Runners and cyclists today, met at the community gardens to help out StarGarAllot on a lovely Saturday morning.

We had already heard about the plans for a family area, so that children could get involved with planting and play. Camilla had already been busy with a strimmer, cutting back some of the overgrown areas. Our task today, to move the old wooden pallets and old bits of wood out of the way and lay the black plastic to suppress the plants.

After checking the site a few areas were marked and covered as trip hazards and then we got to work, shifting, shifting, shifting. Once the wood was out of the way, we could stand back and look at the full extent of the site.

We pondered for a while on where to lay the plastic sheeting and discussed a couple of ideas.

Move the old planter out of the way for more space, Cut back some of the bushes and trees up to the bird feeders.

With that decided, we went to the sheds to get more tools and start cutting back. There were loppers and shears and saws galore, until the overgrown was tamed and the messy was tidied. Lucy even made herself a passage through the plants, in one end out the other.

Several wheelbarrow trips with the waste until it was all out of the way.

Once we had finished clearing the vegetation it was time for the final part of the task, laying the plastic sheeting. The children's area still had to be designed and agreed, before even thinking about the build, so in the meantime covering the land would ensure it didn't become overgrown again.

With a corner each, we started moving the plastic like making up a bed (a rather large bed). Making sure that we covered as much as possible, we then had to weigh the sheets down. Using old tyres, large stones, and paving slabs, it was soon looking complete and capable of withstanding the winds.

We headed over for some orange juice 'drink', bananas and maybe even a brioche or two. Then it was time to head off, until next time.