The last time we did this task it was dark and even though we shifted a whole pile of woodchip, there were still gaps and the saplings need as much mulch as possible to ensure they have the best start and grow big and strong!

Most of the group were assembled at Glass Mill (Welcome John to your first Lewisham GoodGym session) and a Steve and Linda were meeting us at Ladywell Fields.

A short run tonight (I save the long ones for post-marathon..) and before we knew it we were at Ladywell Fields and ready to get stuck in.

We soon got into a rhythm of moving the wheelbarrows and buckets along the row of saplings. Ensuring each sapling has 1m radius of woodchip and a depth of up to 5cm. We were missing one person though, Steve was lost in Ladywell Fields, 600+ good deeds and you'd think he'd know our presence a mile off! Once Steve found us, he got started on some speedy shoveling of the woodchip into the wheelbarrows and buckets. What was good about Steve not being able to find us was that it shows just how many projects we've been involved in in Ladywell Fields (Tiny Forest, The Orachard...).

We powered through the rest of the woodchip and made sure all the saplings were protected - task well done team!

There was just time for a quick group photo and for Lindsay to return a broom that was nearly coming back to Glass Mill with us!

Next week we have a brand new task clearing the garden to make it more beautiful for residents.

GoodGymers love a showy before-and-after photo opportunity and this task didn’t disappoint. Outside Mr A’s front door, the grimy state of the paving slabs – dangerously slippery during rainy weather – meant that the patio area was overdue a good scrubbing with soapy water. We worked as a team, me doing vigorous broom work to loosen surface mould and Mr A handing out buckets filled from his kitchen tap. Bish, bash, bosh, I soon had the pathway looking much cleaner! And now Mr A is happy that he can go out without fear of falling.

So much so that we're busy arranging a second group run to move another pile of mulch that is being delivered - keep your eyes peeled!

It was a shorter run to Ladywell Fields and then a bit more of a run to get to the mulch pile. The mulch needed to be 3 inches deep and 1m around the saplings. This is to make sure the ground retains as much water as possible to give the saplings the best chance of survival.

We split into groups, one group tackling the furthest away saplings with the wheelbarrows and the other group ferrying buckets of mulch to the nearer saplings.

We soon got into the groove and soon the pile of mulch was no more but the saplings well mulched.

Loads achieved for nature in Ladywell Fields this weekend… Emma helped shift barrow after barrow of wood chip as nutrient-rich mulch for young fruit trees in the community orchard. And Linda got to fulfill her dream of creating a ‘dead hedge’ from interwoven branches — this now forms a natural wildlife-friendly screen between two areas of Iona Orchard nature reserve, and will allow the local volunteer team to put prunings to good use by adding to the structure over future months.

Nothing goes to waste in Ms D’s lovingly created front garden where discarded furniture has been reused to provide a welcoming space surrounded by planters upcycled from unwanted bowls, tubs, buckets and even an old wheelbarrow. It was a pleasure to help tidy up and add a few more bulbs ready for springtime. We worked as a team, me doing the bending, lifting and sweeping while Ms D made trips to her back garden to collect compost – being a sustainability champion, she of course gathers all fallen leaves, twigs and plant trimmings to rot down as a useful nutrient-rich additive for her soil. A couple of hours work and everything was looking much more pleasant for herself and her neighbours!