New Brooms please

A great morning task revisiting Mousehold Heath to cut down some broom off the slopes near the Britannia Road car park.

It’s important for some areas of the heath to have clear grassland for wildlife and to maintain the stunning views of the city the area offers.

12 GoodGymer's got through a lot of broom and deposited the cuttings further down the hill which will provide a habitat for other wildlife too.

A big welcome to Aardra and Deepak on their first GoodGym task and congratulations to Danni for reaching their 10th task!

Today 14 GoodGymers headed to Mousehold Heath for some conservation work improving the biodiversity in this area.

Shout Outs to Piers attending his first task, and Sarah for completing her 50th Good Deed.

We were clearing the slopes on St James Hill of a Broom plant, similar to gorse. Thus opening up more sledging routes in this popular spot on snow days!

After an hour the area had been cleared and the piles of shrub were carried up the hill and out the way.

We refreshed ourselves with hot drinks and biscuits by the coffee van. Well done team!

A combination of two tasks today at Moushold Heath, both very rewarding!

We cleared the gullies to expose the Roman road used by the local cavalry to march up to their Barracks. A job which was satisfying as we could see the results very easily.

Meanwhile another group tackled the final third of the Dutch Elm, cutting it back and disposing of it down the deep gully as per a few weeks ago.

All topped off with lovely refreshments at the end courtesy of Mousehold Warden Will.

Today 12 GoodGymers ran or cycled to support conservation work at Mousehold Heath.

We met Will at St James Hill on Britannia Road, an area of natural habitat for a rich variety of wildlife including Common Whitethroat - the only place in Norwich this species can be found.

We went to an overgrown area that had grown so high it obscured one of the finest views in the city.

Armed with loppers and saws, we spent an hour cutting everything back and carrying the long branches to a clearing below. It was amazing to see the results after we finished! Now anyone wanting to sit on the bench could see right across the entire city.

Shout Out to Alice who attended her first session.

High Five's for Eloise who completed her 50th Good Deed!

9 GoodGymer's turned out for a great morning at Mousehold Heath.

Cutting back Common Gorse, which is an invasive species and has been strangling the heather that grows on the heath. The Heather is a great pollinator and is essential to bees and insects thriving.

The team removed lots of Gorse, with the aid of Will’s big protective gloves and long reaching loppers. After it was removed it was laid on drag mats and taken to a big hole not far away where it can mulch down.

Everyone was in great spirits and could see a massive impact for the hours work that it took of lopping and dragging.

We will be back again in a few weeks for another task in Mousehold.

Tonight 19 GoodGymers ran 6km to Mousehold Health to help support the biodiversity in this natural habitat.

It's a regular and popular task on the GG Norwich calender lead by Will the local warden, who provided tools and a gave us a historical background on this famous site.

We split into 2 groups, covering a wide area pulling up bracken to allow heather and other plant species to grow. We also used 5 pitch forks to clear the area of a former chapel ready for a Heritage Open Day History Walk taking place this weekend. See the booking link if you are interested in attending.

We also celebrated the runners, volunteers and cheerleaders, who took to the streets of the city centre for Run Norwich 10km yesterday! Nice one team.

After a swift hours work it was time to bid farewell. We will be back again for more conservation work in the next month.