"This is an odd thing to be doing in the dark!". Kirsty was right, it did seem a bit strange to be wielding a pair of sheers and hacking away at some brambles under the light of a headtorch. But we were winning. The brambles at the Oasis Hub community garden were rapidly diminishing with the three of us snipping, pulling and raking away until finally all we were left with was a large open space. And a little frog that tried to take shelter under my glove. All of the cuttings have been mounded up into a dead hedge which will form an excellent habitat for wildlife like the frog, hopefully some hedgehogs and all manner of rodents and invertebrates. With the site now cleared we'll wait for guidance from the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust as to what they suggest the next steps should be to form a useful wildlife garden that the neighbouring residents can enjoy. We'll be back to put that plan into action!

On an overcast Saturday afternoon high up on the hill at Fort Royal Park it was eerily still. We dragged the heavy, long, black bags out onto the grass. As big as a body and nearly as heavy. The contents clunked as we dropped them down. A bag of bones? Carefully the zip was pulled back and we braced ourselves for what might lie within. There was a glimpse of something sickeningly grey and the flash of shiny metal. Kirsty recoiled in horror and Al tried to cover his face but none of us could take our eyes off the bag. Marcus spilled the contents out on to the cold ground and everyone gasped. It couldn't be, could it? But we could all see that the horror was all too real and now there was no running away. We had to be brave and face the task ahead as a team and with full commitment. If not for us then for the sake of the innocent children. These gazebos had to be erected even though some of the poles had become detached!

We survived the ordeal and left the park with shelters, games, decorations, cakes and a broom stick driving course. Spooktacular work by the GoodGym team and a great effort from first timer Al. Thanks for joining us and we hope to see you again soon, provided you managed to fly home safely.

"Thanks for doing what you're doing". "You're doing a great job lads!". "Thank you for making the place a bit tidier" and "Would you like some sweets?". Just a few of the comments that Rob and I received as we worked our way from the Hive to Tolladine Road, collecting litter as we went. It's lovely to get some appreciation but the offer of some sweets was unexpected!

The target location was Tolladine but we'd already collected a full bag each by the time we got there. With all the takeaway outlets around Foregate Street and Lowesmoor there was inevitably a lot of food and drink containers to pick up. Cans were extracted from high bushes and from behind railings using the litter pickers with surgical precision.
We'd been told by Kirsty that the bottom of Tolladine was particularily bad but we weren't quite prepared for what we found. The verge was ankle deep in cans, bottles, packets and wrappers. Rob and I set to work to gather as much as we could but this is a job that is going to take another visit. By the end of the evening we had four stuffed bags between us, some tidier streets and plenty of appreciative pedestrians. It was a Good job well done. Well done Rob for taking part in your first GoodGym session and we hope to see you again soon.

It doesn't seem long ago that we were busy watering the trees at Laugherne Brook Nature Reserve in the middle of a scorching drought. But yesterday the trees were getting all the water they needed thanks to the rain! Luckily it had stopped by the time Liam and I ran over to the nature reserve from the Hive. We were met by Margaret who led us to the huge pile of bark chippings that had been kindly donated by the council. Our task for the evening was to shovel it into buckets and barrows and spread it around the base of each tree. Lots of carrying, lots of steps, lots of good exercise! "We'll just do as many as we can" suggested Margaret but with me and Liam on the case that meant doing all of them! The mulch will help provide nutrients to the trees, keep the weeds at bay and help retain moisture so the trees can get through to the other side of winter ready for whatever 2027 has to throw at them. We squelched our way back to the hive with soggy feet but big smiles after another fun GoodGym session.

Some might say that cutting down brambles is a tough job especially when you're faced with a wall of the stuff that you wonder how on earth you can cut through it. But whatever other people say the brambles can't live forever. Yes they're a force of nature but little by little we can bring it down, you've just got roll with it, d'you know what I Mean?

Goodgym attached the undergrowth like a supersonic shakermaker. Ruth looked like a Rock 'n Roll Star in her brand new GoodGym T-shirt too. It's all part of the masterplan to turn the neglected space into a somewhere that people from all around the world can enjoy instead of a retreat for kids to hide their cigarettes and alcohol.

We'll be back again soon to finish the job!

PS:thank you to Worcester Environmental Group standing by me and lending us the tool and gloves.

A mid afternoon message brought the news that our task at st Wulstans would have to be postponed as Carry, who was due to supervise wasn't going to be able to make it. So: what to do instead? Well there's always litter to be picked so we met at Perdiswell Leisure Centre armed with pickers and blue bags and went out into the park on a hunt for rubbish. At the pump track we found plenty and were labelled as 'legends' by the kids who were riding there. Some grateful customers who laid the blame on the 'bigger kids'. The rest of the park was fairly tidy with a few pockets of rubbish hidden in the bushes. Back onto the football pitches we found a handful energy drink cans and received some more heartfelt thanks from the dog walkers for our efforts. By the time we got back to the leisure centre we had three half filled bags to dispose of which is a good result. I always say that the success of a litter pick should be measured on how little you have to pick up rather than how much. Well done to the Perdiswell Park users for keeping it tidy but it's now been improved even more by GoodGym Worcester!