Thank you Lucy for showing us a much more scenic route from the Lido to the task this evening. It was a twitcher's paradise, two sets of swans with their cygnets, ducks with their ducklings and even a majestic egret! Far more interesting than the concrete monstrosity road bridge I'd have taken us over.

When we arrived, Judy and Katie were already on the platform and had found very, very little to do with the planters. Neither the GoodGym planter, or the one planted by the Men's Shed had anything in the way of weeds, or even litter.

Clearing the litter on the platform didn't take long at all, so things should be looking glorious for the judging session on Friday. We extended our pick on to the playing field behind the station, where Andy made friends with an excitable dog, and Jen rode a reclaimed bike found in the trees.

The turbulent weather may have put a lot of people off, but three determined GoodGymers made it out to Hilsea Station to bring new life to our newly adopted planter.

The spring daffodils were looking a little worse for wear, so we removed and potted them, ready to spend a few months at Dave's allotment whilst our summer plants bloom and blossom.

We certainly got our strength workout hoofing bags of compost across the platform. Go Team!

It was good to see that travelers are using the new bins on platform 2; they looked quite full.

In only an hour, we managed to clear the rubbish from the other platform, around the front, behind the fences and along the pathway near the sports field. Plus, we had time to admire the planters which are looking beautiful, thanks to Joy's TLC.

I joined 14 other volunteers to help clean up the area around Hilsea Station, we collected 18 big bags of litter. It was quite a workout to reach the rubbish that was behind the railings, almost beyond reach.

There's a moving World War I mural on the wall next to the station that I hadn't noticed before.

... well, the screw wasn't so much loose as completely absent! After unpacking the new planter at Hilsea Station, assembly became more difficult as the fixtures and fittings were missing. DIY Dave was able to work out what was missing so Jane from Community Spotlight has a shopping list to officially complete the task.

Whilst Jane nipped home to bring some compost, to help keep the planter in place, we tried growing our own Dave and Betsy plants. Unfortunately, there was not a lotnof success. We then got our GoodGym on, carrying big sacks of compost and top soil and loading the planters.

Sinéad, Sam and John cleared some of the litter from the platforms whilst sharing ideas and contacts to help with the station greening project.

The rain couldn't quite stay away, and our run back to the Lido was more than a bit soggy, however a few more kms were logged for the January Challenge.

We joined a group of local volunteers to clear litter from the station platforms; through the railway fencing; and in the adjacent streets.

Just one hour later and we'd filled multiple sacks and the area was a more pleasant environment for the Hilsea train travellers.