What a difference 60 minutes can make with 12 GoodGymmers joining forces with dedicated local volunteers at Ridgway Community Garden!

With so many hands on deck, everyone got thoroughly stuck in from the moment we arrived, turning the space around in record time. We covered off a bunch of jobs:

• Alkanet & Weed Attack: Cleared out thick patches of stubborn alkanet and invasive weeds that had taken over the pocket park bed.

• The Wood Chip & Cardboard Combo: Shifted old wood chips, laid down cardboard barriers to suppress future growth, and topped everything up with fresh wood chips and nutrient-rich soil around the plants.

• Hydration Heroics: Gave all the newly mulched beds and plants a deep, well-deserved watering (no hosepipe allowed!) to settle them in.

It is always incredible to see the transformation possible when a group rolls up their sleeves and gets stuck in together. In just one hour, the garden was left looking tidy, revitalised, and ready to thrive for the rest of the summer.

A massive well done to everyone for bringing the energy and muscle to make light work of a big job - especially during such a warm evening!

The Ridgway Community Garden is looking so much better than when we first came along, but all gardens need constant care. And so we're back to help the wonderful volunteers by pruning, digging out and replacing dead plants, and not forgetting the perennial weeding. As always, it's great to see how much we manage to achieve in just an hour and we're all looking forward to next time.

It might have been blowing a hooley but that didn't deter our hard-working team, including Isabella who was joning her first Merton session. Maggie set us to work clearing leaves (the wind had already made a start) and planting, while Williams spent his second day in a row taking care of compost! The local residents are all super appreciative and one even donated a chocolate cake. As the evenings are getting shorter, we ended the session in head torches. This may be our last evening here for a while but it will be lovely to see the fruits of our labour come spring.

This is always a really good session, even if it is located at the top of a steep hill (that's where the gym element comes in!) Task number one was moving some wooden sleepers into position to make an area to grow ‘edibles’ , clearing away wood chip and then spreading compost in the bed. There were also a couple of shrubs to move and a couple to remove, some relocating of plants plus general tidying and watering. Maggie kept us busy and the refreshments manager (aka Maggie’s husband) kindly ensured we stayed hydrated and fuelled with ginger beer, pomegranate juice and ice creams! The unexpected spots of rain didn’t dampen our spirits and it was great to welcome Henry to his first task.

It was one of the hottest evenings of the year but the heatwave didn't deter seven magnificent GoodGymers from running, walking or cycling up the steep hill that leads to the Ridgway. It was good to be back after our visit in May and this time we set to work trimming back a large tree, transplanting a shrub, spreading mulch and doing some weeding. Maggie and her husband kindly supplied juice and ice creams, which ensured there were no meltdowns. We look forward to returning in August.

Local residents have done a sterling job in transforming this area outside the telephone exchange, but they are always in need of a helping hand. Six of us GoodGymers were tasked with laying down cardboard on cleared areas, filling barrows with woodchip and then spreading it on top. Refreshed by glasses of pomegranate juice served by Maggie, we soon transformed the area and were rewarded with a downhill run on the way home!