On a wet Sunday afternoon, two GoodGymers made it to Southall for the Autumn tidy up of the Featherstone High School garden. Steph sported his Ealing Half Marathon medal (yes, he had completed the Half Marathon in the morning!) and battle scars from being knocked down by an inconsiderate runner at the race. Neither the rain, nor the scratches, nor the race stopped Steph from showing up! Kash was already soaked from running to and from her previous mission and couldn't decide whether to put the rain jacket over her damp clothes. Alex, the task owner, Gurpal from Southall Transition, and volunteer Andrew made up for the deficit of GoodGymers, and together we formed a team of five.

In our absence, the garden had been utilised well, hosting Science, Geography, and English classes. The space was in pretty good shape; however, Alex was a bit concerned about the state of the woodchip path, which had started developing bald patches, although it wasn't that old yet! The path certainly needed a woodchip transplant in the near future, and Alex had been working hard to secure some chips. Once she succeeds, our team will be there for another round of joyful shovelling or tipping tonne bags.

As the woodchip delivery hasn’t been confirmed yet, this afternoon was all about tidying up. We weeded (some of us with pretty bendy mini forks!) and filled the raised beds, picked the litter, moved a heavy metal frame to make space for a new edibles growing project, and cut back tree branches to let more light into the garden. Now people as tall as Steph can walk through - teenagers these days can probably be his height!

Despite the gloomy weather, it was a fun afternoon with a light workout and a positive feeling of contributing to a lovely project that connects youngsters to nature. We are already planning the next weekend session at Featherstone, so keep your eyes peeled for a new listing!