On Saturday we built a dead hedge at Kate's Place in Florence Park. It was a very satisfying task - easy to grasp the system, pleasing to see progress, and a really good way to use up waste material. It creates a wonderful additional habitat as well as a barrier.

Chatting chickens and kittens while we worked made for a wholesome Saturday morning.

Welcome to GoodGym Ocean!

Seven Goodgymers helped with various jobs around Kate's Place in Florence Park. We moved some wood to make a "dead hedge" habitat, lifted some turf to plant some seeds, and weeded around trees. The main task however was transporting many many watering cans (and even a flexi trug bucket) full of water from the tap at Flo's cafe over to the trees and hedges that needed it after the dry spell we have had. Of course, at the end of our session it began to rain!

Yesterday we made a welcome return to Kate's Place. It was lovely to see it so well established given that we have been involved since it's early days. We did a variety if tasks including hedge trimming, raking leaves, and sowing yellow rattle seeds, then warmed up over a cuppa on Flo's cafe.

A quintet of GoodGymers spent a couple of hours spreading wood chip around the fire area of Naturescape garden, creating vertical log habitats, redoing the tyre planters in the pathway and setting in posts to form an archway. It was warm work but lovely to be outside on a sunny day.

4 intrepid GoodGymers ventured to Naturescape in Florence Park on arguably the hottest day of the year so far...

Naturescape took over and converted a disused mini golf course in the hopes of turning it into a nature education area. The team at Naturescape have a new pond and despite the recent rain asked if we could help them fill it manually. Combining wheelbarrows and a continuous cycle of manual lifting we quickly filled the pond and Jo ensured that there were measures in place should any little creature fall in. Overall, it was the perfect task for such a warm day!

Six goodgymers boldly applied their SPF, wore appropriate clothing, and journied to Florence Park to help Naturescape with the next part of their garden project.

The original invitation was for pond digging but the pond space needs more fundraising before it can be built. Instead we were tasked with helping to lay the sensory path which meanders through the garden.

The path is made up of individual tyres, dug into the earth and then filled with soil and topped with a variety of materials; smooth pebbles, woodchip, sandy grit and aromatic plants.

Digging homes for the tyres was sweaty work. They all need to be level to ensure an even, safe path. Holes were dug, spirit levels employed, little bits of soil added or taken away here and there.

****We all left craving ice-cream and cold showers but it was a wonderful task and so fantastic to see the progress of this exciting space.

Congratulations to Samantha for her 50th good deed. Your black t-shirt awaits!