Arriving at 10:30am as a lone Goodgymer on a sunny day, I was introduced to the small team already at work. I was given a rake and there was a lot to do. The site had three days to be transformed ready to welcome visitors for the autumn and this included clearing the garden and cleaning the general outdoor area. The outdoor rose garden was heavily overgrown due to being it being in abandoned for over 2 years.

I spent most of the day raking recently cut grass (cut by the local council) and transferred the cuttings to a nearby pile to be taken away later. Whilst raising I discovered a lost pathway completely hidden by a huge area of grass.

We were provided with coffee which allowed me to explore the vast gardens and interior including the two basements, loft and adjoining new build offices.

Later on I helped move more huge cuttings via tarpaulin to be taken away at a later date. Losing track of time and happy to continue beyond the designated hours, I called it a day four hours later at 2:30pm. During the task ‘Heaven can Wait’ by Meatloaf was on my mind which inspired the mission title.