Maybe not that hot!... 🌞🌞🌞 Lisa, Georgeta and Sheila, who's just returned from her holidays, formed this lovely hot summer evening the GoodGym Gardening Squad and tended to the Community Allotment. We were tasked with watering the very thirsty veggies as a top priority due to the very dry spell. As the time permitted, we also tackled the weeds in the raised beds in the Green House to-be. A very enjoyable end to the day and a good way to start the weekend.

The last days filled with the hot weather had made plants thirsty for water.

Sol and Lisa made their way to the community allotment.Their task was to water as many veggies and plants as possible. Other tasks were to cut down the shoots of the tree stump and do general weeding.

It was still very hot outside and we got our hands busy with watering everything around. Sol set up a water pipe going, while Lisa attended veggies boxes and watered them plentifully.

The hour went by quickly and soon it was time to wrap up. We are sure the plants were thankful to us for the refreshment.

Melissa, Lisa, Rosie and Sheila gathered at the community allotment on Good Friday evening. We filled the water butts behind the shed and then settled down to some other tasks. Lisa filled over the bean trench in bed 5 and picked out the stones, while Melissa weeded the bed at the end of the large shed, and again waged war on the stones. Meanwhile Sheila and Rosie started the task of digging out the roots where we had removed the shrubs at Wednesday's Goodgym session. Not an easy task! Let's just call it work in progress!

Friday lunchtimes in RBWM in January are all about litter picking!

Tessa, Rosie and Dave met me in a sunny but breezy Grenfell Park. Congrats Rosie on her first litter pick! Great to see Dave back for his second session too. Kudos to Tessa as well as this was her second good deed of the day, and another bingo box ticked off!

We found masses of litter! The usual bottles, snack packaging and vapes but also pots and pans, cosmetics, shoes, socks, bracelets, bike parts, train tickets and the book Dead Man Walking by Anne Cleve. The mix was definitely more eclectic than what we've found in other parks this month.

Meanwhile lots of other GoodGymers litter picked near their places of work or home.

I'm delighted to welcome Liv back for her second good deed with us (and 456th in total!) Her first was at our launch back in 2020, when she was working for GoodGym. She's now living a bit nearer so hopefully everyone will have the chance to meet her soon. Well done puppy Bagel, who joined Liv on her litter pick.

Lisa and Christine both found lots of litter in streets near their homes in Maidenhead and Viv and Angela did the same in Furze Platt, also with help from a furry friend - well done Flora!

Sol was inspired by Georgeta to carry a separate bag for recyclables and diverted lots of bottles and cans away from landfill. Georgeta did the same but also reported finding a football, a running shoe and a cider drinking glass.

Diya filled two bags on her lunchtime outing and was thanked by lots of passers-by, including someone who knew GoodGym from our sessions at Braywick Heath Plant Nurseries.

Well done team!

GoodGym crew Amy, Angela, Lisa and Tessa met up with PTA Chair Nick to make a start on clearing All Saints Junior School’s nature garden. It’s a large area and could be amazing, but it has been a bit neglected, and rumours abound about what may be buried there. Treasure? A fridge? Glue sticks? We set to work clearing one corner and soon had a huge pile of brambles and branches. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending how you look at it!) we didn’t dig up anything exciting - heavy machinery will need to be brought in for that! It was a very satisfying start and we look forward to helping out more as the project progresses.