A whopping 9 GG Yorkies turned out on a Thursday night join the volunteers of St Nicks in bashing some balsam.

Maria from St Nick's wasn't sure how much balsam there would be on the banks of Tang Hall beck, so she had brought along some plug plants (several different types of wort) that we could plant too.

Carl immediately got stuck in to clearing some ground on the bank to plant the plugs. Meanwhile the experienced balsam bashers confidently led the balsam virgins around the other side of the bank for a lesson in how to recognise Himalayan Balsam. It was there that we met our first hurdle... we couldn't see any balsam! Fortunately, it was Maria to the rescue, whose experienced eye picked the only sprig for metres around. It looked like we were on for a game of hunt the balsam before it could get bashed!

Across the other side of the bank, Tom arrived, clasping a paper map to his handlebars - he'd failed to read the event details and turned up at St Nick's ready for action. Let that be a lesson to you all! Fortunately Jonathan was on hand to mark out our location on an old fashioned map and sent him in the right direction. He joined Carl in the mission to plant all the plugs.

While the rest of the gang picked their way through nettles along the bank, Debs and I moved closer to the water's edge to see if we could spot our prize there. We quickly decided that the best strategy was to get in the beck, so we donned a pair of oversized waders each and took the plunge. Just as we entered the water, Emily arrived to join us for her 50th good deed! Make sure you give her a big cheer and look out for her wearing a black t-shirt and the celebratory Cape of Good Deeds, soon, on a group run near you.

By the time we'd walked through the beck as far as the rest of the group, not finding very much balsam on the way, everyone was holding a modest bunch of the invasive stuff. There was some there after all, but most of it was still baby balsam so we had to part the nettles and look really hard to find it all.

We spent a happy hour hunting, chatting and listening to Huw and Mitch mock each others' heights (which are at opposite ends of the spectrum). I was particularly pleased to find an almost fully grown balsam to pull up.

I've found a big one! (Leanne)

Size doesn't matter (Mitch)

Job done, we went our separate ways and are looking forward to doing it all again (in a different location) next week.If you want to join in, sign up here