This week we were back on Park Lane with Urban GreenUp ahead of the project being judged for a competition.

The initial plan was to cover the sight with mulch to keep the weeds at bay and allow the plants to flourish. However, we arrived to find Elaine with a distinct lack of mulch - it had not arrived in time. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as we were able to weed and litter pick the sight ready for the mulch to go down next week!

It was wonderful to be working in daylight once again and definitely made it easier to identify the weeds!

It didn't take long for us to tackle the bulk of the weeds. Well done everybody. Excited for the mulching next week!

Our last group run of 2023! Few of us ran from Sefton Park and met the others at the suitcases on Hope Street for a wee warm up. Then we were off for a little run down towards the docks to Urban Green Up project to meet up with Elaine and cutie doggy, Riley.

We learnt that the Alder tree nearby the Wapping site had been severely cut back therefore it went into mother nature survival mode and dispersed many, many seeds.
Therefore this resulted in many little baby Alder saplings all over the Wapping site, they were every couple of steps, we were all in awe of the Alder's pervasive nature but they had to be removed to ensure the right balance of plants at the site.

All of us enjoyed the satisfaction of pulling up the saplings, with varying levels of noise pollution and trying to decorate them as alternative mini christmas trees to find them another life. In the end, they had to be handed over to Elaine with the help of Riley who collected them up for us. In a short time our last group run of 2023 was over and the Alder was out!

Just as the cold snap was really setting in, 4 runners met on Hope street and made our way just over 1 mile to Blundell Street. It was great to welcome Amy for her first task in Liverpool, but 100th overall! Congratulations on earning your wings!

This week we were helping Elaine from Urban GreenUp to tidy up the Wapping site. Having just won a biodiversity award for the project, Elaine was keen to have it looking it's best. Were tasked with leaf raking and removing the Joe Pye (who knew this was a weed!?). Thankfully, due to the sandy soil, the weeds came up with ease and we were able to remove more or less all of it - Well done everyone!

4 runners met on Hope Street and meandered down to Park Lane. Lovely to be joined by Farnaz once again! Once there, we were met by 4 more goodgymmers and Elaine from Urban Green Up.

We have done a few sessions here, and I am always amazed at how different it looks each time and how much the plants have grown! This time around, Elaine greeted us with the fantastic news that the project has been nominated for not one, but two Landscapes Institute awards for 'Excellence in Biodiversity' and 'Climate Change Environment and Social Outcomes'. It's an amazing project and we have everything crossed for a win!

The task tonight was weeding, with creeping thistles being the main culprit.

As the light faded we worked quickly and Elaine was amazed with how much we achieved, although it was difficult to see the results by the end! Well done everyone! Cant wait to be back soon for some planting.

This week, a small (some would say perfectly formed) group of goodgymmers met, once again, at the Urban Green Up Park Lane site.

It was fabulous to see all the plants looking so healthy, thanks in no small part to our previous weeding efforts.

This time, the main culprits were thistles and we had soon amassed a huge pile of weeds! Along the way, Ema found some glasses (!?) and Sally Ann discovered some rogue strawberries. Whilst working away, it felt like we were making little progress, but as soon as we stood back it was clear the impact we had had. We can't wait to see the plants continue to flourish - well done everyone!

This week we were back with Elaine at Urban GreenUp, and what a difference a few weeks makes! The last time we were here was our birthday when we weeded in the pouring rain and darkness. It was so lovely to turn up in the light this time and see how well the space was coming along!

After a quick run from Hope street, we arrived to see that the plants were flourishing, except for two weedy patches - this is where we came in. We made much quicker work of it in the light and the space is now ready for the rest of the bark to go down to allow the flowers to bloom. This is great news to help attract more pollinators to the area. Elaine has already seen a black bumble bee out of hibernation!

We were also treated to a discount code and some chocolates from our new partners Raleigh. I expect to see you all cycling to a group tun soon!

Excellent work team, I can't wait to come back in a few weeks and see the improvement! A great way for me to celebrate my 100th task!