New and old mission runners, Elaine and Patrick, joined forces to give Mrs M much better access to her garden and more light in her home after hacking down and bagging FIVE HUGE BAGS of thistles, over-grown grass and weeds

Mrs M used to enjoy maintaining her garden but is no longer fit and well enough to do this herself - after the recent spells of sun and heavy rain the garden had grown rather wild and unwelcoming. Mrs M has been advised to get out for some fresh air but her overgrown garden was not accessible ... that it is until GoodGym came to the rescue.

Mrs M and her neighbour provided a really warm welcome and provided us with gloves, bags and tools to tackle the small jungle. We turned down cups of tea (still not sure whether this can cool you down on a hot day) and got stuck in. This was Elaine's first mission and a real toughie, but she said how much she liked hacking away at plants.

Knotorious BIG nuisance

Alas, the garden is being taken over by Japanese knotweed, a pretty but persistent plant which is notoriously difficult to remove. We had agreed at outset not to touch it.

Thistle while you work

Elaine grabbed the shears and went straight for the thistles at the back; she has no fear! I started up the tunes (no Savage Garden, though!) and was grateful for the thick leather gloves when bagging up the prickly green waste. There was so much of it, though, and it reached to the back of the garden. We also tackled the overgrown grass and some weeds (being careful to avoid the knotweed, obvs).

We didn't whistle but we had great chats about running, how we got into volunteering, lifestyles of the rich and famous, ice cream and seeking contentment. Deep stuff!

Time flies when you're having pun

We had to keep an eye on the clock but also on the ants and the snails. Apparently there were mice, too.

After a couple of switches and bagging up breaks it was already time to make life a tree and leaf.

We'd (carefully) bagged FIVE HUGE bags of green waste and Mrs M was over the moon and ever so grateful - there was plenty more light in her house and there was much better access to half the garden. Well done to Elaine on her first mission and a toughie, too!

It's KNOT over yet

There still remains a significant amount of thistles to cut down and we also hope Mrs M will find a solution to the knotweed so that she can have full access to her lovely garden this summer (though ironically and typically British, it has rained all day today!)