What a lovely morning with the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods (FOLAW)!

Their woodland conservation sessions take place on the first Sunday of every month and, as usual, we met at The Lodge. There was a big turnout today, with our GoodGym red t-shirts adding a vibrant splash of colour to the proceedings.

Marc from FOLAW had already pre-loaded wheelbarrows with equipment, so we trundled them a short distance into the woods to an area earmarked to become a coppice of hazel trees. Eventually, the hazel will be used for woodcrafts, reviving a traditional way of managing the woodland that would have been common at Lesnes Abbey in centuries gone by.

But before any new tree saplings can be planted, there’s a mammoth task ahead: clearing the long tract of land of ivy, brambles and fallen branches.

So we got to work!

With so many people, it was a hive of activity and a buzz of chatting as everyone worked alongside each other. Some used loppers and shears to cut through the green carpet of ivy and bramble tendrils, pulling and scooping everything up and ferrying it to one side to gently rot away. Some dug out bramble roots to try to curb their re-invasion plans, and others coordinated their weight-lifting efforts to lift move large fallen branches out of the way.

It was impressive to see just how much ground was cleared before we headed to the Chestnuts kiosk for coffees in the sunshine. ☕️

These sessions are a wonderful way to spend time outdoors, meet new people from FOLAW, catch up with familiar faces and be part of a initiative that’s helping restore an area of the ancient woodland to a more traditional form of management.

We’ll be back next month to keep the project growing! 🌱

Sarah and Johnny joined the hi-vis team at Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun this morning.

Johnny always opts to marshal out on the course and comes fully prepared with his own high five foam hands (in GoodGym red, of course!).

Sarah was due to be funnel manager, but in a last minute change, swapped into orange hi-vis to become one of the tailwalkers. Then, in another unxpected twist, even the slowest runners were so quick that it turned into a tail jog!

It was a glorious morning to be outdoors in the beautuful park, and it was a record breaking attendance with 94 youngsters taking part.

Congrats to Sarah on reaching her 100th parkrun volunteering milestone. Johnny is only just behind on 99 so look out for his 💯 next time!

A brilliant morning all round.

Another wheel-y fun morning at the pump track with Bexley Bike Club, helping out with their free community bike skills sessions! 🚲

Sarah looked after registration, getting the children signed in, kitted out with helmets, knee pads and elbow pads and ready to go. Once the first session was underway, she joined Johnny, who was already on a litter-picking lap, making sure the track was rubbish-free and safe for everyone.

Then it was time to get trackside, with Sarah and Johnny acting as spotters and keeping a watchful eye on the riders as they pedalled, pumped and navigated their way around the course.

Finally, it was back to the skills area for some limbo action, taking charge of the pole as the children cycled around the obstacle course, seeing just how low they could go without knocking off the bar.

One of the best things about this task is seeing the children grow in confidence and ability in just an hour. They really do go from strength to strength!

The next session on 31 October will be the last this year - can you lend a hand to make it even more spoke-tacular for the children? [Sign up here}(https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/helping-at-the-children-s-bmx-skills-session-with-bexley-bike-club-b5baedc5-fda9-4a39-9b27-360967766ef7)

We were back at the Community Hospice, helping Head Gardener, Jason, with his masterplan for transforming the grounds for patients and their families to enjoy.

The session got off to the best possible start when Ivar, our very own star baker, arrived with some totally delicious carrot cake cupcakes 🧁, complete with fondant carrots on top 🥕. Fully-fuelled for the task ahead, we collected shiny new blue trugs, secateurs and loppers from the shed and got busy in the warm sunshine.

Some of us settled into weeding the long border, pulling up unwanted growth gently with our hands to avoid disturbing the soil too much.

Others set to cutting back a rather unruly pyracantha hedge. Also known as firethorn, we worked very carefully to avoid the spiky thorns! Eventually the hedge will be tidy and low enough to allow a view of the woodland beyond.

The time whizzed by and, before long, it was time for a quick bit of silliness in the children's play area, before returning the tools to the shed. Then it was back to Ivar's cupcakes for a yummy finish to the morning. 😋

We'll be back again next month - we can't promise cakes but if you see that Ivar's signed up there's a very good chance!