Two seasoned GoodGymers, John and Emma, were joined by Rachel and Mick (Emma's parents) down from Dudley to tackle a variety of jobs on the Usk Street Allotments wildlife plot!

The awesome foursome got stuck into tidying borders, pruning trees and clearing away dead vegetation and debris. A particular focus for the mother-and-daughter duo was removing the brambles and bindweed that had started to choke some of the apple and elderberry trees, helping to give the plants space to thrive and ensuring the wildlife area can continue to flourish. Meanwhile, Laurel and Hardy (aka John and Mick) got stuck in at the front of the plot to remove dead flowers and tidy the compost and bark chip around the rose bushes to give the space a welcoming border.

Amongst the piles of twigs and cuttings, we also uncovered an old bug hotel which had seen better days. Rather than leaving it hidden away, we found a suitable spot and hung it up again, ready to provide shelter for insects once more! A robin even visited us to say hello and see what treats we might have uncovered.

Catherine, the wildlife plot lead, thanked us immensely for our work in helping with the upkeep of the plot. After a productive morning in the fresh air and September sun, we rounded things off with a well-earned cup of coffee and a chat. A lovely way to spend a Saturday morning while helping both the allotment and local wildlife 🌿☕️🐝

We were back at Ocean Youth Connexions to support Kamal for another session, helping keep the site in tip-top shape.

First on arrival, John, Sam, Kareem and first timer, Ken were set straight to work litter picking in the yard and clearing leaves. Meanwhile, Darren and I tackled the front of the building, pruning what we identified as a milkflower cotoneaster shrub, as well as clearing leaves and picking up litter.

A little later,Emma, Arina and Louise joined us. Louise deserves special credit for navigating a heroic bus journey to get there! They headed upstairs to clean and soap the doors, with Emma declaring it was “the most I've ever enjoyed cleaning doors!”

As summer fades, we couldn't help notice the darkness creeping in earlier than usual.It won't be long before the head torches make their seasonal return.

A special mention goes to Sam, John and Darren, who all took part in the Big Half on Sunday and still turned out to volunteer.

Finally, a big welcome to Ken on his first GoodGym task. We hope to see you again soon!

A whopping turnout of 17 GoodGymmers made a huge difference to the grounds that wrap around St Peter's Church.

One main aim of the session was clearing all sorts of unwanted stuff out of the gardens and filling up the bins outside, including a heap of old furniture and scrap metal, stray traffic cones, old plant pots and fallen leaves. Another task was scooping mulch out of a very large container and tipping it onto the flower beds and there was even time and enough helping hands for some litter picking.

A warm welcome to the three new faces, Ming, Lake and You who all made their GG debuts on this sunny evening. Afterwards a few people headed to the Royal Oak pub in Columbia Road for a well deserved drink. 🍺

Returning to the canal club, this time we concentrated on weeding the winding paths between the plant beds, alongside the canal. Others chopped and sawed wood. It was a crowded space for the lucky 13 of us, but we spread ourselves into twos and threes and set to work, while catching up with each others’ activities since last we met

Our reward, supplied by lovely task owner Sally, were weather-appropriate home-made lollipops, with even a choice of flavours! So we continued the socialising while exciting our taste buds, then after most people had dispersed, four of us decided that the night was still young, and headed for The Hare in Cambridge Heath Road

The Canal Club, however, is currently proposed as a site for development. It was built for residents of the Wellington Estate and its activities include toddler storytelling, baby dance classes, Tai Chi, knitting and sewing, outdoor pizza making, breakdancing, line dancing, karaoke social evenings, a science homework club, singing, refugee activities, a food bank, arts and crafts, and Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings. There is a ball court and a children’s playground

This is not an empty site! If you want the council to remove the site from its accelerated housing scheme, sign the petition at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/save-our-space-e2-save-the-canal-club