Last night we gradually extended the wheelchair accessible path to the bird hide at Boundary Brook Nature Park. A convoy of wheelbarrows, a pair of shovellers, a fine duo of rakers, and Bethan working those biceps on the heavy roller had the path inching ever closer to joining with the rest of the path network. There are just a few metres to go now to join it all up with the paths we built in previous years. Go team!

...is wheelchair accessible paths around the nature park. So who better to shovel and barrow 10 tonnes of gravel to make the dream a reality than GoodGym?!

We are actually quite the pros at this task, having created the current network of wheelchair accessible paths around Boundary Brook Nature Park 2 years ago. Those paths stood up to the wettest of winters pretty well, showing up the need to link up some other areas to the network. Tonight we started to build the path to the bird hide (a project we also had a hand in). We certainly got our step count up and a decent upper body work out pushing gravel all across the site to the furthest point!

There might be some sore arms in the morning, but also pride in what we managed to get done.

Watch the Countryfile episode featuring Boundary Brook Nature Park and Wytham Woods here.

With Boundary Brook Nature Park Open Afternoon this coming Saturday GoodGym were called in this week to make sure all the paths were clear and wide enough for wheelchairs and buggies. We took a 'divide and conquer' approach, with teams heading to different zones of the nature park to ensure that the paths were fully accessible. The site is now ready for visitors this weekend. In two weeks time we will return to replenish the gravel along the paths to help them stay dry and usable year round.

We scythed up a storm at Aston's Eyot last night. Working our way along and beyond the fence we built last summer we cut a swathe through the nettles, raking them out as we went to let light get through and hopefully give some other plants a chance. Forming a scythe-rake-remove production line we were a pretty efficient work crew! Some veteran GoodGymers had their first go at scything, plus we were pleased to welcome 2 new GoodGymers to the crew: Welcome to GoodGym Weronika and Eleftherios.

Find the Friends of Aston's Eyot website here.

We had a muddy and quite chilly evening at Bayard's Hill primary school getting their garden started.

The school had some raised beds built as part of a wider community project, but the area needs tlc before if can be used for growing.

This week we weeded the majority of the raised beds and most of the pile of topsoil to fill them, as well as litter picking the site.

Next week we'll finish that task and top up the beds with soil. Soon we hope to be able to build paths around the beds to make access and maintenance easier.