6 of us headed over to Kate's Place in Florence Park for an autumnal tidy-up. There was leaf raking, grass pulling, hedge trimming and willow herb removing. It didn't rain after all and we left a job well done.

Wildlife spotting - one tiny frog.

The evenings are drawing in and this was probably our last natural light Wednesday session of the year. We were back at The Children's Allotment to do battle with the longest, fiercest, thorniest brambles I've ever seen. Before the onslaught, we warmed up by moving a few years' worth of accumulated rubbish into a skip; this part of the task was accomplished quickly.

The brambles, not so much. Long, thick, scratchy, entangled in the trees and other "good" vegetation. Our best efforts made some headway but they will no doubt regroup ready for our next battle in the Spring.

After a group snap in the yurt we celebrated the end of a great summer of GoodGymming with a drink in The Magdalen Arms.

Tonight we returned to Ovada, which is a non-profit arts organisation with a gallery, studios and education space.

The GoodGym team helped to clear their outdoor space, including the car park. Together we took on tasks like litter picking, sweeping, raking, weeding, and pruning. We could really see the difference after the task, creating a much clearer space!

A particular highlight of the evening was a young passerby spotting a mannequin outside Ovada, and deciding they really wanted it. After checking in with us and the Ovada team that it was OK, we were entertained watching him cycle away with a large mannequin (named Quentin) tucked under his arm!

The lovely team at Ovada even offered us an amazing meal to enjoy with them afterwards. Thank you Ovada!

This evening, we returned to Meadow Lane playground to continue our support for the NaturEscape transformation project. We split into two teams to tackle the next tasks. The first team worked on clearing the mesh fencing with bolt cutters, enjoying the satisfaction of completing a job we started last time! By cutting back the fencing and clearing overgrown foliage, the play space has been opened up, allowing children to run freely between the trees. The second team transferred woodchip from below a defunct zip line to a log circle, instantly making the area look more magical and inviting. We learnt that the technique for clearing the woodchip was to ‘scrape not dig’’! We scraped up the woodchip and transported it back and forth in a wheelbarrow. Joe provided some great tips, including to always point your empty wheelbarrow in the direction you’ll travel once it’s full, saving you from maneuvering a heavy load! We were pleased to have Chris back with us, and to warmly welcome Rab for their first session!

On Saturday we spruced up the garden at Littlemore Village Hall so that it's ready for them to host outdoor events through the spring and summer months.

We planted trees, pruned hazel, weeded flower beds, watered the plants, and cleaned the outdoor furniture. We were rewarded with sunshine and an abundance of tea and cake. Fun in the sun.