8 GGers met at the riverside hub to help out with a number of tasks

We all stared work on the weeding, and a huge difference was seen in a short space of time

Weeding out of the way, we moved over to the over side, where decking was swept, brambles were pulled and the sad pond was dismantled ready for a new happy water feature to take its place

Tasks completed, we made our way to the bench where task owner Heather had kindly left a platter of fruit and squash

Hats off to another successfully completed task!

Margaret, Tessa and Sheila met on a warm but blustery day to help tidy up Spital Cemetery alongside other volunteers. And it turned out to be a prickly business. First we tackled the brambles running along the wall, cutting them down to ground level. Then we moved on to cutting back a holly bush which was was making access along the path a potentially painful business. Finally we tacked a bramble and elder combo which were obscuring a grave. Well done to Maggie for providing the two Hippo bags from her secret stash in which we could put all the prickly clippings. A job well done

8 Goodgymers met with Helen from Wild Maidenhead to help take back a formerly neglected space in Desborough park.

Weeding a bed and laying bark chip over was the plan and we all cracked on and got it covered.

Too much bark in the end so some left over but plenty of feel good vibes in the setting sun from a warm afternoon.

After a day of heavy rain we were truly blessed to have had the beautiful weather and stunning river views on the walk to and from our task this evening.

We met at the car park and then walked 1km to Battlemead of which some paths had already been cleared for us by Ranger Tom earlier that day, as it was heavily overgrown with large stinging nettles.

Amy showed us what the Himalayan Balsam was and we set to work by pulling out as much as we could of the invasive plant which makes it harder for other species to grow in the area.

It was very satisfying especially when we found a big one and the roots came out really easily so we didn’t need any tools.

After around 45 minutes we walked back and enjoyed the scenery once again, this time with the sun setting.

Well done everyone - keep a lookout for more of the same tasks happening soon and do sign up if you can, as there is lots to get rid of!

11 GoodGymers gathered on a cool Spring evening at the All Saints Church to help improve the cemetery grounds.

A special shout out to all those who cycled to the mission; a whopping 45% (which is nearly 50% if you just round it off!) of the total attendance! Possibly our largest turnout on two wheels. Whoop! 🚴‍♀️🚴🚴‍♀️🚴

Task owners Jo and Anne were waiting for us in the churchyard and gave us a detailed brief and tools.

1. Team Alkanet (Sara, Roberta, Georgeta, Angela, Viv, Tessa, Anna and Amy) went about the strategic task of removing the pretty-but-invasive plants growing within old graves. While these were to be removed from graves as a matter of respect, they were also to be retained in the surrounding areas for bees and insects to enjoy. For their efforts, they were treated to a glorious light of the setting sun.

2. A smaller group (Tony, Rosie and Diya) were led by Jo to the far end of the grounds. Team Bramble cleared out a whole lot, uncovering a few graves which had been completely overrun by the brambles. RIP, hope people can visit them as well now.

An hour and 4 large Hippo bags later, we said our goodbyes. It was hard work but as always, satisfying and wonderfully social.