Our latest task took us back to one of Nottingham’s most iconic locations, the Green’s Windmill and Science Centre.

A quick rainstorm in the afternoon caused us a bit of worry, but thankfully by 6.30pm the skies had cleared as six of us met up for our pre-task run. Leah, Nina and Rachel L had all arrived by bike (that’s a whopping 50% of the group!) so we quickly popped our bikes inside the windmill grounds before setting off. Oh, and Leah cycled for the first time so even more well done to her!!

Our mission was to find the Sneinton dragon which was a half a mile down the road. It was gentle slow jog so we didn’t get out of puff, ideal for having a good old chat and getting to know new members, Vicky and Luna, as we went.

According to its website, the dragon stands seven feet high and has a 15-foot wingspan, and ‘it lurks in the shade of the trees lining an urban street corner’. Some of us didn’t even know it existed despite driving past many times! After a quick photo with the dragon, we jogged back and did a few stretches before starting our task.

We were joined by Gaurav, Tom and Rachel W as we met Jamie from the windmill who explained what he needed us to do. Rachel W and Rose took on the job of painting one of the fences to neaten it up and weather-proof it. Meanwhile, the rest of us did more weeding of the paths around the flower beds and by the entrance gate. We were pleased to see that the sections we tackled on our last visit were still looking pretty clear, but the recent rain meant there were still plenty of weeds to get our claws into.

After an hour of work and a beautiful group photo under the apple tree, we jumped back on our bikes and feet and all headed home.

Thanks to Jamie for having us and to all our members who attended. Special welcome to Vicky and Luna - we hope to see you again very soon. Also a big well done to Tom who just returned from tackling his first ultra marathon in the Lake Distract where he finished an epic 15th in the Lakeland Trails Ultra 55k challenge!

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In what might well be GG Nottingham's fastest request-to-task turnaround ever, Leah and Gaurav headed to help our friends at Windmill Community Gardens with a time-sensitive job that had had to be postponed from the weekend due to mini heatwave we've had.

After a delicious pasta lunch cooked on-site by the other volunteers using some of the Gardens' produce, we were introduced to the affectionately named "Murder Shed" (also known as the "Haunted Shed"). It's in a relatively recently acquired plot on the site and is due to be taken away for disposal on Monday. However, it was surrounded by overgrown plants and very tricky to access.

It had been mostly cleared during the morning, but we stepped in to rake up the cuttings and clear a path for access. We also helped move a big window and frame to get it out of the way.

Finally, we moved on to clear some spiky plants, weeds and nettles from the other side.

Hopefully the rest of the shed clearance goes well next week!

The weather could not make up its mind on Sunday morning when 7 GoodGymers (plus Pascal!) headed out to the Serenity Gardens in Highfields Park. Thankfully, by the time we had arrived, the sun was out and we set to work on planting a row of new shrubs which will create a boundary for the garden. The idea is that this will direct walkers around the path so that they do not trample across the grass area and near to the trees and plaques which have been lovingly installed by bereaved families.

For the most part, we found digging the holes fairly easy but did come across a few troublesome stones, manhole covers and bricks to work around. Some of us also helped remove an old kerb stone which took a fair bit of digging and levering. After the bushes were planted, we also helped with weeding some of the flower beds and strimming around the trees and plaques.

We had no first-timers today but welcomed back Sehrish, Gaurav and Andrew to their second tasks - thanks for coming back guys!

The Serenity Garden is a beautiful space owned and run by Forever Stars, a local charity dedicated to supporting families who have suffered a stillbirth or infant loss. Thank you to Daniel and Martyn for hosting us and to the charity for allowing us to come and be part of something so special. We would love to return and help out some more soon.