We spent a sunny late summer evening snipping down sycamore saplings to stop them from self-seeding all over Iffley Glebe, carefully pulling ivy and other unwelcome green guests off the ancient stone wall around the meadow, and clipping large amounts of bramble, nettle and hawthorn which were encroaching on the entrance to the storage garage.

It's always a joy to be up in Iffley in the summer, with it's village vibe and feel of having stepped back in time for a little while.

Congratulations on reaching the 100 Good Deed milestone Kieran.

Happy 10th Good Deed Freya.

Welcome to GoodGym Andy!

Thanks to the special enthusiasm and energy that GoodGymers and sunshine brings, the following magic happened at Oxford City Farm today:

Brambles, weeds and grass were scythed away and kept at bay, to provide some safe and more accessible paths around the busy vegetable beds.

After some satisfying root pulling, the polytunnel is officially de-thistled, allowing space for luscious vegetables and herbs to grow to their full potential.

It was a long awaited meeting of the farm's new resident goats. One of which has been very pregnant for a while. GoodGym goat whisperers gave their kind and encouraging words and, as if by magic, she gave birth to two fluffy and healthy kids a few hours later.

Oxford City Farm are forever thankful <3

♪ Just a sprinkle of rain can't stop us now ♪
♪ We're off to a nature park, no need to frown ♪
♪ We'll pick up litter and clear the grass ♪
♪ Nothing can dampen our spirits, it'll be a blast ♪

♪ The rain is falling, but we don't mind ♪
♪ We'll put on our raincoats, we're one of a kind ♪
♪ We'll gather together, our bags and gloves in tow ♪
♪ And head out to Boundary Brook, let's go, let's go! ♪

♪ The rain is pouring, the wind is strong ♪
♪ But we keep moving, all evening long ♪
♪ We pick up litter, glass, and metal too ♪
♪ We're making a difference, and that's what we'll do ♪

♪ The grass is long, but we don't fret ♪
♪ We grab our tools, and work up a sweat ♪
♪ We clear the pond area, revealing hidden gems ♪
♪ And keep going strong, until the session's end ♪

♪ The rain keeps falling, but we don't stop ♪
♪ We're determined, until the very last drop ♪
♪ And with every bag filled, we feel a sense of pride ♪
♪ Knowing that we're helping the environment to thrive ♪

♪ We finish the session with a sense of accomplishment ♪
♪ Feeling like we've made a positive development ♪
♪ We take a moment to appreciate the beauty around ♪
♪ And vow to continue our efforts to keep it sound ♪

Four Goodgymers answered the call from Marston Forest Garden to remove an area of grasses and weeds with the aim of sowing other seeds.

Most of the session was spent uplifting the grass, roots and all, and filling up the compost heap. This was aided by some excellent vegan carrot flapjack from Isabelle meaning we managed to clear the area ready to rake and sow the seeds at a later date.

It turned out many hands do in fact make light work!

While we were digging, there was a small group doing a survey of the worms in the Forest Garden as a way to check for the soil quality. It turns out there are many different types of worms (size, shape, anatomy) even in such a small area. We unearthed quite a few larger varieties in the area we were working, although this maybe helped to feed the local birds particularly a robin that seemed very interested in our work!

Anthony is always full of interesting snippets of information and talked a little about removing brambles and weeds with his trusty Lazy Dog tool, which turns out to be the company name rather than work-shy mutts. Jenny took up the additional challenge to help Anthony remove some very persistent weeds and bramble roots in another section of the Forest Garden after the introduction to the Lazy Dog.

Marston Forest Garden is a part of a larger collection of groups under the banner of Marston Community Gardening. There are various orchards, chickens, allotment spaces, an Eco Hub plus much more so read about it on their website via the link above or via their community group that can be found on Facebook.

Welcome to both Jenny and Jamie for your very first Goodgym Oxford experience! I hope you enjoyed the session and hope to see you at another session soon!