Skirting Ealing’s lower borders, the Grand Union Canal leisurely bends this way and that – like a discarded piece of Brit-boiled spaghetti, perhaps, or a generous dollop of blueberry jam dribbled onto the edge of a green Ealing-sized, Ealing-shaped plate. For sure, it’ll eventually deliver its watery wares to the Thames, but it’s got no deadline and it knows it. However, as it glides blithely past Hanwell, it passes a series of orchards where things are more urgent. The space was reclaimed from its gritty industrial aftermath in 2017 and is now used to grow fruit trees, an initiative started by Hanwell and Norwood Green Orchard Trail (HANGOT, and no, we can’t think how to get the ‘U’ in there either). But the trees grew a little too enthusiastically last year, threatening the local ecosphere with something of a hug of death. They need cutting back, and the soil’s nutrients could use a boost. So HANGOT teamed up with GoodGym’s Ealing division to make that happen.

Lead by Sevan, GoodGym offered help in the form of twelve keen folks (“A raker’s dozen”, Sevan quipped), each keen to grab a shovel, a wheelbarrow, secateurs or, indeed, a rake. Steph and Harvey were amongst a group focused on defibrillating the soil back into life with shovels and a pile of mulch the size of a small hill. “This is beautiful mulch. The things that GoodGym teaches you…” mentioned Harvey, just in case you assumed mulch was anything other than oversized soggy wooden breakfast cereal. The pile was distributed and the trees were grateful for it.

Time for surgery via secateurs. While Team Mulch were busy wheelbarrowing their chunks of Soggy Brown Wet, Max and Sevan assisted the HANGOT volunteers busy chewing away the tree’s overgrown branches. (Though with shears, not teeth. HANGOT has no giraffes on their team…yet.) Both, however, were mindful of the brutally impressive two inch thorns that hedgehogged off the branches. “Whoever said ‘Nature is kind’ never had to deal with it repeatedly stabbing you in the hand”, Max murmured. (Sevan offered him a pair of spare protective gloves, and all was well.) The resulting bundles were piled into wheelbarrows and moved to areas that West London fauna consider impressive real estate. With the area cleared and primed for a fresh fruit crop destined for the Nutri-bullets of health-conscious locals, we moved onto the piggeries.

Spoiler: there were no pigs. Or a wolf. Or houses built from straw or brick, though there were plenty of sticks had any construction-inclined swines been available. In truth, it was more of the same here – but towards the west end of the enclosure, the overgrowth took on an almost jungle-like tone. So as we continued our operation (Mulch, mulch, mulch. Dig, dig, dig. Thorn, in, hand, ow.) we moved all the chopped-off wooden goodness to this natural biodiversity sanctum. And in the mild sun of a pleasantly warm February, it felt positively glorious.

With the work wrapped up, we went on our way to a local coffee shop at a gentle walking pace not unlike that of the Grand Union Canal itself. “We couldn’t have done it without you,” assured HANGOT volunteer Magda. Which gave us a final reason why doing good really can feel it, too.

A sunny Saturday morning following a week of greyness. Ivy hanging from the tall trees of Grove Farm like a canopy. Yellow mushrooms against a pattern of brown bark. A carpet of moist leaves rolling down a muddy slope. Calmness filled with faint birdsong coming from above. And then a sudden whirr of hedge trimmers and clink of shears. What's happening?

A group of people, mostly wearing red, are chopping large patches of baby brambles with zeal and enthusiasm. Is that how woodland conservation is supposed to be? Well, yes! According to Mike, a friend of Grove Farm, blackberries, if not kept in check, are taking over green spaces and suppressing the growth of other species that should be part of the ecosystem. And we believe him, because we've seen that in the past two years of helping at Grove Farm. Without a little help from volunteers fighting off brambles, the wonderful wood anemones wouldn't be able to bloom in March and April! See how they looked in the past!

This January, volunteers Mike and Livio are joined by seven GoodGymers: runners Steph, Sevan, and Kash, walkers Ash and Thaiza, and cyclists James and Richard. Richard is actually a runner too, and he already did a parkrun in the morning. Now, swapping swimming for shearing makes a different kind of triathlon for him!

The results of our conservation work from previous years have made a visible difference. The 2026 brambles are much smaller and more spread, compared to what we've dealt with in the past. A single session of cutting back and raking today allows us to clear the entire slope alongside a woodland path, and give wood anemones a strong boost. With enough sunlight reaching the ground, their flowers will be stunning in the spring!

The brambles never stop growing, though, and we'll need regular visits to Grove Farm this winter to stay in control of the wood anemone territory. Our February session will be another opportunity to help biodiversity, while enjoying a forest-bathing session by absorbing nature’s sights, sounds, and smells. If boosting wellbeing by spending time in nature and doing something impactful sounds like something for you, sign up to join us!