An early morning visit to the garden in order to avoid the usual crowds on the garden bench almost worked.... We had two local residents watching us work and chatting away!

We did a bit of weeding and pruning but the plants have grown a lot with the recent warm conditions so we will have to go back and do a bit more soon! We popped our prunings by an old bit of board to upgrade it from a 3* to a 4* bug hotel.

We filled two black bags with rubbish - mostly cans, McDonalds wrappers and bits of general litter. We also transferred a carrier bag full of glass bottles over to the bottle banks. Treasures that we found in the depths of the garden included a pair of Nike Trainers (we left them on the bench as they were pretty decent!), a hat, a pair of Star Wars pillow cases, pyjamas, a wrench, a sunglasses case and a handheld games console case. Enough to fill a Generation Game conveyor belt (minus the cuddly toy). There was also a discarded book of Dharma meditations which Dave read to us to motivate our Sunday morning clear up!

We will be back to do more, keep an eye on the listings for the next one

I ran with S at Parkrun due to another run helper having an injury.

We helped litter pick at a community green space. Lots of diving into the bushes to get the hard reach bits. Wilder Portsmouth, tree wardens and HIWWT were all busy replanting planters.

Thank you to Val for the report title - she got all Burdock-burred-up at Nore Barn Wood!

The Friends group were all ready for a battle with the brambles and nettles - between us we cleared 4 woodland glades to let in enough light for the bluebells and other wildflowers to show their faces next Spring.

This was truly a good gym workout - plenty of sweaty brows and aerobic exercise - healthy woodland medicine for the body and soul.

Report title in celebration of Ness, who intrepidly stomped through the brambles, creating safe passage to the compost bin in the PARCs garden.

We certainly needed access, there were a huge number of weeds that needed our attention! Many hands made light work though, and the courtyard area of the garden was looking spiffing in no time! Conversations included the practical application of degrees, and then reminiscing about the long-closed night clubs of Portsmouth.

Laura and David headed through to the front garden area, and cleared another huge amount of weeds. This was a little trickier, as these ones were growing through concrete!

Commendable efforts, everyone, this peaceful space is now back in action.

Bravo brave GGers, battling with high winds, inside-out bags and bored or bemused pet dogs!

We each chose a beach or river to litter-pick during September, getting out in the fresh air to join the Marine Conservation Society's campaign to clean Britain's coasts and inland waters.

Well done for taking a moment from your month to make a small difference that adds up to a big impact.