Just one GGer today joined the friends of Nore barn woods clearing the north wood today.

After a couple of hours of hard work there was area of clear ground for the snowdrops to come up in the spring!

Nia, Val and I enjoyed a glorious sunny morning by the Emsworth shore, with the Friends of Nore Barn Woods.

Nia joined the team already preparing for next Spring: sowing Yellow Rattle and native Bluebell seeds.

Val and I were with the path-clearing team: cutting back the vigorous brambles and nettles.

As always, there were plenty of thank-yous from passers-by, and a green woodpecker rattled out his thank-you from the trees.

Then it was time for the serious business of the AGM, gathered at the picnic bench, with welcome refreshments.

Val, Abby and I joined the band of volunteers of the Friends of Nore Barn Woods to continue maintaining its paths.

Val worked with the group laying a wooden log path through the muddier patches, whereas Abby and I tackled the nettles and brambles to widen other overgrown paths.

As always, plenty of progress was made, lots of banter and putting the world to right and new friendships forged. And an Emsworth lunch to sustain us afterwards.

Nia, Val and Abby joined the friends of nore barn woods in their monthly conservation activities on a beautiful saturday morning.

The team split and worked in three different teams. Val was working on building a boardwalk out of reclaimed branches for the super muddy path in the north of the woods. Nia joined the team in raking all the debris off the paths that the recent storms had brought in and Abby was having a mud bath assisting with digging a trench to help divert future flood water away from the paths the public use. At the end of the task I am proud to say I had earnt the label 50 shades of clay!

We worked hard all morning and treated ourselves to a well deserved lovely lunch in Emsworth.

It was lovely to welcome new GoodGymer Grace at a new venture for GoodGym. We joined the Friends of Nore Barn Woods to help maintain this precious area of ancient woodland in Emsworth.

We cut back the invasive brambles and transported logs for edging pathways.

We were given a really friendly welcome by the other volunteers and we'll definitely return again next month.