8 Goodgymmers battled with the big freeze in North London to lend a hand at the Westbury Bank Nature Reserve.

Big Woop Woop Corner

Let's have a big Woop Woop for Caroline who proved herself a Gold Start Debutant by getting stuck in with all the madness and hard graft of a classic winter GGHaringey task with such an ease that you could have easily assumed she has always been part of the furniture. A natural. Come again! :)

And also make some noise for Queen Khan who is smashing her 250th parkrun this weekend at Lordship Rec. #Loveparkrun #dfyb

Thanks to Punmeister General Charlie for today's pun.

Finally, looking forward to weekly installments of JULIE Vs THE VOLCANO. We'll miss you, Julie <3

We Got The Measure Of This Task

So long, 2023. Farewell, you cruel fiend - we shan't miss you. And Welcome 2024, don't you look gorgeous loaded with all that hope and positivity. Cutie Pie!

And on that note we congregated on a very cold Wednesday night at Blue House Yard for our first proper task of this lovely new year. Caroline, joining us for her first task, and Raj, making his triumphant return, were first on the scene and were deep in conversation by the time Gramps reached them. We were soon joined by Dave and Charlie and off we went for a gentle 1.5kish run to the Westbury Bank Nature Reserve, where we were joined by a crutch-less Niamh, a blanket-covered Nurjehan, and lady-of-greatly-earned-leisure Julie.

Tasks for the evening included tidying up and sorting a tool shed; trimming some branches that were leaning over the fences into the streets; a thorough litter pick; and some measuring of the Reserve.

Caroline and Raj armed themselves with loppers and wasted no time in giving the over-exuberant trees a trim; while Dave, Charlie, and Julie began clearing the cobwebs and sorting out the tools at the Reserve's shed; and Niamh and Nurjehan litter picked to their hearts content.

Everyone worked with a spring in their step and we started making our way through our jobs pretty quickly. Special mention to SuperDave who went above and beyond, quite literally, and climbed into the shed to move things along.

The hour flew by and we even had time to measure the length and breadth of the tree avenue at the top of the Reserve where the local community is hoping to build a handrail/fence this Spring.

We stopped just before 8 for some selfies/cuddles/high fives and we all made our way home, in the hope of defrosting our weary bones before bed. A classic GGHaringey winter task indeed.

We'll be back at the Reserve this Sunday for a starter session. Come! and tell yo' friends!

9 Goodgymmers braved the yellow warnings of Storm Ciaran to lend a hand at the Noel Park Estate for a bit of tree maintenance shenanigans.

So long, suckers!

Our Goodgymmers arrived one by one to Blue House Yard to find out that Gramps - not content with spending two weeks with his feet up getting fat and watching the telly while allegedly in the sick bin - had also mixed up his dates and the task advertised for the evening was not actually until next week. Our Goodgymmers, as always gracious and accommodating, didn't make him feel bad about it and were in fact eager about the prospect of trimming suckers from plane trees in the middle of a powerful storm. 😅

Thankfully, the rain and the wind held out long enough to keep our Goodgymmers dry while they concentrated their efforts on a lovely tree-lined road in the Noel Park Estate. Dave, Sarah, Julie, Raj, Latoya, and Charlie wasted no time and in getting rid of suckers from the mature trees while Clare and Nurjehan took charge of a thorough litter pick of all the tree beds and pavements, including some newly-installed rain garden planters outside the Noel Park school.

It was a smooth operation and within the hour, all trees along the .5 mile long (!) Lymington Avenue had been sorted and the road was looking impeccable. Big shout out to the local residents who came out to provide some light for our Goodgymmers while they trimmed the tree outside their house. They did look at us like we had just landed from a different planet but were very enthusiastic and supportive about our efforts.

Once we were done, we took all cuttings and rubbish back to Noel Park Big Local's HQ and as always, we made time for some selfies, hugs, and high fives.

Boom

Join us next week as we visit Tottenham Green for some bulb planting!

8 Goodgymmers went on the pull tonight at the White Hart Rec Tiny Forest Project as they helped weed and prune this small sliver of green in North London.

Making The Best Forest Impressions

A warm welcome to Raj, Louise, and Michelle who joined us for their first ever GGHaringey task. They were amazing and slotted into the GGH madness without a minute of hesitation. Hope we haven't scared you away!

What is this? A forest for ants?

Michelle L, the Parks and Greenspace Volunteering Officer for Haringey Council, approached us with an invitation from Michael from the Friends of Woodside Park to come and help them look after their Tiny Forest in White Hart Rec. Needless to say, that was the kind of invitation we couldn't possibly say no to and our 8 Goodgymmers all made their way to the site on an unseasonably mild but dark October evening (mind you, one of our GGH's shared jackets made its first outing of the season as one of its unnamed regular thermosensitive customers got a bit chilly).

Anyway, once on site, we were briefed on the history of the Tiny Forest as well as the species of trees planted a year ago to create this lovely 600-trees-deep forest in the middle of the Rec. Our mission for the evening was to free up the roots of the small saplings from a multitude of weeds without pulling up any of the young trees in the dark. Hilarity ensues.

Having said that, our Goodgymmers were meticulous in their pulling and managed to spend an hour in the pitch black without pulling up any trees (full disclosure, Gramps did act as a makeshift human lamppost for the evening so it wasn't completely dark but it was certainly ill-lit at best). Or, at least, that's what we thought - until Michael from the Friends of Woodside Park started waving a young oak at us that had been pulled in error. After an emergency replanting session, we prayed to the Tiny Forest gods and are pleased to say that we think all's well.

After an hour's honest work, our Goodgymmers packed up their things, took the customary group selfie, and then set off home with a few more smiles in their pockets than when they arrived. Boom.

Join us next week for more fun and games.