There's always a lot to do at Westcombe Woodlands and today was no exception. 3 Good gymers made their way there on a milder than expected January Sunday and were soon put to work.

Task one was a wet old tarpaulin that needed to be hung out to dry. And with some ropes and some long suppressed girl/boy scout knot knowledge we soon had the tarpaulin strung between a couple of trees like so much washing.

Next up was tackling the overgrowth. Holme oak, Holly, the inevitable brambles and some other plants were overgrowing the path and providing too much shade so had to go. Demonstrating agility that would shame a mountain goat we'd soon cut everything back extensively, letting in much more light to the woods.

Westcombe Woodlands is a wonderful task and we're all looking forward to getting back there in Febraury.

On Sunday morning a group of GoodGymers met at Westcombe Woodlands, a secret haven tucked away behind Maze Hill station. As before, there were plenty of overgrown brambles to tackle on the slopes, so we got to work with our secateurs and forks to clear some space for the trees to flourish. Whilst most of the group attacked the brambles, another group, including Ashton, continued work on building new steps up by the pond.

90 minutes later, after much discussion of firework puns and several scratches, it was time to head off to enjoy a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Until next time! 🎆🌿

Sunday saw Good Gym back at Westcombe Woodlands, one of our favourite tasks and this month saw a new variation on the usual theme, namely that alongside the usual and eternal brambles we now had to remove a large number of Robinia plants. The plant is a non-native species that is not terribly good at providing a habitat for local species, including the many bats that inhabit the woods (stay tuned for news on September bat walks batfans). It turned out to be a tough old thing too: the plants were well established with a deep rooting system that all needed to come out. But Good Gym persists and after 90 minutes or so (including a welcome tea break) we’d cleared a lot of unwanted plants from the woods.

Thanks to all who came and thanks to Marta for the pun

A fresh Sunday morning in May saw 6 goodgym-ers make their way to the hidden gem that is Westcombe Woodlands. The area was saved from developers by the Friends Group, and is now looked after by volunteers to keep the woodlands biodiverse and accessible to all who want to visit.  Today included an open afternoon, so our mission this morning was to help get the woodland walks ready for guests of all ages. Armed with secateurs, loppers and choppers, we clipped back overhanging branches, floor dwelling creepers threatening to trip up visitors, as well as nettles, brambles and anything else which may have proved hazardous. We also got to work sweeping up the pathways and planting in designated areas.  The woodlands are a haven for wild flowers,  including some interesting specimens (if anyone knows what the green cylindrical plants are in the pics please comment...?!) several tree species, as well as beehives to help keep everything pollinated. A lovely location and one of GGG's regular missions. Thanks all and hope to see you.soon! Also a big thanks to Ashton for the photos 🙂

Westcombe Woodland is an amazing open space tucked away behind Maze Hill station. The Woodland is remarkably expansive and is in need of regular maintenance to keep in in optimum condition. And that’s where Good Gym came in, with 4 runners braving the February weather to join the monthly working party. The task was simple, clearing brambles and ivy to give other plants an opportunity to thrive. We went at it with gusto and soon piles of cut brambles had grown quite large and ground that hadn’t seen the sun in years was exposed ready for growth. After 90 minutes or so our work was done and it was time to share a cup of tea with the other volunteers.

Sunday saw us back at Westcombe Woodlands, a lovely, if hard to find, green space above Maze Hill station. 5 Good Gymers arrived (some earlier than others) and were put to work on that perennial Good Gym favourite, removing brambles, whilst the other volunteers set about planting bulbs and doing dangerous looking things with chainsaws. The team split into two with one group tackling overgrowth on the path and the other clearing a space in a glade to allow for further bulb planting (and even the discovery of two oak trees). There were certainly a lot of brambles to clear, but after 90 minutes there were a lot less and the pile of cut material was up to head height, so all in all a job well done