It was a cool but beautifully sunny morning in Richmond as four GGers from Richmond and Hounslow gathered on the banks of the Thames to get back to helping the Petersham and Ham Sea Scouts.

Since we last saw them, the P&HSS had made amazing progress on their development plans. A brand new and very grand scout hut had been erected and planting had been done around a new gathering area where a pizza oven and barbecue were being constructed. The scouts are due to return to full activities next month.

The tasks for the day were two-fold. Michelle, Monika and JP were set to raking up the driftwood that had swept in during high tide over the years, while Salwa was on nettle duty, digging up some tough little blighters by the roots to prevent them taking hold again.

The morning grew hotter as we worked, but it was satisfying stuff. There is an amazing amount of driftwood there, which we raked up and carted off to the firepit for burning. And the nettles were tough customers but not as tough as our Sal. Soon enough we were making great progress, clearing the ground and filling up a huge sack with the debris.

Meanwhile a couple of P&HSS guys were working on the pizza oven and we were called in to help lift it as further refinements were made, eventually moving it into place just before we left. It was a job well done and great to be back outside and doing good in the sunshine.

A few of us had organized our first pub lunch in a while, which was an excellent reward for our hard work. Looking forward to the next one!