Today we represented GoodGym on the one of regular community conservation volunteer days organized by Friends of Berrylands Nature Reserve. We have arrived outside Berrylands Scouts Hut at 10 AM ⏰, when the event was kicking off with a short introduction. We heard a bit more about the today’s tasks but it was especially inspiring 🤩 to hear about all amazing things they have already done in the nature reserve 🌱.

Super energized by intro and today’s sun 🌞, we grabbed three wheelbarrows full of equipment ✂️ 🧤 and headed off all together into the nature reserve. It quickly turned out that the site was really muddy 👣 at the moment after recent rains 🌧, so both of us looked at our trainers and felt deep regret 🥺 about not taking a bit more suitable footwear for the conditions – wellies would be just perfect 👌!

Our main task for the day was to start work on a dead hedge. It’s essentially a barrier constructed from cut branches and saplings. It’s good for wildlife - especially for small mammals 🐿, birds 🐦 and insects 🦗🐞 - because it gives them somewhere to shelter that is protected from predators and from the wind and rain.

Before getting to the area where this hedge should be built, the Friends showed us a similar construction completed in a different part of the reserve. The group split in two, with one working on evening out and clearing the area, the second cutting and shaping the branches for the hedge.

We immediately joined the second bunch, our task was to ensure that the branches that go into the ground will have a relatively same length 📏 and also that their endings will be spiky 🏹 so it will be easy to stick them to the ground. We grabbed saws and get on with the work. There was a lot of material to process, so this is how we spent most of our time!

After around an hour, we were asked to go to a different part of the reserve to transport 🏗 the second pile of branches that was collected by Friends some other time. Now we could make a good use of it ✅!

After around 2.5h we went back to the hut to wash our hands (Happy Birthday 🍮 sung x2) to prepare ourselves for biscuits 🍪 and warm drinks ☕.

We haven’t stayed until the end but long enough (2.5h) to see a nice progress the group made. As they said before we started – building a dead hedge takes surprisingly long time so the task wouldn’t be finished today and the work will continue! Our trainers were crying for wash. Not-welly planned 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️!

Today, we were helping out The Friends of Figges Mach in moving mulch so they can plant a copse in their local park 🌳. In the morning, the weather was pretty rough, but a heavy rain 🌧 is definitely not convincing enough to stop us from spreading some GG cheer 🌟 in the neighborhood this weekend.

We arrived just after 10 AM ⏰ and were pretty impressed as – despite of the rain – a large group 👥👥 (~20 people) turned up, motivated and ready to plant trees. We were asked to grab wheelbarrows and go to the nearest mulch pile (which was not so near at all 😋). When arrived, we had a task of loading up our wheelbarrows with mulch using spade or fork and then take it all back to the tree planting spot. When back, we were unloading the mulch directly around freshly planed trees or on a side – depending on instructions 📃.

Great workout 🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♂️ (no need an expensive gym to practice farmers walks!) and pretty easy task though it seemed to get harder and harder 😓 each completed round. Most of the route could be done on a pavement, but we had an option to cut the distance by navigating through the grass 🌱🌱🌱(though it was a bit more challenging because of the bumpy and muddy surface).

When we thought that the weather could not get any worse a hail started 🌨. It just needed to happen though so - when feeling completely wet and freezing - we have been joyfully rewarded with beams of sunlight 🌞 that appeared 10 minutes after. Hanna even performed a celebratory workout, smiling and squatting towards a clean blue sky 😂. It immediately got easier to do the rounds then drying out and being bathed in the sunshine.

Around noon everyone gathered for a little break, to warm themselves up with a cup of tea/coffee ☕, grab few biscuits 🍪 and join a quick photo shoot 📸.

Our final result - we cleared 1 of 2 the mulch piles, and around ¼ of the 2nd one, located a bit further from the tree planers. The whole event finished at 1 PM, but the group is planning to come back tomorrow to continue the work. The organizers thanked us for help, calling GG runners their today’s “wheelbarrow heroes”. No matter how honourable this title sounds 😂, we all felt like we did something to be proud of today 🤩😌.

It was orchard planting time this afternoon and we were lucky to have the sun come out for us to join the Friends of Kingston Road Recreation Ground, a community group established by local residents to help protect and improve the area. The Woodland Trust have kindly donated a variety of trees and hedge plants to diversify the flora in the park.

When we arrived we were given instructions to help plant the rows of cherry trees and rowans as well as the silver birch trees to be planted in the grove marked out by canes. Doug was the expert at techniques with a shovel and many holes were doug within the hour with his guidance. We were given a pizza advice about the best method to get planting. We were instructed to mark out a circle with the shovel around the canes and then to quarter them and pull out the slices of turf and flip them upside down to go back in place with the grass facing down to add nutrients to the plants. Rafal and Gosia made a great team and got dug in right away while Jo and Kate paired up to tackle some tougher ground and get into a system.

Meanwhile, Samia, Caroline and Karen went off to the other side of the park to cut back some overgrown brambles. This required much pulling, stripping back, snipping and tucking away the clippings to make the path way safer for the community. Karen working the strip and Samia on the pull, Caroline was left to pick up the pieces.

With a brief setback having run out of topsoil and compost, we were not deterred and continued to dig to make sure the holes were ready. Just a short while later the compost arrived and we carried on until all saplings were planted.

After checking all saplings were securely in the ground and protected, we had a quick regroup for a photo before tools were collected and we parted ways to enjoy the rest of the afternoon’s welcome sunshine. We look forward to returning to lend a hand again with the lovely Friends of Kingston Recreation Ground group on the next part of their project.

Bottoms up to a new year!

If we weren’t already confused enough about the day of the week after all of the festive bank holidays, what did Mark decide to do? Yes, throw us a starter session on a Saturday. Same location, same trainer, same wonderful bunch of people (with a few new faces too!) - don’t be surprised if we all wake up tomorrow thinking it’s Wednesday...

We welcomed runners from far and wide (Dave, who had clocked an incredible parkrun PB this morning - were you on roller blades?! and Rafal), and newcomers too: welcome to Jo, Taki and Zita - and extra well done for making your first group run on a freezing January afternoon! As well as PBs, we heard about Parkrun PWs that had been achieved and about forthcoming community missions tomorrow and next Saturday - take a look at the Richmond and Kingston group run listings, and remember that you don’t need to be mission verified for these.

And then to the warm up. Oh how we’d missed Mark’s specials over the past couple of weeks. Lots of lunges, a fair few squats, star jumps and then a game of “copy the plank cat” - we definitely caught the eye of many passers-by, with some even joining us for part of it. Unfortunately we lost them before the run began - but they were greeted with random shouts from us of “join us on Tuesdays”, “welcome, come and join in!”.

We split into groups of runners and walkers, taking different routes but both making it to the church on time. The church were very grateful to have recently had heating installed, but this had required the carpet tiles to be lifted and they had become a trip hazard once they’d been put back. Our mission, which we chose to accept in the warmth of the church, was to tape down the tiles that were loose or creating a trip hazard, helping to make the place much safer. Would we (tape) measure up to this one?

Rather than sensibly thinking out how to do this beforehand, we divided into triads and each adopted a different plan of tape attack. We removed tiles, laid down tape, peeled back the other side of the tape (harder than it sounds!) and replaced the tile. For the most part this worked, but there were some moments of tape and tile tension; tiles not being aligned, needing to remove a row of tiles to realign them all over again, more trip hazards being created. On our hands and knees, lying down or squatting for the majority of the task (and the warm-up, come to think of it), this really was a case of bottoms up for our first task of the year!

Goodness starts from the ground up! #goodgym #running #volunteering #kingston #startersession #JanuaryChallenge #stjohnskingston pic.twitter.com/yZGXrRe6GI

— GoodGym Kingston-upon-Thames (@GoodGymKingston) January 5, 2019

Then came TAPE GATE!

We ran out of tape!! What a sticky situation! So it became a real case of tape it and leave it - and then use the luminous orange tape to tape over the surface if some trip hazards remained.

We’re looking forward to returning to finish the job. And after hearing all about wine tasting evenings (scotch tape on the rocks?) and quizzes, there’s definitely potential for some “community mission come socials” in the pipeline!

After a brisk walk/run back, we were reunited back at Guildhall and stretched. Thanks Mark for fitting in my favourite stretch!

Awesome work everyone on a fantastic starter session - and well done to Taki, Zita and Jo on your first good deeds, we hope to see you all again soon!