Pun Gent!!

That was the order of the day as 5 Goodgymmers met Dave and Catherine from Friends of Oaken Grove Park to help clear more sludge from the pond.

With everyone having been before we got stuck straight in using spades and wheelbarrows to scoop the sludge from the pond.

The sludge was then moved to the edge of the park, avoiding getting it on the bike track.

The majority of Park users were pleased to see the pond getting some attention, although others found it a bit stinky!!!

With the water level in the pond clearly reduced we were pleased with our efforts but relived to head home to clean up!

Sheila went to help the Friends of Oaken Grove clear out the pond. Recent rains have resulted in the task being altered, so we set to work removing all the objects that had mysteriously found their way into the half-drained pond. We recovered a traffic cone, loads of branches and bits of wood, several dog balls and frisbee rings, 2 fishing nets, metal rods, a sock and a bike front sprocket. The second task was to wheelbarrow chippings from the car park over to the other side of the park to mulch some new fruit trees. Hard work, but we were rewarded by finding a lovely fat frog. We were pleased we achieved our goal and we ended up with 10 beautifully-mulched apple trees.

Last night we met at Oaken Grove pond where 2 volunteers from "friends of Oaken Grove" were already hard at work chopping down overgrowth and making a start on sludge removal. Jacqui from RBWM then brought us the equipment we needed to get going - it was a relatively simple task, relocate sludge from pond area to some overgrowth nearby. Simple but stinky, very stinky! All GoodGymmers that attended got stuck in (the mud), some with wellies in the pond area shoveling the sludge into buckets and others moving the sludge via wheelbarrow to the overgrowth. And repeat. A great upper body workout for sure! We came away rather covered in muck but it was good fun and an amazing team effort that made a real dent in the work that needs doing to the pond this year. We were also treated to a beautiful full moon and red skies which made for some nice photos. Well done everyone!

Jess and Sheila went to tackle some more of the ragwort in Ockwells Park, continuing the job started by Wild Maidenhead and Goodgym. We soon got our eye in to tell it apart from the other plants in the meadow, and it was evident that there is still a huge amount there We pulled out as much as we could, and gave ourselves a target of heading for a yellow patch a few yards away. Armfuls later, (and a backwards roly poly from Jess as one plant suddenly gave way) we achieved our goal. We felt that are still only in the foothills of the ragwort mountain, but we have still made a difference.

Five intrepid Goodgymers made their way to Ockwells Park to help Wild Maidenhead in their battle against Ragwort. Although it is the food source plant for the cinnabar moth, it is also poisonous to livestock. The ragwort on Ockwells is now turning to seed and in danger of blowing over the horse field neighbouring the park. The ragwort was not the only yellow flower in the field, but we soon got our eye in, telling it apart from the fleabane and other flowers, as the leaves were quite different. We cleared one area and then found another huge area to be tackled. We were collecting arm-fulls of plants, piling it up to be collected and disposed of. It was satisfying when we could pull it up by the roots, although they weren't all that cooperative. Juli also found a beautiful Orbweaver spider, which we left to carry on with her business. A satisfying task, and it was lovely to be outside in the sunshine and chatting with friends.

Rachel Cook from Wild Maidenhead invited us to help maintain their wildflower bed in Kidwells Park. An amazing 8 Goodgymmers turned up to help out and celebrate the end of the week. Our task was to remove as much of the grass as possible that was growing in amongst the wildflowers. Rachel asked us to behave like sheep, so some of us pulled up grass on our hind quarters, and some on all fours. We chatted as we worked and herd about Roberta's exciting holiday plans. By the end of the session we had filled a whole dumpy bag full of grass. The bare soil will allow the yellow rattle to grow which should help control the grass in future. Sol also planted some teasels in the uncovered earth, which the birds will love next autumn. Its great to see such biodiversity in our local park But we weren't just celebrating the end of the week, but also Sol's 50th Good Deed. Well done Sol! Amy presented her with a well-earned medal. So after grazing the grass in the the wildflower bed, we moved on to graze on some raspberry and white chocolate muffins in the Nature's Haven garden. As Amy put it so beautifully:

Sol has done 50 good deeds, but since she always gives 200%, that 50 is worth 100! 'Sun' by name and sunshine by nature, Sol's infectious enthusiasm and positive energy has brightened up so many of our sessions and with her mindful approach, she inspires us all to 'find our own enjoyment'. She started out graffiti cleaning with us and has since litter picked all over the place, enjoyed lots of allotment sessions, shifted furniture, built a French drain, cleaned a fridge, become an expert wader and more! As a Taskforce member, Sol has also led 12 sessions, enabling even more 'sharing of the love and joy' of GoodGym. Well done Sol! Thank you also to Sheila for the yummy cakes.