Who needs the gym when you have an overgrown flower bed and its underlying weed membrane to clear?

This is certainly the case at Holy Trinity Lamorbey Church where we are helping to tidy up the flower beds along their perimeter wall. Left untended for a long time, brambles and weeds have well-and-truly taken over and this was our second visit to continue the makeover.

This time we were tackling a stretch next to the border that we'd cleared on our last visit.

Alongside parishioner Kevin, team Lisa-Sarah-Karen-and-Susan cut back and dug out the greenery then heaved out the buried and tired weed membrane, wheel-barrowing all the debris to a collection point in the woodland area. It was a good workout in the evening heat 💪.

The bed now looks much tidier and the newly-exposed soil will have a chance to recover ready for planting in due course 🌻 .

At the same time, team Johhny-and-Martin tackled a few cheeky brambles 🌿 that had grown back in the patch we cleared last time. It took lots of effort digging out the roots but hopefully they'll be kept at bay for a while.

From our arrival at 7pm to our finish at 8pm the difference was clear for all to see. So it was time to open some bubbles 🍾 and cut the cake to mark Lisa 's 50th good deed. The celebrations continued with a toast at the micropub across the road. Well done, Lisa 🎊.

As an unexpected surprise across the evening Susan told us that her parents were married in this church 💒. This gives us an extra-special reason to keep lending a hand here 💕.

We'll be back again on Wednesday 13 August so sign up now to join us!

It was a glorious summer evening for our return to Holy Trinity Lamorbey Primary School — greeted with a big smile and warm welcome from Vice Principal, Jane.

This time, we were handed a brand new mission: start to rescue the nursery children's garden, which was looking somwhat sad. Or in Jane’s words, “It’s become a bit of a dumping ground for old outdoor toys and play equipment.”

First, out went the miniature park benches, forgotten play equipment, scattered flower pots, and one lonely compost bin — nicely modeled by Lisa (check the photos for the full fun moment). Some items will be re-homed elsewhere around the school, while other bits were beyond keeping.

Next, we gave the overgrown bushes and plants a much-needed trim so teachers can actually see the children when they’re in the garden — always a bonus in a school setting!

Then we went to war on the weeds. They were stubborn little beasts, poking through the wood chippings and weed membrane like they owned the place. It took some serious heaving and arm-power to get them out until the brilliant discovery that pointed shears = weed-removal magic. Victory!

The added bonus? No clean-up needed! Jane had a genius plan — the Year 6 children would tidy-up the cuttings and sweep the area the next day as part of their Digital Detox Day: a full day of outdoor fun with zero screen time. Win-win!

A big high five to everyone who came along. The garden’s on its way back to being a safe, fun, and leafy little paradise for the nursery children. We're looking forward to continuing its revamp after the summer holidays. 🌼