The last time we did this task it was dark and even though we shifted a whole pile of woodchip, there were still gaps and the saplings need as much mulch as possible to ensure they have the best start and grow big and strong!

Most of the group were assembled at Glass Mill (Welcome John to your first Lewisham GoodGym session) and a Steve and Linda were meeting us at Ladywell Fields.

A short run tonight (I save the long ones for post-marathon..) and before we knew it we were at Ladywell Fields and ready to get stuck in.

We soon got into a rhythm of moving the wheelbarrows and buckets along the row of saplings. Ensuring each sapling has 1m radius of woodchip and a depth of up to 5cm. We were missing one person though, Steve was lost in Ladywell Fields, 600+ good deeds and you'd think he'd know our presence a mile off! Once Steve found us, he got started on some speedy shoveling of the woodchip into the wheelbarrows and buckets. What was good about Steve not being able to find us was that it shows just how many projects we've been involved in in Ladywell Fields (Tiny Forest, The Orachard...).

We powered through the rest of the woodchip and made sure all the saplings were protected - task well done team!

There was just time for a quick group photo and for Lindsay to return a broom that was nearly coming back to Glass Mill with us!

Next week we have a brand new task clearing the garden to make it more beautiful for residents.

So much so that we're busy arranging a second group run to move another pile of mulch that is being delivered - keep your eyes peeled!

It was a shorter run to Ladywell Fields and then a bit more of a run to get to the mulch pile. The mulch needed to be 3 inches deep and 1m around the saplings. This is to make sure the ground retains as much water as possible to give the saplings the best chance of survival.

We split into groups, one group tackling the furthest away saplings with the wheelbarrows and the other group ferrying buckets of mulch to the nearer saplings.

We soon got into the groove and soon the pile of mulch was no more but the saplings well mulched.

Loads achieved for nature in Ladywell Fields this weekend… Emma helped shift barrow after barrow of wood chip as nutrient-rich mulch for young fruit trees in the community orchard. And Linda got to fulfill her dream of creating a ‘dead hedge’ from interwoven branches — this now forms a natural wildlife-friendly screen between two areas of Iona Orchard nature reserve, and will allow the local volunteer team to put prunings to good use by adding to the structure over future months.

A delayed start due to overnight frost but then the sun came out, the ground thawed, volunteers gathered equipped with spades, arm-power and goodwill – and within an hour our mammoth sapling planting project was finished! Around 350 native trees now form part of the hedgerow bordering the northern expanse of Ladywell Fields, following the last of three recent sessions, helped this time by GoodGymers Khai and Linda.

The saplings – just bare slender whips at the moment – will soon start to bud when the growing season gets under way, making this popular green space even more attractive for both people and wildlife, as well as increasing leafy carbon absorption to help mitigate climate change.

Proving that young and old alike can gain a feel-good buzz from caring for the environment, another big team of volunteers got together to plant hedgerow saplings in Ladywell Fields today. Special moments for me included guiding an enthusiastic four year old as he planted his first tree and welcoming a grandad visiting from New Zealand who was curious enough to want to help out. With around 300 new native saplings now in the ground – adding more than 70 metres of wildlife-friendly carbon-absorbing hedgerow in this popular green space – we’re all looking forward to spotting the first buds appearing on their stems when the growing season starts.

Every tree counts when helping to solve the climate and biodiversity crises… and now there are around 100 more growing in Ladywell Fields after today’s hedge planting session. A team of GoodGymers joined local families and volunteers from the User Group to create a new 70 metre row of native saplings bordering the children’s play area, making this popular green space even more attractive for both people and wildlife, as well as increasing leafy carbon absorption to help mitigate global heating.

We learned that for trees and other plants to grow successfully, particularly when first planted, their roots need to be in contact with damp aeriated soil. So these steps are important:

• digging a hole deep and wide enough to give all roots space to spread downwards and sideways

• avoiding an air pocket beneath the roots – the hole needs to be deep enough but not too deep because roots surrounded by air will dry out and die

• filling in with crumbly soil then, even if already damp, washing the area with water to settle soil around the roots (if there’s rain due straight after planting then even better!)

• finishing with a generous layer of mulch – we used wood chippings – to hold warmth and moisture in the ground for optimum root growth.

By the end of tomorrow’s Ladywell Fields session, volunteers will have planted around 350 saplings bought using a grant from the Tree Council. Wonderful work everyone!