Abingdon Green Gym Blog

Blog by Sally.  Photos by Julio, Margaret and Sally On a sunny May morning, we returned to one of our favourite sites, Sunningwell Village, near Abingdon.  We had perfect weather for working.  We assembled in the Village Hall car park where we met Bob Evans, who explained the tasks that he wanted us to do.  With sixteen of us, we were able to separate into those who wished to work in or around the village pond, and those who wanted to work on the village green. Waders were donned by those who were keen to clear the islands of vegetation as it had become so overgrown, you couldn't tell that there were two little islands in the middle.  We had been told to be mindful of any nesting birds and especially the mallards who had raised two broods already this year.  Other tasks around the pond involved cutting back vegetation from the pathway at the back and around the spring that feeds the pond, as well as some of the trees, including a lovely guelder rose that ha...

Jarn Field was a new site for us, situated beyond Jarn Mound and the sunken garden, with The Ridgeway running parallel to the far end.   A good number of us met at the end of Jarn Way on this fine, sunny Saturday. We made our way to the field, where Rod d'Ayala met us. He explained the tasks, which were to clear a pile of woodchip into the ditch; to scythe some bramble; to cut back low, overhanging branches from the trees between the field and the road, and to uproot small oak saplings, which were popping up around the edges of the field.      Collected material It is a popular dog walking area, and passers-by must have thought it odd when we told them what we were doing, as, these days, we are being told to plant trees absolutely everywhere. However, left to itself, the meadow would become oak scrub, then oak woodland. We set to work, Sally scything, several people raking and barrowing the woodchip into the ditch.  Some of us tackled the overhanging branch...

  Blog by Eleanor, photos by Julio and Kevin This was a special event, not on our usual Green Gym day. We had received an invitation to meet Layla Moran, M.P. for Oxford West and Abingdon, to publicise the launch of the Healthy Ageing Inquiry report. Layla is chair of the Parliamentary Select Committee, which prepared the report. We decided that our best option was to hold the event at the Town end of the Ock Path, where we could  finish renewing the woodchip path, a task we had been unable to complete in April due to insufficient woodchip. View of the northern branch of the Ock Six Green Gymmers arrived for this event, and we started work shovelling woodchip into the wheelbarrow, pushing it along, tipping it out and raking it, tasks at which we are very skilled. Ursula and Carolyn with shovels Ursula and Carolyn loading woodchip We were joined by Dr Muir Gray, medical adviser for the report, Victoria from BBC radio Oxford and Layla herself with her assistant, Ed. Victoria int...