South Oxford Community Centre is a new task location for us. We're always happy to help Oxford's community centres, so when we received the call for help in their courtyard garden we accepted the task straight away.

We started our session with a topical ice-breaker question: "what do you wish AI would/could do for you?" Answers ranged from the altruistic (solve the global climate crisis) to inspired (call customer services lines for you). Then on to the task...

Despite the bulk bags of compost not arriving we had plenty to do - we did lots of weeding the edges of the courtyard, pots, planters, and the long border. We then topped up the compost from some smaller sacks, watered, and topped off with shredded bark. Meanwhile Ben and Trev built a compost bay, and a few of us moved the picnic benches so that they could be used more easily.

We were grateful for cold drinks and chocolate biscuits as refreshments, and had a lovely run along the river before and after.

We'll be back in a few weeks to finish the job once the elusive compost arrives!

Welcome Matthew and Oliver - good to meet you both.

EMBS is a not-for-profit community college teaching English and Maths to Asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants in Oxford. They have many students from Ukraine and Afghanistan at the moment, but also students from all over the world. Alongside English and Maths lessons they aim to help students grow in confidence, gain employability skills, and be part of a friendly community where they can learn how to navigate life in the UK.

Our task at EMBS involved working in the adult building, sorting and tidying stationery, putting up displays, and laminating signage and teaching resources. It employed our creativity (display design), height (thanks for taking down all the high up photos Matt!), fulfilled our need for order (tidying stationary), and soothed us with a methodical process (Henry is the king of laminating).

Since it was a gorgeous evening we got our 'gym' element with a lovely run up to the task past Florence Park, and back via Iffley village and the river, as well as climbing the stairs to the 2nd floor to reach the classrooms.

♪ Just a sprinkle of rain can't stop us now ♪
♪ We're off to a nature park, no need to frown ♪
♪ We'll pick up litter and clear the grass ♪
♪ Nothing can dampen our spirits, it'll be a blast ♪

♪ The rain is falling, but we don't mind ♪
♪ We'll put on our raincoats, we're one of a kind ♪
♪ We'll gather together, our bags and gloves in tow ♪
♪ And head out to Boundary Brook, let's go, let's go! ♪

♪ The rain is pouring, the wind is strong ♪
♪ But we keep moving, all evening long ♪
♪ We pick up litter, glass, and metal too ♪
♪ We're making a difference, and that's what we'll do ♪

♪ The grass is long, but we don't fret ♪
♪ We grab our tools, and work up a sweat ♪
♪ We clear the pond area, revealing hidden gems ♪
♪ And keep going strong, until the session's end ♪

♪ The rain keeps falling, but we don't stop ♪
♪ We're determined, until the very last drop ♪
♪ And with every bag filled, we feel a sense of pride ♪
♪ Knowing that we're helping the environment to thrive ♪

♪ We finish the session with a sense of accomplishment ♪
♪ Feeling like we've made a positive development ♪
♪ We take a moment to appreciate the beauty around ♪
♪ And vow to continue our efforts to keep it sound ♪

It takes a team!

Tonight we cleared an abandoned campsite near Rose Hill which has been unoccupied for a year or more.

It quickly became clear that it had been a family with little children living here. There were toys, baby clothes and nappies amongst the pots, pans adult clothing. Discarded food and drink containers, lots of sodden bedding, the tent and awning, a rubber dinghy which was being used to keep the tent off the hard ground, a hoover; it was a huge haul to get up to the ring road for collection by Oxford Direct Services.

We really hope the occupants abandoned their campsite because they found a solid roof over their heads.

Emma and Ellie headed to Florence Park Community Centre to support with the pack-up for Oxford Maternity Clothes Library. The library is a great initiative, helping save money and the planet by hiring out maternity clothes. It was a busy day at the library, with plenty of visitors and lots of donations too!

Last night we were asked to return to Cotswold House Eating Disorder Unit to work on the garden. The unit has a pretty courtyard garden filled with aromatic herbs, lavendar and buddleia. It's nicely thought out, with treats for the eyes and the nose, as well as being full of plants which pollinators love. Last year we did a couple of gardening sessions to keep the weeds at bay and as the weather starts to warm up it was high time we returned to give the garden a once-over before the weeds take hold. The pots and planters had been planted up with pansies since out last visit - lovely and cheery - and a general prune of the larger shrubs had obviously been done recently. That meant we didn't need to tackle too much bamboo and could focus on weeding between the paving, digging out long grass encroaching on the borders, and some light pruning and trimming of last year's dead growth to allow the newly emerging shoots to get light and space.

An hour flew by - it's easy to lose track of time when you're busy!