It was raining cats and dogs but we braved the weather to join the volunteers at the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods for their first session of the year.

Bracken- and bramble-bashing was the order of the day, pulling up the plants to make way for the spring flowers and wildlife to thrive.

Raking, chopping and pulling up, along with climbing the steep path and steps up to where we were working, gave us a great workout. Plus there was lots of chatting throughout.

It was lovely to welcome Maisie , and well done on your first GoodGym good deed!

Afterwards we enjoyed hot drinks at the Chestnuts kiosk.

We'll be back again next month. Perhaps the spring flowers will be making an appearance by then... come along to find out!

We're always made to feel very welcome, and get a good workout, at our monthly session with the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Wood.

This time we took on a patch of brambles alongside one of the woodland paths. We worked hard cutting and raking them back, then pulling or digging out the roots to slow their regrowth.

Clearing out these thorny invaders allows woodland plants such as foxgloves, bluebells and daffodils to thrive. It will be lovely to see their colours next spring!

When the rainy drizzle turned into a downpour it was time to head to the Chestnuts coffee kiosk to carry on chatting over a well-earned hot drink.

We'll be back on Sunday 5 January so why not make it a New Year resolution to come and join us?

We joined the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods for their monthly conservation session.

We were working on the heathland which meant a looooong, and at times pretty steep, climb pushing two wheelbarrows full of tools to the top.

After instructions about what to do and how to use the tools safely, we set about cutting back the holly so that the indiginous heather can thrive and reclaim the area.

It was a nice chance to chat with the other volunteers and enjoy being outdoors in a gorgeous setting. 🍁🍃🍂

We had to leave before the official end time, but that's not a problem at this friendly task. You can stay as long or as little as you like.

We'll be back next month. Hope to see you there!

We had a lovely morning down at the pond at Lesnes Abbey. After a session cheering on the Junior Parkrunners, Harvey and Ashton double good-deeded this morning by then joining the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods to cut down brambles to clear the way for kids brave enough to do pond dipping. Special welcome to Ashton for his first tasks with GoodGym - it's great to have you involved!

Keith gave a great brief history of the area which is always interesting to hear. And this time I even managed to get a before shot so you can see the fruits of your labour - it looks so clear now after an efficient hour and a half of chopping, digging and no doubt lots of getting caught in the brambles.

Meanwhile Arthur and I went hunting for litter and Arthur absolutely nailed using the litter picker - I couldn't have done it without him. We found quite a haul of soggy clothes, tons of blue roll and several jars of pickles (??) up at the top of the path, otherwise not much to report.

A group picture later and we were ready to head off for the rest of our days having done a little good.

Excellent work team and lovely to see you both.

We've got the Woodland Walk at Danson Park next week and our first group run for a long time at the end of October!

Until next time 🤓

Today we joined the Friends of Lesnes Abbey Woods for a spot of conservation work.

Pushing a wheelbarrow of tools to the heath area at the top of the woods was a workout in itself.

Once there, we set about pulling up bracken and digging out brambles to give the purple heather a chance to thrive.

There was plenty of chatting while we worked and afterwards at the cafe where we rounded off the morning with coffee and ice creams.

Join us next month when we're back for more!