Melissa, Lisa, Rosie and Sheila gathered at the community allotment on Good Friday evening. We filled the water butts behind the shed and then settled down to some other tasks. Lisa filled over the bean trench in bed 5 and picked out the stones, while Melissa weeded the bed at the end of the large shed, and again waged war on the stones. Meanwhile Sheila and Rosie started the task of digging out the roots where we had removed the shrubs at Wednesday's Goodgym session. Not an easy task! Let's just call it work in progress!

Five determined GoodGymmers met at the community allotment, ready to take on the challenges set by task leaders Sue and Pat. Armed with gloves, shovels and choppers, they eagerly tackled their to-do list.

Sheila and Christine took on the wild frontier—an area that had become a dumping ground for foliage and weeds. Like gardening warriors, they cleared out the rubbish, sliced through stubborn weeds, and revealed a fresh, tidy patch that’s now ready for planters to bring it to life.

Meanwhile, Viv, Tony, and Jess dug deep—literally! With precision and teamwork, they carved out trenches for runner beans, creating two in bed 7 and three around bed 5. But they didn’t stop there! To give the beans the best possible start, they lined the trenches with newspaper and topped them off with some rich, well-mulched manure. Those beans are in for a treat!

By the time the team packed up, the satisfaction was clear. The allotment had been spruced up, and their efforts will make life easier for the group and its future activities. Digging, teamwork, and a whole lot of chatting—mission accomplished!

4 Goodgymmers got on their bikes and cycled to the community allotment. Diya and Kanika took on the watering, hooking up the hose to the tap to fill the waterbutts. Meanwhile they watered all the fruit trees and any other plants they could find. Rosie and Sheila tackled the smelliest job, emptying the bags of horse manure into one of the compost bays so that it can mature over the summer. After doing some weeding, we also found time to fix Diya's saddle and take a photo of the four of us without taking a selfie. Modern technology is phenomenal!

It was the first session of the year at the Community Allotment, and we couldn't have picked a lovelier evening. Anna and Sheila set straight to work, tasked with freeing the fig plants from in amongst the weeds. We filled 3 trugs with cleavers, brambles and nettles, which did their best to fight back. The figs can now grow on, unimpeded. In the remaining time; we gave the raspberry beds a quick weed too

The community allotment task was cancellled so seven intrepid good gymers and a dog (Flora) set off in the sleet and snow to pick up rubbish. They searched gutters, delved high and low in hedges and scanned the green spaces to fill up five bags before returning to the meeting place. They celebrated with delicious marble chocolate cake baked by Jess before setting off for home!

10 Goodgymers made their way to the Maidenhead community allotment to help with numerous tasks including digging out and moving an apple tree and replanting a plum tree in its place

Firstly we welcomed the wonderful Reading Goodgym members who straight away got dug in and did a grape job of emptying the raised beds of soil ready for a new glass house to be installed in its place

A smaller but still perfectly formed group of t(h)ree started by digging out the apple tree and replanting it in the fruit triangle- they then dug a hole big enough to plant the plum tree. I appleause them for their hard (apple) core work

Once the fruit trees had been relocated everyone peeled over to the fruit triangle to start to remove brambles and nettles.

Satisfied with our nights work we made our way home. Until next time