Last night we met at Oaken Grove pond where 2 volunteers from "friends of Oaken Grove" were already hard at work chopping down overgrowth and making a start on sludge removal. Jacqui from RBWM then brought us the equipment we needed to get going - it was a relatively simple task, relocate sludge from pond area to some overgrowth nearby. Simple but stinky, very stinky! All GoodGymmers that attended got stuck in (the mud), some with wellies in the pond area shoveling the sludge into buckets and others moving the sludge via wheelbarrow to the overgrowth. And repeat. A great upper body workout for sure! We came away rather covered in muck but it was good fun and an amazing team effort that made a real dent in the work that needs doing to the pond this year. We were also treated to a beautiful full moon and red skies which made for some nice photos. Well done everyone!

Jess and Sheila went to tackle some more of the ragwort in Ockwells Park, continuing the job started by Wild Maidenhead and Goodgym. We soon got our eye in to tell it apart from the other plants in the meadow, and it was evident that there is still a huge amount there We pulled out as much as we could, and gave ourselves a target of heading for a yellow patch a few yards away. Armfuls later, (and a backwards roly poly from Jess as one plant suddenly gave way) we achieved our goal. We felt that are still only in the foothills of the ragwort mountain, but we have still made a difference.

I spent a lovely sunny afternoon weeding Mrs A's front path and driveway. I managed to clear 7 trays of weeds and gave the whole area a good sweep!

4 Goodgymers helped out at the community allotment on a lovely sunny evening. Jess and Abbi got there early and had done the watering before Sheila arrived. Then it was on to transplanting a couple of currant bushes to their final places, and a blackberry plant into a pot ( with some yummy horse manure mixed in) Our last task was to start filling bags with soil from raised bed 14, as this bed needs to be moved to make way for a greenhouse. We uncovered an acorn and a chocolate digestive biscuit (!), perhaps a squirrel's winter stash, and an item we thought looked like a finger bone but was just a piece of clay, but it led to some interesting conversations! The 21 bags were stored near the temporary compost heap, but still plenty more soil to be emptied