomorrow, perhaps the lesson from Hinksley is about mitigation, understanding and appreciation — seeing what a changing climate means at ground level and discovering the small things we can do to help.

Maybe we can’t each save a forest. But perhaps we can each adopt one tree.

Go and discover the Tiny Forest yourself: Hinksley Road Recreation Ground St Paul’s Close / Hinksley Road Flitwick MK45 1ES

check out the surveys here https://tinyforest.earthwatch.org.uk/tiny-forest-sites/692-houghton-hall-park-tiny-forest

Tiny Forest Tour – A Hot Start in Houghton Hall Park. ( see address details below.)

Our GoodGym Tiny Forest Tour got underway at Houghton Hall Park near Dunstable, supporting Earthwatch with the first of our community and citizen science days.

And what a day to start ... sweltering heat and an amber heat warning!

Daniel, Gus and I arrived at 2pm to find a rather parched but beautifully maintained park. We met Hannah from Earthwatch, who was leading the session, along with Peter, a local volunteer who had helped plant the Tiny Forest back in February.

We also met Caroline and Ian, who work with the Trust engaging people with this lovely park. Houghton Hall Park occupies the grounds of an old manor house and has a great mixture of open space, mature trees and woodland, ornamental gardens, a vegetable garden, playground and café. The Tiny Forest is another new element being added to this fantastic community space.

Given the heat, we weren’t sure how many people would venture out, but we ended up engaging with lots of lovely young families. We helped introduce them to citizen science – including measuring the young trees and understanding how their growth can be used to estimate carbon capture.

Hopefully we also planted a few seeds for future involvement from local families and schools.

And these young trees need watching. With increasingly hot, dry conditions, collecting information about how they survive and grow is becoming particularly valuable.

If you’re local, why not get involved? Visit the Tiny Forest, scan the QR code on the information board and start contributing observations and measurements. You can also become a Tiny Forest Tree Keeper and help look after it over the coming years.

Even if you’re just passing along the M1, Houghton Hall Park is worth a stop – a great café, beautiful gardens and woodland, and now a Tiny Forest to explore.

A hot but very enjoyable start to our tour – GoodGym supporting Earthwatch.

Address - Park Rd N, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5FU, United Kingdom, 51.901650162412494,-0.5107539063409314 Link to TF - https://tinyforest.earthwatch.org.uk/tiny-forest-sites/692-houghton-hall-park-tiny-forest

Today we headed to the Bull Theatre in High Barnet to help Susi and Dave get this important local theatre and performing arts centre ready for its next season.

With its theatre and two dance studios, the Bull provides a great space for young people and the wider community to get involved in drama, dance and music. We got stuck into some much-needed decorating. painting walls, cleaning them down as well as painting the floor.

There’s plenty of history here too. The site dates back centuries and has been a pub, magistrates court and, from 1975, the Old Bull Arts Centre. When its future became uncertain in the early 2000s, the local community helped save it, and today it continues as an independent charity and home for performing arts in Barnet. It has even seen the likes of Amy Winehouse and Alexandra Burke perform here in their earlier days.

It’s exactly the sort of community facility that is worth supporting giving young people opportunities to build confidence, learn skills, perform and meet others.

And, of course, this was GoodGym so we had to get there actively! Jack and I cycled, Subham ran some of the way, while the rest of the team made their way by public transport.

Thanks to Susi and Dave for welcoming us. Hopefully this is the start of us doing a bit more to help keep this historic little theatre vibrant and serving the Barnet community for many years to come.

Last night we headed back to Coldfall Wood for our GoodGym group run somewhere we hadn’t visited for quite a while. After gathering, as usual, outside the Phoenix Cinema, we eased ourselves in with a gentle warm-up. It was certainly warm, but the humidity was what everyone really noticed.

Our discussion topic on the run out was favourite comedy songs. It turned out to be more challenging than expected, with quite a few people struggling to think of one. Maybe we’ve uncovered a whole new discussion theme! One suggestion was Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. I’ll happily provide the full playlist another time if there’s enough demand.

After the short run to the woods, we were welcomed by Linda, who reminded us that Coldfall Wood is an ancient woodland dating back to the 16th century. Our task was to repair the dead hedges, helping to discourage people from wandering through sensitive areas and damaging the new growth.

There were a few unusual jobs along the way, including wrestling a large fallen section of tree out from another tree. Someone must have thought it was amusing to wedge it there! Members of the Friends of Coldfall Wood group were working alongside us, and one of them kindly brought figs to share, which were absolutely delicious.

We carried on repairing the dead hedges wherever they needed attention before it was time to make our way back. It was a simple task, but hopefully one that will make a real difference. It’s probably something that needs regular attention, and we’re always happy to support the Friends group in looking after this wonderful ancient woodland.

After the run back, we gathered outside the Phoenix for a well-earned chat before heading home.

And finally… if you’ve made it this far, you’ll be pleased to know we also had a good laugh about a couple of broken legs and a mop in the mouth. If you’ve read this and have no idea what I’m talking about… never mind! first person to DM me with the words broken legs and a mop in the mouth. I’ll buy you a drink! (as I am curious to know if anybody does read this)