The session at Hanger Hill Tiny Forest was the final event in GoodGym Ealing's London Climate Action Week agenda, organised in partnership with Earthwatch Europe. Over the course of the week, we surveyed three of the Tiny Forests planted within the last two years across the borough, helping Earthwatch monitor biodiversity and track the development of these young urban forests.

On a very hot Tuesday evening, we decided not to go ahead with the planned group run ahead of our task. Having assessed the risks posed by the extreme heat, we opted instead for a lighter approach to the session. Steph Ducat and Kash walked together to the task, while Amy arrived by bike. Everyone came well prepared with plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Compared with our wildlife surveys in Southall and Cuckoo Park, Hanger Hill appeared to host slightly fewer butterflies and insects. There could be several explanations for this. The forest had fewer flowering plants than the other sites, making it less attractive to pollinators. We were also surveying in the evening rather than around midday, when insect activity is often higher. Or perhaps, in the midst of the extreme heat, the insects had sensibly decided to stay out of the sun and keep cool.

While insect numbers seemed lower, the trees themselves were thriving. In fact, Hanger Hill Tiny Forest appeared to have the tallest and densest tree growth of any Tiny Forest we have surveyed this year. There were also noticeably fewer weeds and grasses competing with the young trees than at the other sites, suggesting the forest is developing particularly well.

Unfortunately, most of the tiles normally used to protect the ground dwellers had been removed from their original positions and stacked together at the edge of the forest. This limited Steph's search, but he still managed to find ants, larvae and a spider beneath the few remaining tiles. Amy, who described herself as a beginner in wildlife identification, took on the butterfly survey and did a great job identifying species with the help of Earthwatch's guide. Meanwhile, Kash completed the pollinator survey, recording mostly flies and other small insects rather than the bees and bumblebees we had seen elsewhere.

With the survey finished and the sun only beginning to dip lower in the sky, the team headed home on foot and by bike. Some of us even made it back in time to watch the football!

Next Tuesday, with temperatures hopefully returning to something more reasonable, we'll be resuming our runs and heading to a different corner of the borough. We'll be visiting the William Hobbayne Centre in Hanwell to help tidy and weed the back garden ahead of an event the charity is hosting the following weekend. We'd love to see you there!

A very active task to start the week. Half the group wheelbarrowed woodchip while the rest of us emptied some compost bins. Algae removed from the pool too. We all came together towards the end to finish building the compost heap. Thanks for having us Eslam.

Social visit with Mr T on a hot Sunday afternoon. Run from mission to social visit. My second person that I visit every week

Hot Sunday afternoon and I was back at Mrs A house to meet her son Mr J to continue the Battle of the Thorns. Rise of the Roses today as the remaining brambles have been removed in the front garden. The garden has opened up and we have a clear path in the garden and in front of the windows. Her son said : oh there are the flower pots...yes they have risen from the thorns. He then said - we should call this path the Steph Path.

Now he is thinking of bringing 2 chairs in the front so that his mom and himself can sit in the garden and enjoy the roses, the butteflies and bees. The Thorn Jedi left with a few scratches but will return - this is the way.

Next chapter - Return of the thorn slayer for the back garden

As part of London Climate Action Week 2026, GoodGym Ealing hosted three wildlife survey sessions in three of the Tiny Forests across the Ealing borough that GoodGymers had helped plant within the last couple of years. Earthwatch Europe, the organisation behind this fantastic project, helped promote our events designed to connect local people with these small, densely planted native forests that support biodiversity while strengthening relationships between people and nature in urban settings.

From the perspective of raising awareness about the Tiny Forest hidden in the heart of Hanwell, the session at Cuckoo Park was a success. Alongside five GoodGymers, Steph Ducat, Sevan, Kash, A.B. and Penny, two local residents and nature enthusiasts, joined the fun.

Noah and Faye, who live nearby, had no idea the Cuckoo Park Tiny Forest even existed and were excited to discover it. They joined the wildlife survey, helping GoodGymers count butterflies, pollinators and ground dwellers such as ants, snails and earthworms. They were also keen to learn more about the project and expressed an interest in helping maintain their local Tiny Forest and spreading the word within the local community - potential future Tree Keepers in the making!

After the survey, the new Tree Keepers got stuck into some maintenance work, removing weeds and tall grasses that could suppress the growth of the smaller trees. Flowering plants were left untouched to continue attracting pollinators.

The Cuckoo Park Tiny Forest looked dramatically different from our previous visit. Tall grasses and thistles had sprung up throughout the site and, somewhat unexpectedly, so had several clusters of cereals! The forest was buzzing with life, and during the survey, we discovered that insects weren't the only creatures calling it home. While searching beneath a slab for ground dwellers, we uncovered a tiny mouse which stole the spotlight from the butterflies.

If that sounds like your kind of evening, we're hosting one more wildlife survey session during London Climate Action Week, this time combined with an optional run. Join us at the Hanger Hill Tiny Forest and help us discover what wildlife is hiding there!