This was the kind of session that makes my heart happy. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face all evening.

A huge team of Goodgymers assembled at Port Meadow to clean up the tow path and picnic spots. A big welcome to Blossom, Thomas and Millie.

The litter was not too bad but as usual we found a random selection of objects - a chair, a very rusty bike frame, various items of clothing and a plethora of picnic detritus.

The main event though, was OBVIOUSLY the pizza social. Last time we attempted this it absolutely slammed it with rain. This time, despite a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, we managed to descend on The Medley and enjoy delicious pizza and a really good chat.

Heres to more socials - once a month maybe?!?

Have I mentioned just how much I love having a dog at a task?!? ESPECIALLY when it is a visit from the glorious Juno (and Ben).

Back to the task in hand....

This morning we had a lovely hour at Rose Hill Community Centre weeding the Youth Club planters and generally sprucing up the growing area.

Thistles were removed, planters were watered, litter gathered up and Juno was fussed and we all had a lovely chat, setting the world to rights.

An excellent start to the weekend.

This evening we returned to the magical space that is Marston Forest Garden. We were greeted by Isobel who gave a pitted history of the site for our newbies and outlined the tasks. The name of the game today was gentle movement. Gardening in 30 degree heat and all that!!

We split into 3 groups. One tackled brambles in the herb circle, one hoiked out armfuls of Michaelmas Daisies from around some rayher drought-stricken raspberries, and Joel and Muireann chopped and sieved compost ready for use!

Watermelon from Isobel was a welcome and refreshing addition to the task!

We'll be back here for a weekend session on 9th August so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Welcome to David and Matthew. Thank you for joining us this evening!

This evening, we returned to Aston’s Eyot, a 32-acre nature reserve with public access. It’s a GoodGym favourite, as it almost always involves scything and offers lovely views of the river!

We split into two teams to tackle different sections. Our tasks ranged from using posts to secure log seating and sawing branches to open up the viewpoints, to scything the pathways and lopping back overgrown greenery. Along the way, we enjoyed watching the rowers, kayakers, and swans pass by.

It was the kind of task where we could see the immediate impact of our work. We even got to test out one of the log benches at the end and admire the newly cleared space. We were really pleased to welcome Akshat for their first GoodGym session!