Spring was in the air in Croydon this morning as Juliet and I arrived at Mr G’s house. Our mission was to clear the garden of the overgrown brambles which had become so dense that Mr G could not open his garden gate or see out of his living room window. After inspecting our tools we set to work lopping, sawing and pulling out the branches that were pushing the gate closed in order to gain access to the garden.

The biggest challenge was trying not to get ourselves attached to the prickly thorns, not only for the sake of our eyes and bodies but, more importantly, our precious GoodGym t-shirts! After an hour-and-a-half of work and two bags filled with branches, we were finally able to push the gate open – a very momentous and satisfying moment for Mr G, Juliet and I! As much as we wanted to plough on and keep chopping through the tangle of brambles, we had to be on our way. So, with slightly spike-filled fingers we waved goodbye to Mr G, promising that we would return soon to pick up where we left off.

Because of the density of the brambles, it might take another couple of missions to clear the area completely, but we are already looking forward to returning to tackle the next section of this thorny problem. Hopefully with the help of the wonderful GoodGym volunteers, Mr G can look forward to a lovely bramble-free garden in which to relax and enjoy the sunshine.