I cycled approximately 2.5 miles and arrived at Mrs M’s at 7pm on a beautiful, warm and sunny Wednesday evening. I had a lovely chat with Mary, a delightful Irish lady. She had all the tools laid out and ready to go. It was immediately clear there was a lot of work to do — far too much to complete in one visit. I had visited previously for this task, but Mary had decided to order a skip for all the trimmings. Although the garden was quite overgrown, it was absolutely beautiful and bursting with amazing colour. It almost felt a shame to cut it back! I started by mowing the lawn and collecting all the clippings into the skip. I then moved on to the heavier work, using shears and loppers to cut back the bigger plants and shrubs. The back area was particularly overgrown and spilling over the wall, so I went around behind the back wall to access and tidy it properly. Next, I trimmed the hedge and bushes along the front, cutting them down to fence height and giving them a much-needed tidy-up. Even after an hour and a half of, I had only completed about a third of the job. This garden will need at least a couple more visits to finish properly. I packed up the tools, said goodbye to Mary, and cycled home.

Nigel 👍 assisted 4 members of springboard at this session During a week of extreme heat, todays cooler weather allowed for vital crop care. We deep-watered greenhouse tomatoes and chillies, as well as other plant's, and irrigated outdoor squash, leeks, and sweetcorn. Additionally, we potted up plants into larger containers with fresh compost, successfully reducing plant stress and promoting healthy root growth. https://www.goodgym.org/v3/profile/nigel-62158405-47ff-496f-b3ee-0a9b9f279b2c

On a warm and sunny day, I cycled approximately 4 miles to Mrs J’s residence and arrived at 11:00 am. I introduced myself, and Mrs J kindly showed me where the tools were stored. I then began work straight away. The garden was fairly overgrown, with weeds sprouting through the cracks in the crazy paving. I spent the session clearing these areas. Although the weather was beautiful and good progress was made, the job will require one more visit to complete it fully. Mrs J was very appreciative and thanked me for today’s efforts.

Mr J is moving in 3 weeks and has a large lego collection to sort through. Today we sorted through a few boxes and organised them by colour.

On Tuesday evening, six GoodGymers made it to Carriers of Hope for another volunteering session. We were greeted by the delightful Gloria and Andrew. First, it was all hands on deck shifting boxes of baby milk upstairs. Although it didn’t look like there was much there, the boxes seemed to never end! It was a great workout for everyone. Sharon, Georgia, Steve and I carried the boxes up the stairs, while Laura and Lucy stacked the shelves and organised the boxes. Once we’d finished, we headed downstairs and set up three tables to sort oiut different types of flour into bags, label them, and heat seal them ready to go out for donations. It got pretty messy, but we had fun chatting while we worked. Gloria and Andrew led the way brilliantly. We finished with a good tidy-up, cleaned, and mopped the floor. Great work, everyone!

"On Wednesday, I arrived at Mrs J’s to begin clearing and cutting back the overgrown weeds, bushes, and plants. The garden had become quite unruly, so I knew it wouldn’t be finished in one visit. I started by clearing the centre of the garden to make the rest of the work more accessible. One of Mrs J’s neighbours kindly popped over to check that she was okay and to confirm that I was legitimate, as she had unfortunately been overcharged for poor work in the past. It was reassuring to see neighbours looking out for one another. The work was hot and sweaty, and I made some good progress and plan to complete the job on my next visit."