As Storm Darragh wreaked havoc across Britain, with parks closed and parkruns cancelled, there was some doubt initially whether this gardening task would go ahead. But of course, this is GoodGym, and once it was determined that the task site posed no risks and the Nightingale Estate volunteers were willing to brave the rain if we were (which was also confirmed to be the case), it was all systems go.

Having never actually seen Star Wars (🙊🤷🏻‍♀️), I don’t know if those fictional Storm Troopers are goodies or baddies. What I do know is that GoodGym Storm Troopers and our Nightingale friends are real and heroes for sure!

Rob and Anne got stuck into removing ivy from the sheds with resident Dawn while Matt worked with TaskOwner Alice at the back of the garden to remove more ivy and litter from the large flower bed.

There was lots of squelching through mud and several grunts and yelps when ivy proved more determined than expected to stay where it was. But the challenges made the results all the more rewarding, and within an hour considerable progress was made.

By the end, two brown wheelie bins had been filled and 3 additional piles of branches, foliage and other organic matter created. A large sack and plastic crate had been filled with rubbish. Two sheds were also liberated and a stack of chairs unearthed, although these were in such a state they had to go straight to the bin pile and the future of the sheds is as shaky as the sheds themselves.

Another session is planned to complete the clearance of the flowerbed, hopefully is slightly kinder conditions!