On Saturday Emily and Alexis joined Marylin and Peter at Canbury Community Garden to lend a hand with a few jobs and for some birthday treats. They mixed in top soil with compost, dug up nettles to prepare a the soon to be tomato bed, transferred topsoil to another new vegetable bed and levelled the ground, the hens swiftly moved in to scratch away. Helped Peter move heavy furniture out of the shed and into the visitor’s corner. Marie-Noelle joined them later on and helped finish the weeding We shared some Pain d'Epices treats Marylin had brought back from France to celebrate her birthday 🎂 🥳 and distributed a bouquet of nettles to the hens.

On a glorious sunny Sunday morning, we gathered at Staywell Day Centre with 2 hours on the clock and a mission: to give the vegetable patch, flower beds, and driveway a good weeding makeover! Armed with trowels, gloves, and an eagerness to get stuck in, Amy, Alexis, Farzeen, Emily, and Jana wasted no time diving into the task.

As we worked, conversations flowed freely, with stories exchanged about our professions and daily lives. A highlight of the day was hearing about Emily's exciting news: she’s being presented with a prestigious Majors award tomorrow evening! We all shared in her excitement, which certainly helped lift the atmosphere as we tackled some particularly stubborn weeds.

At the halfway mark, we took a well-deserved break to recharge with biscuits and chocolate. Standing back, we admired our progress so far.

With renewed energy, we powered through the rest of the time, determined to make the residents proud of their newly spruced-up outdoor spaces. By the end of the session, the transformation was complete, and we couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment as we surveyed the clean, tidy garden and weed-free driveway.

It was a fantastic day of teamwork, sunshine, and stories for a worthy cause, leaving us all with smiles (and maybe a little mud) on our faces!

Saturday morning 6 GoodGymers were back at Canbury Community Garden to help Marilyn transfer the old compost into the new bins at the shady end of the garden. Team 1 prepared the new compost bin area under the watchful eye of resident Robin. Team 2 dug up the old compost pile, giving it a good stir and wheelbarrowed it over to the new bins. The four hens helper soon dived in, scratching for food and wriggly treats. The old bins will soon be torn down to make way for some new planters!