Six GoodGymers met at Ray Mill Island for another round of cutting branches from the now diminishing pile of bush. Both large and small branches are being used to form a 'Fern Forest' on the side of the stream on Ray Mill Island.

The log barrier will both prevent people from going into the stream and the wood and fern will provide a habitat for insects and little creatures to flourish.

Regulars Mike, Georgeta, Sol and Diya knew the task on hand. New to Ray Mill - but not GoogGyming - Mohamud and Louis quickly joined the group, sawing and cutting branches. We filled two loads of the trolley placing the thin branches under big ones to create a tapestry (and stop kids from throwing sticks in the stream).

A nice physical activity after a day of desk work for most of us!

A smaller group went back to Ray Mill Island on what was a relatively cooler evening than previous visits!

The team there has started putting irrigation in place, so we won't need to water plants anymore #selfreliance. We got stuck in where we left them previously - cutting out logs from a pile of bush for them to be put next to the river stream.

Mike already knew what to do and was straight into it with his very sharp saw. Roberta, Didem, and Diya weren't entirely sure how best to saw but a new skill was unlocked very quickly, and we were soon in the thick of it. Teamwork makes the dream work!

Once we had a full trolley of various lengths of wood, Nivvi navigated it to the stream where task owner Shoshan laid them on the bank. The idea is to create a kind of a barrier to prevent the public from going into the water. We now know what tethering logs mean!

The plants in the nursery area and the plant troughs at Ray Mill Island were badly in need of watering. With no weekend work party sessions at the moment, Sheila answered the call to help out. With the hose pipe ban, and all the watering cans having gone walkabout, everything had to be watered by bucket!

Seven GoodGymmers gathered on Raymill Island for a double‑mission evening of watering and repainting.

We were welcomed by Nivi and Shoshan from the Friends of Raymill Island, and wasted no time getting stuck in. First up: helping Shoshan haul a few stray logs out of the stream — an early warm‑up before the main tasks began.

With the logs sorted, the group split into two teams. Sol and Jess took on the watering challenge, ferrying bucket after bucket from the stream to thirsty flower beds and planters. It turned into a full‑body workout!

Meanwhile, Meggie, Katie and Nicola breathed new life into the Ladybird Hopscotch, carefully repainting each cheerful bug. Mike tackled the rainbow, restoring every colour so it shone brightly once again.

By the end, the whole area looked refreshed and revived. Passers‑by stopped to thank us and commented on how much better the space looked — always lovely to hear.

A job well done, and we’ll be back next week to help Shoshan tether the logs so they stay put and don’t end up in the stream again!

Sheila went to help install an irrigation system at Ray Mill Island. Winding the pipework round the plants on the rockery, then pinning it down to secure in place. Then it was time for the big switch-on. Success!

The plants at Ray Mill Island were in need of a hydration break, so Sheila got out the hose, and gave the planters and nursery area a good old soak