This weekend, GoodGymers headed to Foundry Wood ready to tackle a prickly problem and we weren’t branching out when we said we meant business.

Armed with loppers, gloves, and plenty of enthusiasm, the team got stuck into clearing overgrown pathways of brambles and stubborn weeds. Bit by bit, we transformed tangled trails into welcoming walkways, making it easier (and far less scratchy!) for visitors to explore the wood.

But we didn’t stop at ground level. Overhead, low-hanging branches were carefully trimmed back to open up the space and make sure everyone can roam freely without ducking and dodging.

It was a proper team effort, with great energy throughout and plenty of satisfying before-and-after moments. The difference was clear: safer, more accessible paths and a woodland that feels open, cared for, and ready to be enjoyed.

Another brilliant session supporting a fantastic local green space, proof that many hands really do make light (and slightly less spiky) work 🌿

Not forgetting the Pizza making for a well earned lunch after all the hard work

Until next time… let’s keep paving the way!

The weather favoured Goodgym and the friendly volunteers at Foundry Wood. A wildlife haven in the middle of Leamington Spa, we quickly got to work to clear the paths from the plants and weeds growing now that the warmer weather has appeared.

We cleared the pond of sticks thrown in by visitors and could see the many insects and creatures that make the pond their home more clearly, there were plenty of newts!

There were volunteers of all ages and everyone was very welcoming and friendly. As we were busy raking, pulling weeds, and trimming back the vegetation, there was pizza being made for after our session.

Overall, it was a lovely day and as we walked back through the paths we could really see a difference. Well done, everyone!

6 GoodGymers met on a misty morning to help maintain the children's play area at Foundry Wood in Leamington.

The task was a real team effort with some people helping to prepare the play area by raking the fallen leaves, whilst others were shoveling bark chippings into wheelbarrows and wheeling them up the steep slope to the play train. These bark chippings were then spread around the train to make a safer surface for children to play on and around, helping to cover any trip hazards.

All this was covered within a speedy 40 mins so there was time for a mince pie and chocolate break before Kristie from ARC CIC gave us a tour of the wood. Kristie told us all about the groups that meet at the wood on a regular basis, some background on how the community woodland came about and a taster of all the hard work that has been put into the wood by volunteers over recent years to make it the beautiful place that it is today.

We then had some time left to start clearing an area of Old Man's Beard (wild Clematis) and Golden Rod which were strangling some of the smaller trees and piled the cuttings up providing a good home for wildlife and bugs.

It was great to have Marina along to her first ever GoodGym session - you certainly proved your skills with a rake!

We also celebrated Jackie getting her wings as she completed her 100th GoodGym task - go Jackie!

It was really lovely to wander around the wood and learn more about this project. We are looking forward to coming back in 2022 for more GoodGym tasks :-)