We spent Saturday morning digging out bramble roots and bindweed around the play area at Global Gardens, a favourite regular venue for Goodgym Cardiff and Vale. There are lots of sessions coming up at Global Gardens so we will be doing a lot of good work in the garden spaces over the autumn and having fun doing so!

It was a wet start to the weekend, but a delightful return to Global Gardens again. We welcomed back Emyr and got down to work - today was all about clearing the brambles and finding the hidden trees in the orchard. The rain, on and off was mostly drizzly but not enough to stop us. As Emyr 'The Clearing Machine' found tree after tree that seemed to have been forgotten in the overgrown area, it was time to down tools and head home to dry off.

Finally, the sunshine had emerged and on a bright, crisp autumnal day, we met at the Global Gardens community allotment. After a warm welcome by Poppy, we headed to clear an area of overgrowth. The request was to clear the bramble and dig up some of the emerging roots to remove any trip hazards.

We split into two groups and made good progress in no time at all. Once we had distinguished between the roots of the giant tree and the brambles, we were on a roll! We found some interesting buried treasure whilst digging - a big patch of carpet, some corrugated plastic roofing, and a large iron bar. We also plucked up the courage to open a neglected bin bag, relieved to discover some soil rather than anything sinister!

As we started packing up the tools, the cheery sound of more GoodGymmers could be heard. Darren, Mikey and Nathan had popped in en route. The reason for their visit? It was Charlotte's 50th good deed! It only remained for Ellen to present the vintage '50' badge and a round of applause - well done Charlotte! Now head straight home to order your new t-shirt!

It was now time to wrap up and we all headed at an appropriate social distance in different directions after some much needed fresh air and GoodGym cheer.

Another Saturday, another Goodgym mission at Global Gardens! Once again we were lucky with the weather - though it was slightly windier than last week. It was also an exciting week as there wasn't just one, but TWO new goodgymers - Welcome Tom and Jemma!

Once Poppy said hello, we got started on the different tasks to complete. Tom, Imy and Emyr began clearing the family area of weeds/grass, which had been worked on last week and just had a small section left to complete. They were also under a tight time pressure as a few families were coming later on in the morning for the first session post lockdown!

Laura and Jemma also helped around the family area, clearing away the brambles and trying to get rid of some of the roots. Martin and Charlotte were busy digging a hole (or trying to - according to Martin😂). Meanwhile Flo and Marie were clearing an overgrown area so that the family groups can come and sit under the trees. It was a big task but they managed to tame a few brambles and clear out some hidden rubbish - Marie even found two perfect plates! There was also a task involving shovelling gravel too so there was definitely a lot going on.

The hour flew by and the family sitting area was finished just in time for when they arrived, with the children looking especially happy to be able to come to the gardens. Poppy asked at the end if anyone was able to water some plants and everyone stayed, watering a variety of plants, including some chard and lettuce. It was really interesting hearing how the plants are used by people in the community and also by the vegan cafe Wild Thing. The watering took no time at all, with Poppy even commenting on the effect of "people power". Great job everyone!