Well we all wanted some rain for the gardens but definitely not for the gazebos. Laura and Rob were a definite asset as we were tasked with shifting some gazebos down onto Riverside Park. A very organised bunch of volunteers we were helped by good pre-planning from the TriFest team. We were prepared for some rain but perhaps not the deluge which started the festival off in true British style! Luckily we were able to enjoy the good music from lots of local musicians and the sun came out and treated everyone to a beautiful afternoon and evening. Rob and Steph were able to pop back later for the closing down session and another good workout getting all the packed gazebos up the slope and into the garage.

What a relief to have a cooler day for today's task joining the Friends of Southampton Old Cemetery FoSOC on their monthly session. Lucy and I got stuck in with the regular volunteers tackling rampant brambles, clearing around some gravestones. We certainly didn't mind the odd shower although rain did stop play at 11.45 but we managed to fill plenty of large bags. They always offer refreshments at their hub in the old chapel which are most welcome when you are a tad damp.

A great session with Friends of Portswood Rec trying to cut out as much bramble as we could from the hedges to keep on top of it. We started early at 8.30 am to beat the heat as it was forecasted 29+ that day. Two full bags so a great success although I should have remembered that the Mahonia bush is just as prickly as the brambles. Next time longer sleeves and perhaps not climbing inside the hedge might help.

Its amazing how much woodchip you can move when everybody "chips" in 😊

We had the task of woodchipping a path that runs around the edge of the farm - with the instruction of "put plenty on" - so thats what we did! We also weeded an area and woodchipped that too!

No lovely Richard on hand this evening to share his knowledge, but really pleased that he was able to have an evening off and GoodGym were able to successfully complete the task.

Awesome work Barrow Buddies - thankyou 👍