Tough session for Hazel and Ben helping out at Dial Park allotments on a sunny Sunday morning.

The allotment community is hoping to spruce up the pond area that has been left to go wild, but Alison suggested it can be made more shallow and shaped to be smaller to help the wildlife and for easier long-term maintenance.

With a tonne of rubble delivered, our task was to use as much of this as possible to fill in the gaps and line the perimeter of the pond with bags of rocks.

Along with Laura from the allotment group, we dug and dug to pile the rubble high where it was needed, along with some smashed concrete that was going spare. Hazel meanwhile shifted hefty bags of rocks into place to provide a retaining wall for keeping the pond in place.

Well aided by a cuppa and a chocolate biscuit, we made really good progress and certainly flattened out the pile of rubble. We'll be aching tomorrow morning I think.