What started as a simple mission to move a stack of logs at a community allotment quickly escalated into one of those productive missions where finishing the original task just opens the door to three more. Our brief was to clear a log pile so that Lisa could get to a fence, eventually to remove it and install a gate. With four GoodGymmers on the case, we made such short work of the logs that the various creepy-crawlies suddenly finding themselves exposed to daylight barely had time to lodge a complaint! With the logjam thoroughly broken, we moved on to taking down the fence itself, clearing a patch of weeds, and generally making ourselves useful around the plot.

Along the way, Lisa’s thorough plant knowledge kept us entertained and educated. Highlights included discovering that magnolia flowers are edible and that bindweed - usually the villain of the allotment world - can be woven into baskets. As if that wasn't enough, Lisa made each volunteer a personalised rustic bouquet from a wonderfully varied selection of plants growing on the site, including lavender, yarrow and rosemary. The final reward came in the form of a bumper blackberry harvest, with enough gorgeously ripe fruit to spark serious conversations about jam-making as well as bramble crumble. We left with bouquets in hand, tubs full of blackberries, and the unmistakable scent of pure summer in our nostrils. A berry successful task indeed!