When the funnel of the Pitshanger junior parkrun wrapped up, the Four GoodGymeers already had another mission on the horizon: making a different kind of funnel: a funnel in a jungle to provide the members of CURB access to a colony of invasive Himalayan balsam!

Having rewarded themselves for the early Sunday start with a coffee in the park, Harvey, Kash, Sevan and Steph walked 2 km to their next task. They met Richard of Ealing Greenwayers at Brentside School gates to march towards the south bank of River Brent, where Richard gave them a safety briefing, listing the hazards at the task.

The general rule is EYE: Examine - Yell - Exterminate.

The GoodGymers were ready to face the plant-based dangers of the riverbank, equipped with thick gloves and weapons from Richard. For a few volunteers, it was the first opportunity to use a new tool: slashers! Various GoodGymers had different interpretations of that device. For Steph, who kept finding golf balls projected months ago from the other side of the river, it was a golf club. For Kash, it was a fearsome machete to penetrate through the jungle as she enthusiastically put herself in the vanguard of the group. The nettles or brambles stems she left behind, were razed with deadly precision by Harvey and Steph with shears. Sevan's job was on a higher level: cutting the overhanging branches of crack willow and other trees. He managed to take down an impressive oak branch using just loppers! As everyone was so absorbed with hacking and slashing, Richard decided to do a quick litterpick on the path the GoodGymers created for the CURB balsam bashers team.

In an hour, the team of human brush cutters created not a funnel but a highway to their Eldorado: the Himalayan balsam! Ben's team from CURB will deal with those plants in no time before they flower and spread their seeds. For the GoodGymers and Richard, the day was not over - one more job awaited at the other side of the river.

Join us for another session like this one in July - sign up here. The tasks are short, rewarding and in a friendly atmosphere - and running is not a requirement!