Nivi and Sheila got stuck in to some creative tasks at Ray Mill Island. Nivi continued painting the mural at the rear of the toilet block, adding water lilies and dragonflies. It's looking fantastic, and really brightens up this area. Sheila put together some hand-painted signs advertising the bird trail, so that they can be hung from a tree. We are gearing up for the 1st birthday party for the Friends at the beginning of July, when we hope that as many people as possible can join us to celebrate the transformation that has been made to this area.

Welcome to James who joined us for his first Goodgym task.

A couple of hours were well spent doing various tasks. James and Jen tackled tidying up and deweeding around the pots before then fetching some soil from the compost area to help Shoshan repot some plants.

Meanwhile Michael joined Tara and Nivi with moving logs.

Four GoodGymers gathered at Ray Mill Island to help the Friends with their ongoing project to transform the area into a more welcoming and biodiverse place. Today's task was to continue with the dry hedging which is separating off an area which has been sown with wildflowers. Various old branches had been collected which we added to the hedge, and some stronger, more flexible hazel branches were woven over the top to help hold everything in place. We also planted a small oak tree in the area which we hope will one day grow as big as the copper beech which is on its way out (but is still a treasure trove of biodiversity) We all learned some new skills. The last job was to water the recently- planted areas - Mick using the hose, and Sheila making use of the Thames water whilst not falling in!

Four GoodGymers joined other volunteers at Ray Mill Island to continue the great works to transform the area. Nivi worked on painting the mural, adding some lovely green bushes to the scene. Mick worked hard on removing the winter heliotrope from the rockery. Not an easy task as the plant puts out hundreds of rhizomes which all need removing, as well as there being lots of rocks under the surface. Rachel and Sheila were planting Lily of the Valley and Heuchera plants which had been donated by a local gardener and transported across the Thames on a paddleboard! The next task was to water the plants in - water was acquired by dipping our trugs into the stream whilst trying not to fall in! Mission accomplished! We then joined Mick at the rockery, and helped plant some Japanese anenomes in the space he had cleared. Afterwards we enjoyed delicious ginger cake provided by the lovely Rachel, and herbal tea from Tara. Another productive session

On the warmest day of the year so far, Mick, Nivi and Sheila helped out at Ray Mill Island. Sheila potted up some lavender cuttings and violets, which were handed over to Nivi. She set about fundraising, asking the park users for donations in exchange for the pots of plants or wildflower seeds. This will enable the Friends to buy more plants to further enhance this beautiful spot. Sheila moved on to sign-painting to ask the public to keep off newly-planted areas, while Mick weeded one of the beds and planted it up with celandine. A few trugs full of water gave the plants a good soaking and hopefully keep them going until the rain comes

Sheila and Mick both cycled to today's community mission, and met in the middle at Ray Mill Island. We joined other volunteers keen to help restore and rejuvenate this special place. Mick took on the task of painting one of the picnic tables, followed by one of the wooden animals. We had to post 'Wet Paint' signs on them pretty quick, before anyone sat on them! Meanwhile Sheila helped to make little envelopes from old paper bags, so they can be filled with wildflower seed mix for sale to raise funds It was great to meet Mick for his second ever Goodgym task