An ace team of volunteers came together on the green at Warnham Road for a solid session to improve biodiversity.

Four Goodgymmers, two conservationists and a couple of neighbours gathered to mince and bash brambles, rake soil and pile up dead hedge material for the next session.

The conservationists went above and beyond, teaching us how to use the tools effectively and how to be careful with our work, checking for habitats and protecting any creatures we found.

Some could only stay an hour, others a bit longer, but huge thanks to the die hard conservationists for staying for over 4 hrs to get the main tasks finished!

We'll be back soon to try and get a few more tasks finished before spring warms up, to give seeds that have been choked by bramble the best chance of flourishing.

With the clocks sprung forward and the light lingering a little longer, we gathered as usual outside the Phoenix Cinema for our pre-run chat on a beautiful spring evening. Better still, we were joined by two new recruits, always a welcome sight.Kbrom and Kidanemariam

To keep things simple, we kicked off with the important business of sharing our favourite colours, arranged from black to blue. Green turned out to be the winner with two votes, while Subham’s answer, naturally, varied according to mood.

Our task was pleasingly local .. just a 500m run downhill to Cherry Tree Wood, where we were helping the Friends group with some evening conservation work. On the way, and while there was still good light, we made the most of the grassy area for a warm-up: jogging in a wide circle, side steps, knees up, ground touches, direction changes, and a short sprint to catch the person in front. We even had time for a quick throw of the frisbee, which felt like a fine way to welcome the lighter evenings.

At the woods we met fellow volunteers including András and Rodger, who talked us through the tasks. One group cut back raspberries, while the other gathered dry branches and sticks to help create a natural dead hedge protecting the orchard area from the main path. Rodger had recently done a course on the technique, so the fence-building came with extra enthusiasm and know-how.

Soon enough we were hauling branches, building piles, and transporting materials across the site while the sun dropped and the different stages of twilight showed themselves through the trees. It was one of those evenings that reminds you why GoodGym is such a pleasure: fresh air, birdsong, nature, teamwork, and useful work done well. The finished fence looked fantastic too well worth a look in the photos.

After that, it was a short run back up the hill to the Phoenix for a warm-down, some stretches, and our goodbyes.

A lovely evening, great company, two new faces, and another satisfying bit of work for one of our local green spaces.

Thanks to everyone who took part in our March Any Place, Anywhere litter pick and sent in photos. Great to see people getting involved in such a simple, flexible, feel-good community mission. Gus even helped me with mine this month!

Litter picking is basically training: walking, squatting, spotting, lifting, and improving your local area all at once. So why not get in training with GoodGym for April’s Any Place, Anywhere litter pick?

Do it whenever suits you, wherever you are. Please share and encourage anyone else who might want to join in. Let me know if you’d like to take part.

here’s a note from Jacaqui

Sally and I litterpicked enroute to the theatre again® . There was so much litter that we were still half a mile away once we'd filled our bags • Will take more bags next time .