Pinch, punch, first of the month AND first community mission for GoodGym Swindon at Penhill Haven!

On a drizzly December morning, we paid our third visit to the community wildlife garden to help Glynis with the planting of a new hedgerow along the north fence boundary of the Haven. We also planted some fantastically festive holly, and some slight scarification!

Two intrepid GoodGymers gathered for the mission. Mike who had cycled from West Swindon, and Simon who had come straight from volunteering at Swindon parkrun that morning. We were also occasionally helped by Glynis’ friendly rescue dog Suki.

After a quick run down of what we needed to get done, we dug straight in.

Halfway through planting the hedgerow, we met a real slippery customer...

A frog!

As Simon dug, the frog hopped out of the undergrowth and headed past us towards a pile of long grass. A lovely surprise, and a real reminder of how tasks like this are appreciated by wildlife as well as people.

After a couple of hours of burrowing and burying holly and hedges, we had a brilliant line of saplings ready to take root. It will be great at our next task at Penhill Haven to see how they’ve bedded in!

We eventually said our goodbyes and, having got a bit lost on the way to the Haven, Mike cycled away, trying to remember the ROOT home.

We’re back in Penhill on Tuesday night Group Run to Deliver Flyers to households to encourage residents to become Prospect Hospice ‘box holders’. Why don’t you join us?