Seven Goodgymmers started the evening with high hopes and ended the night drawing their sorrows on the banks of the Westbury Banks nature Reserve

Locked, stocked, and frazzled

Our Goodgymmers arrived the Nature Reserve to find that a neighbouring Friends group had borrowed the main tool they needed for tonight's task of clearing the top end of the Reserve to make it a bit more presentable from the street. Undeterred, our Goodgymmers used whatever tools were available to them to get on with the job at a hand.

Our Julie arrived straight from work like the rock star she is but it did mean she had some expensive work gear and her home keys with her in her work bag. Gramps suggested she put it in the thief-proof super-safe virtually-unbreakable toolbox for safekeeping. And then, then the key broke.

After a rather long period of panic, Gramps arrived at the only real solution available to them and called an emergency locksmith.

Our team completed their task for the evening all the while keeping an eye on Gramps' blood pressure. When 8pm came and went without any sign of the locksmith, our Goodgymmers armed themselves with drinks and crisps for the offie and we all settled in the Reserve for the long haul. We needed to make sure our Julie could get home after all.

Eventually, our knight in shining armour arrived and proceeded to do a lot of huffing and puffing. After around half an hour and a few hundred pounds later, we had broken into the box and we were all free to go home. So we all went to the pub to settle our nerves, of course.

Never a dull moment with GGH!

Our 4 heoric heros tackled the terrible trash that had built up at the Westbury Nature Reserve!

While our fearless leader Commisioner Gramps was out town some dastardly villain had been chucking umbrellas over into nature reserve!

But with the finest in Wayne Enterprises litter picking technology we soon dealt with the problem, and retired to a nearby hostelry to celebrate.

6 GG besties were giving absolute slaps vibes as they gave the Westbury Banks Nature Reserve a bussin' glow up. We stan <3

Ok Storytime

The Westbury Banks Nature Reserve took living its best brat summer a bit too seriously, leaving it looking a little cheugy. No cap, it was absolute rank. Big yikes.

Our GG Fam jumped into action, full of rizz and drip. Gramps took a quick vibe check from this bunch of absolute snacks and we were then ready for some action.

We were clearing the overgrown trees on the steps by the side of the Reserve, which were in mad need of a proper trim. The secateurs understood the assignment but it was the giant snippy snips with their BDE that saved the evening.

Time to spill the tea. Latoya was giving proper main character vibes and got well salty with Gramps over a little joke about spiders. It didn't help when he had a proper situationship with a smol arachnid towards the end of the task. Fam is fam, however, and by the end of the eve we were all besties again. Bet.

Finna bring this to an end, so let's just say that once we were done, we all decided it was time for some rehydration so we went to a boujee tavern for drinks

This evening ATE.

Hit us up next week as we help the Meadow Orchard with a squirrel scouts space. Sus.

Seven Goodgymmers journeyed deep into the heart of darkness as they battled with the temperate jungle that had taken over the Westbury Banks Nature Reserve.

Watch It Bring You To Your N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-nees. Knees!

It was a 'welcome to the jungle/ we got fun and games/ we got everything you want, honey/ we know the names' kind of evening for our Goodgymmer tonight as they put pedal to the metal and partook in some heavy-duty gardening at the Westbury Banks Nature Reserve.

Let's call a spade a spade, that was a hard task. The Reserve has found itself without a lot of attention over the last few months, and it showed as the site was overgrown to such an extent that we had to start strimming from the gate to create a way into the tool shed! It turns out you leave nature alone and it explodes.... who knew!

Our Goodgymmers were undeterred and on they ploughed like total badasses, with Nasser in his sophomore task leading the way blazing a trail for the rest of us with his trusty strimmer.

Not far behind, Julie armed herself with a hedge trimmer and attacked the overgrown fields of stinging nettles with gusto, while Nurjehan and Niamh, armed with loopers, gave the taller trees a trim. Ed and Clare in the meantime, cleared Amazonic levels of foliage and debris and made sure it was all composted nicely at the back of the Reserve. Our hour came and went before you knew it, so we tidied the tools away, took some selfies, and made our way home, the stinging of the nettles burning strong on our naked legs. Definitely a win for the Hardcore Crew! 

New task next week - Come!!!

Three hardcore Goodgymmers visited the Westbury Banks Nature Reserve for a spot for wildflower planting.

They first got the beds ready, by pulling out loads of ivy and deeply-rooted weeds.

Then, they sprinkled wildflower seeds everywhere like little fairy dust. Fingers crossed for a flowery meadow this summer!

4 Goodgymmers battled with the slippery slopes at the Westbury Banks Nature Reserve as they lent a hand to the Friends group with a bit of a facelift.

Ivy'n Told There Are No Ivy Puns Left To Use

Dave, Niamh, Charlie, and Yours Truly came together on a very drizzly night in Turnpike Lane for a spot of tree planting at the Westbury Banks Nature Reserve.

The Friends group is hoping to create a natural cover for the Reserve and we came to help. We planted a total of 18 trees along the fence on the Westbury Avenue border of the site in the hope that as they grow, there will create a green flowery screening for this much loved green space.

It wasn't all plain sailing, however. We had to fight against a very stubborn ivy cover that had spread all along the floor and its roots were asphyxiating everything around it. While Dave and Charlie discussed how to best deal with it, Niamh took matters into her own hands and, with surgical precision, proceeded to pull the s%$£ out of the poor ivy. The creeping evergreen didn't stand a chance. Before you knew it, Charlie and Dave, armed with loppers and spades had joined in the carnage and the ivy was no more.

We tidied the newly-dug up bed and tucked in the new trees.

14 dog roses, 3 hazels, and a blackthorn are now sitting proudly along the fence at the Reserve and they will hopefully have fewer battles with the resident ivy.

By 8pm, and in the absence of our much-loved and much-missed timekeeper, it fell to Gramps to call an end to the proceedings. But not before we made time for some selfies and quizzing Dave about this week's Film Club offering.

Come next week!