Saturday 11th October
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Report written by George Ttoouli (he/him)
Four Goodgymmers rocked up in Totteridge to Grow, the farm by Totteridge Academy. The plan was to see how many of the 32 holes we could dig in 90min for the cement for their new polytunnel's posts.
Each hole needed to be 50cm square and 60cm deep. I foolishly suggested we aim for 4 holes each. We got stuck in - Alefiya, who joined us for the first time, plus regulars Subham and Kubilay. Grow had a team of 3, as Chris, the farm manager, was busy with a family event at the other end of the field.
We started by measuring out and setting the posts (which promptly had to be readjusted) with sledgehammers. Then we took up spades and started digging. And found out just how hard digging 60cm holes actually is! One spade down and we were through topsoil into clay. One side of the clay was full of flint, and dry. The other side wetter, so heavier. An excellent workout, but we only put a small dent in the overall work, between the seven us only digging around 9 holes.
We all stayed past the 90min mark to try and do as much as we could, and the Grow team will carry on digging a few more holes this week, but they've asked us if we can come back next weekend for another round.
Sign up here for next Saturday!
It's a great area to visit - near the Dollis Valley Greenwalk and some nice routes through the back of Woodside/Totteridge. Well worth a Saturday run or cycle!
Based at our host farm, The Totteridge Academy in Barnet, GROW is a life skills education programme that engages young people with nature, teaches them about nutrition and wellbeing, and provides a sustainable source of food for schools and the local community.
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Help preserve a historic centre for the community