On the morning of 14 March, four GoodGymers arrived at Bounds Green Scout Park to support work on the area being developed for “forest school” use by Urban Forest Tribe (UFT). We were warmly welcomed by task owner and UFT founder Paula, along with her husband Steve and their son, and were delighted to be working alongside several community volunteers. A GoodGym team had helped the previous Saturday, and our challenge was to continue preparing the space so children’s activities can begin in late April.

The weather was kind, the mud quagmire from the previous weekend had eased, and everyone quickly got stuck into a variety of tasks.

While Steve and his son built an outdoor wooden table from scratch, Amy — undeterred by last week’s mud — teamed up with community volunteers to clear an area of creepers and overgrowth and level the ground ready for the new table. Carola and Emily, both from GoodGym Islington, took on the fire‑pit circle, getting a full workout digging out soil tightly bound with roots. The excavated earth was used to reinforce a wooden retaining wall, and the discovery of a large amount of clay filled a container for Paula to offer to a local pottery group.

Mark worked with Paula, later joined by Amy, to clear an area where plastic and metal drum containers and other discarded items (including metal bookshelves) had been dumped. The rusted metal drums and bookshelves in particular posed a safety risk to children, so it felt especially satisfying to get them cleared and ready for collection.

Meanwhile, a mountain of woodchip was half‑depleted as pathways and seating areas were refreshed — and a few children who had come along with their volunteering parents demonstrated just how much fun a woodchip pile can be, giving us a glimpse of the joy this space will soon bring to local families.

By the time Paula called time at 2:30pm, a huge amount had been achieved. It was time well spent, spirits were high, and the sense of community was unmistakable.

It was an occasion of firsts - our first task with Urban Forest Tribe - the first GoodGym Haringey task for Amy and Diana - the first task that I listed (coached by Sarah) and led

We met Paula, the founder of Urban Forest Tribe and the task owner, and her husband Steve, in Bonds Green Scout Park at 10am Saturday morning. Paula is a remarkable person - passionate about what she does and energetic, focused and determined. The sort of person who doesn't take NO for an answer, instead asking WHY again and again - usually ending in her favour. Definitely a brave person focused on improving the lives of others. Her answer to a question about impact in National Park City London's website: "The most positive impact (I've had) has been supporting families of children with SEND helping them feel connected to nature in a safe, non-judgmental green space. It's so powerful for children to experience their local park, feel the soil, plant a tree, and simply enjoy being outdoors without feeling judged. Creating this space for them to thrive in nature is incredibly rewarding." Amy and Diana are gems - they found their way to the park and to the site and threw their energy and enthusiasm into digging up wood-chip, loading it on to wheelbarrows and taking it to an an area being developed for hammocks and seating on a raised wooden platform that Steve was building. The path leading from wood-chip pile to seating area was a bog with considerably bravery needed to prevent wheelbarrows from being sucked below the surface. After a tea break, and a final burst of energy, we finished soon after 12:30 - hugely satisfied with what was achieved and confident that the children would enjoy their time in that beautiful site even more than we did. We look forward to going back and to having other GoodGymers also experience this initiative . It has a strong sense of purpose and inclusion - that's a fortune we can all relate to and share in.

more details https://nationalparkcity.london/ranger-story-paula-harvey

https://nationalparkcity.london/do-london-differently-podcast-ep-23-tribe-roots-for-resilience