Rachel and Sheila returned to help improve the football pitch at All Saints School. We scattered the seed, trying to perfect the box shake to give the optimum coverage of seed, and then raked it in. Sheila then had to leave, but was replaced by Amy who levelled some sand by the playground and then helped Rachel tidy up the sand pile and leave the site in a suitable condition. Mrs Thompson, our Taskowner, was very grateful for our help, and we hope the seed germinates well, and that the footballers soon have grass to play on instead of mud!

Rachel and Sheila made a return visit to All Saints School to continue with the gargantuan task of distributing a large pile of topsoil onto the bare patches on the football pitch. We were delighted to be joined by Amy and a couple of younger helpers, one of whom was Junior Park Run-fresh and already warmed up! The extra pairs of hands made a huge difference as we shovelled, barrowed, tipped and raked the soil into its final position. An infusion of a couple of Percy Pigs each gave us the extra strength to keep going. Just as we were flagging, another couple of mums turned up with their daughters, in answer to Amy's desperate plea for extra help to the school community. To eventually see the 5-ton pile of topsoil reduced to a few crumbs left on the ground was an achievement indeed. In the time that was left, Rachel coordinated the addition of sand to the wildflower beds while Amy and Sheila helped our taskowner Mrs Thompson sow some grass seed on the football pitch, rake it in, and cover some with fine netting to keep the birds off while it germinates. As I write this, the rain is watering it all in for us. We shall all sleep well tonight! Kudos to Rachel for keeping up the momentum for 4 hours 👏

Welfare visit for Mrs D

A beautiful spring afternoon saw Nivi, Rachel, Christine, Anne-Laure and Sheila join the weekly work party at Ray Mill Island. Anne-Laure was keen to do raking of leaves to help expose the grass, and Nivi helped another volunteer paint tree signs. Meanwhile the others tackled the enormous Phormium plant which needs removing from the new nursery area.The team last week had done a good job of starting to dig it out, so our task was to try and finish the job. Armed with spades, loppers, a half-moon cutter and a pruning saw, we started attacking the plant. Some side shoots of the plant were saved for planting up to generate new plants. It was a tough old job, but we kept at it and eventually we were victorious, severing the plant from the earth.

It was an early start this morning, but the sun was out and what a lovely morning for shifting top soil! All Saints School football pitch needs a make-over, so Viv, Rachel and Sheila responded to the challenge. After a short delay while we struggled to unlock the gates to the playing field, Rachel came to the rescue and gave the key the required wiggle to enable it to work. We got a good workout aerating the ground, shovelling topsoil into barrows and raking it to cover the bare patches. We were joined by one family whose son attends the school for part of the time, and were grateful for the extra pairs of hands. We made good progress but there is plenty to do at tomorrow's session

Baby Bank regulars Sheila and Carol were joined by Caroline for her second visit and we also welcomed Sarah for her first GoodGym mission. As ever, there were plenty of clothes to quality-check and everyone quickly got to grips with what was required, and we settled down to a productive morning's work, trying to keep ahead of donations coming in!