Abingdon Green Gym Blog

Ten of us turned up this morning at the town end of the Ock River Path, a number of us being absent due to a choir event happening elsewhere. Today’s session here, led by Eleanor, was hot on the heels of our previous visit when we’d laid the path with woodchip. We made our way along it, admiring our handiwork, loaded up with tools, tarpaulin and tea things to set up base in the usual spot. Eleanor gave us a variety of tasks: to cut back the overgrown vegetation around the young trees we’ve planted in recent years, thereby allowing them light and nutrients; to pull up goose grass and nettles, but leaving islands for wildlife; to clear up fallen branches and to pick up litter. Some dog mess had been spotted on our way in and thankfully Carolyn had some spare poo bags in her pocket, after recently inheriting a dog from a neighbour. Once we’d got that cleared up we were ready to go! It was a beautiful spring day, with fresh leaves on the trees and everything bright, verdant an...

A robust eighteen green gymmers turned up at today’s session at the town end of the Ock River Path. We made our way in sunshine and birdsong to our usual riverside base where our leader, Margaret, gave us our tasks. The priority was woodchipping the path, and two big piles of woodchip had been left by the town council, one at each end, ready for spreading. Other than that, there was litter picking and, in theory, tidying up the vegetation where we saw it was necessary. Once we’d decided how best to proceed (bringing the woodchip to the middle of the path, and making our way out towards the ends) we cracked on with great efficiency, some of us wheelbarrowing and dragbagging the woodchip, others raking it evenly over the surface. And with so many of us, we’d completed the whole thing by break time. After tea and biscuits, a quick update of the tea and coffee list by Sally, and some general chit chat, we decided that we might as well go home, especially since we’ll be returning h...

This was our first visit of the 2019 programme to Sunningwell, where we have been working for three years now. A total of fourteen Green Gymmers assembled in the village car park, where, led by Margaret we met with Bob Evans who lives locally and co-ordinates our work here. As usual at this location, a variety of tasks were on offer. The pond required clearing of weed, the wall of the church was to be cleared of ivy and other vegetation and the village green demanded attention in several areas.  We thus divided into sub teams and got stuck in.  James donned a set of waders and entered the pond with a couple of local volunteers, while Margaret and Sally assisted from the perimeter, dragging out dead reeds and weed and putting into piles, while taking care not to disturb the resident duck who is nesting on the island in the middle! Later Graham arrived with a wheelbarrow to transport the debris over to the cuttings pile on the green. Meanwhile Kate and Lesley, who were jo...