Seven Richmond GGers gathered at on Riverside Drive on a warm Saturday morning for our monthly mission to maintain the natural habitat of the Ham Lands for the benefit of flora, fauna and the folks who love to spend time there.

As usual Sharon was there with a group of the Friends of Ham Lands, and gave our briefing. This time, our task was to clear the area around an apple tree of brambles, and cut down a patch of sycamore suckers growing nearby.

Now GG Richmond members are not strangers to brambles and we know their ways. But this session’s enemy was up for the fight - fielding some of the longest, thickest and spikiest specimens of their number in their bid to hold their territory.

No match for us or the new tools supplied by Sharon though. We set to work, cutting swathes through the enemy and piling them up ready to be bagged and dragged to a nearby compost area.

Of course we bore the scars of the campaign, with plenty of yelps signalling another casualty in the form of a scratch to a leg or an arm left uncovered in the warm weather. But the battle scars only made us more proud of the victory. Our efforts also paid off with the discovery of a plant not seen in several years!

The sycamores put up less resistance, and will go on to serve the community by adorning a fence recently built from larger, thicker branches.

Our next session on the Ham Lands is here: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/helping-the-happy-ham-landers-bd191a17-5b00-42da-ae77-5a8eed086ac4