10 GG Yorkies braved the cold (some coming directly from Junior Parkrun volunteering) to help tidy up at Foxwood Community Centre.

Met by Neil, we were soon divided into groups to complete the tasks, which were a well balanced mix of destruction, constuction and conservation - something for everyone.

Egg and Katie went for team conservation, which involved carefully digging up a rogue buddleia, wheeling it across the road and planting it in the park. After ascertaining to what extent they could destroy it - to which the answer was 'please don't', despite Max's advice - they had it out of the ground quicker than Neil could give out instructions!

Team Destruction (Ben, Maddy, Aidan and Louise) were tasked with clearing grass from wildflower beds - which Max correctly identified as beds which had been previously cleared by GoodGym. Thankfully the ground was very soft, but that meant everyone got rather muddy and grew at least an inch in height thanks to their mud-cakes shoes.

Finally, Lizzie, Andy, Ellie and Max were tasked with constructing a honey suckle support structure of a designed Neil had seen on a tv garden makeover show. After a bit of confused discussion, and a mini prototype, a triangular wigwam was erected. More challenging was creating the brace to hold it all together, but after some beautiful lashing and knot tying by Andy, and a bit of adjusting, there was soon a very sturdy (we hope!) wigwam. I think its fair that Andy deserves the majority of credit for this, with Lizzie as support, as BadGym Ellie and Max mainly got distracted by a massive ball of string and stood about holding sticks together.

Construction and Conservation then joined Destruction for a last half hour of digging, edging, tidying and sweeping. It wasn't long before everyone had cold hands (even the perpetually warm-handed Ellie!), or in Max's case, one big toe went numb.

But soon it was home time to warm up (after much shoe scraping, stamping and a quick photo, of course!)