On a bright and warm Saturday morning, Henry, Axelle, Jango and myself headed to Cutteslowe Greenhouse. The raised beds the GoodGym team worked on a few weekends ago were looking good. They were filled with healthy looking lettuces which were very perky in spite of the heat.

Michael asked us to clear away a section of the site and while we were outdoors, we were thankfully in the shade! We moved bricks, rocks and pallets while Jango bounded around the site charming everyone he met. Our next task involved cutting back brambles, nettles and dead plants to access some giant planters which needed emptying. This all went smoothly until we discovered the final planter was filled with soil and chunks of polystyrene. I’d say we dug out about two wheelbarrows worth of polystyrene before we were able to dump the remaining soil onto the compost heap!

Our shady spot began to shrink, so we eventually called it a day and headed off into the afternoon sun!

(If anyone knows why you’d bury a load of polystyrene in a planter filled with wisteria, please let us know)

Today Goodgym was at Cutteslowe Greenhouse to join a group of 15 other volunteers and get the long-closed Cutteslowe Greenhouse ready to open.

Our task was to move compost in wheelbarrows, and fill up the raised beds inside the greenhouse! This meant shoveling the pile of old green waste compost into barrows to cart into the greenhouse and pour into the beds, and then pouring on bags of fresh compost to make a top layer. We also needed to transfer dry soil from one bed to another to suit the different plants the team was planning to grow.

The old compost was full of roots and tough to dig. The bags were heavy (and covered in weird green slime). It got so hot in the greenhouse we had to take frequent breaks for water, and some of the old soil was so dry it filled the greenhouse with dust and we had to abandon it until the dust settled.

But all of this is nothing to the unstoppable Goodgym. The Greenhouse project are eager for us to come back, and were so pleased with our work today they let us plant some inaugural lettuce! We are looking forward to visiting again and seeing how big they've grown.

Tonight we headed to a brand new GoodGym location - Cuttleslowe Greenhouse. This lovely community space helps people connect with nature, food, and each other. After being closed for a few years, it’s finally being brought back to life. On a bright spring evening, we got to play a part in its reopening.

Our task definitely leaned toward the gym side of GoodGym. We shifted heavy piles of garden waste across the site, including some very large branches. Over the evening we experimented with every possible method - wheelie‑bin shuttles, dragging or carrying sacks, and even the occasional overhead branch lift. We also rescued some compost to be reused in the greenhouse’s raised beds. Before heading home, we picked up some great souvenirs: postcards about the project and packets of seeds to grow at home. Among the gifted seeds were peas, calendula, and basil.

We’re already looking forward to returning to the greenhouses in future tasks!

Welcome to Goodgym Jacqueline! We're so happy you could join us this evening!