Sabina, Alicia, Tabitha and Pete met at Beer n Burger warmed up and jogged to Clitterhouse Farm where they met up with Lee and Anika. Anika quickly assigned our roles watering, sorting pots and moving woodchip. Alicia and Lee did a great job shovelling and moving woodchip in wheelbarrows, joined later by Tabitha who started by sorting pots. Pete and Sabina filled watering cans and watered the front beds and then the herb garden. We all then jogged and walked back to base. Great job. The Clitterhouse Farm garden is definitely feeling better tonight!

On Monday evening Goodgym Brent helped water Clitterhouse Farm House. Thames water has a hose pipe van so the hose could only be used for the plants and food that was for sale Goodgym. Pete hosed the plants and the rest of the group filled up watering cans one by one to water the garden. Here is hoping it will keep them alive through this weeks heat wave.

Kamil and Pete met at B and B then jogged to Clitterhouse. Beatriz arrived shortly after. Anike showed us where to water. Beatriz and Kam watered the hanging baskets with cans while Pete watered the herb garden with a hose. We then walked and jogged on the return. Great job everyone.

At Clitterhouse Farm, the approaching cold weather means the greenhouse has never been more important (or appreciated). But while it keeps all the incubating veggies inside nice and toasty, who’s looking out for it? The answer, of course, is GoodGym.

To make sure the sturdy wooden frame was ready for whatever the elements might chuck at it, Tabitha, Josh, Samina, Pete, and Chris headed over to give it a good oiling — specifically with linseed oil, which is perfect not only for protecting wood from rot and moisture, and enhancing its natural grain and colour (what a glow-up!), but also for bringing back nostalgic memories of preparing cricket bats as a child. (That might just have been Pete, though.)

Before we could start, we had to make sure that any existing residents wouldn’t be harmed, so several volunteers used feather dusters to sweep away cobwebs and safely deposit quite a few huge spiders into the nearby bushes.

Then it was just a question of grabbing our brushes and sponges and giving the greenhouse a nice, solid coat of oil - all set for the months ahead!

Eagle-eyed visitors to Clitterhouse Farm in Willesden will have spotted a recent addition: a shed that’s the brand new home of Cycletastic. They’re a volunteer-led project that both fixes your bike and teaches you how to fix them too!

But the shed isn’t the only new arrival – with summer making way for autumn, rain is also back on the menu. Great for plants (including the many veggies being grown at the farm) but maybe not so brilliant for attendees who don’t want mud all over their footwear.

What was needed was some kind of natural cover for the ground. And that’s where GoodGym came in, rolling out a red (well, brown) carpet of wood chips for the Cycletastic crew.

Braving the September showers, Tabitha, Pete, Josh and Chris got to work shifting the chips from their original pile to all around the shed. Only breaking occasionally to seek shelter from the heaviest of downpours, the team diligently shovelled the chips into waiting wheelbarrows, ready to be rolled to their destination.

Before they knew it, the previously plain ground was decked out in a thick rug of wood chips – all set for the many feet (and wheels) coming its way.

we watered and shovelled compost !