We were 3 of 743 finishers at University Parks Christmas Day parkrun! A chilly but lovely start to the day ❤

Oxford has so many hidden gems dotted about the city!

Wedged between the ring road and a busy carpark is an oasis of calm - a wellness garden, complete with forest school area and bee hives. The garden is being officially launched on Friday so it is all hands on deck to get it ready.

Greeted by Paula we were given a list if tasks and got stuck in. We laid weed membrane, planted plants, spread woodchip, sorted out toys, cleared and reported flytipping and gave all the new plants a good soaking.

You know that we love a community garden so hopefully this will be a project we return to in the future.

This evening, we returned to Meadow Lane playground to continue our support for the NaturEscape transformation project. We split into two teams to tackle the next tasks. The first team worked on clearing the mesh fencing with bolt cutters, enjoying the satisfaction of completing a job we started last time! By cutting back the fencing and clearing overgrown foliage, the play space has been opened up, allowing children to run freely between the trees. The second team transferred woodchip from below a defunct zip line to a log circle, instantly making the area look more magical and inviting. We learnt that the technique for clearing the woodchip was to ‘scrape not dig’’! We scraped up the woodchip and transported it back and forth in a wheelbarrow. Joe provided some great tips, including to always point your empty wheelbarrow in the direction you’ll travel once it’s full, saving you from maneuvering a heavy load! We were pleased to have Chris back with us, and to warmly welcome Rab for their first session!