Today Goodgym was at Cutteslowe Greenhouse to join a group of 15 other volunteers and get the long-closed Cutteslowe Greenhouse ready to open.

Our task was to move compost in wheelbarrows, and fill up the raised beds inside the greenhouse! This meant shoveling the pile of old green waste compost into barrows to cart into the greenhouse and pour into the beds, and then pouring on bags of fresh compost to make a top layer. We also needed to transfer dry soil from one bed to another to suit the different plants the team was planning to grow.

The old compost was full of roots and tough to dig. The bags were heavy (and covered in weird green slime). It got so hot in the greenhouse we had to take frequent breaks for water, and some of the old soil was so dry it filled the greenhouse with dust and we had to abandon it until the dust settled.

But all of this is nothing to the unstoppable Goodgym. The Greenhouse project are eager for us to come back, and were so pleased with our work today they let us plant some inaugural lettuce! We are looking forward to visiting again and seeing how big they've grown.

Our relationship with Aston’s Eyot goes back a few years and, arriving on a warm May evening by the river, we could see the results of our many earlier endeavours. Ruth from the Friends of Aston’s Eyot welcomed us with tools ready and a clear plan for the evening’s work.

We split forces for maximum efficiency: one team weeded around the wildlife pond GoodGym had helped create, giving its edges some much‑needed breathing room, while the rest of us took on a fresh front in the never‑ending nettle campaign. The patch was new, but the story was familiar: nettles determined to reclaim paths, sting ankles, and generally assert dominance.

Our weapon of choice was one of humanity’s oldest tools: the scythe. This ancient innovation allowed early farmers to harvest standing upright rather than stoop over sickles—no doubt prompting a collective scythe of relief. It’s still the most effective tool in wildlife‑rich spaces like Aston’s Eyot, where its quiet, precise, environmentally friendly sweep is far better suited than anything with an engine.

We made short work of weeding around the pond and opening up another stretch of path toward the Cherwell. The war on nettles and other weeds is never won at Aston’s Eyot, but Oxford GoodGym is always ready for the next skirmish.