Wednesday 6th May 2026 - West Wight Sports Centre, Freshwater GG #1079

 Terry's photos

We returned to the West Wight this week for only the second time this year.  This time we were at West Wight Sports Centre, last visited a year ago.  We were asked to help manage the beds and borders surrounding the site.  The team set to work and cleared weeds, trimmed shrubs and had a good tidy up. 

The Sports Centre is a vital part of the community, and it was very busy – a lot of people passed by and were kind enough to comment on our work.  We were also visited by three ex GG-ers – it was great to see them and have a catch up.

Thank you to WWSC for the refreshments and to Terry for the photos.

Wednesday 29th April 2026 - Play Lane Millennium Green, Ryde GG #1078

 Terry's photos

A really beautiful morning – we enjoyed the warm sun dappling through the new green of the leaves and lots of birdsong.  There were several jobs lined up for us by the Trustees of PLMG.

The pendulous sedge is beginning to overtake the area around the pond at the bottom of the site, so we were asked to remove as much of it as possible – this will be an ongoing task as it self-seeds readily.  There was a pathway which had been created as a result of the work undertaken through the winter and it needed blocking off.  As can be seen in the photo a habitat pile/dead hedge was created to solve this problem. 

Two of the Trustees strimmed the green area parallel to the bridleway and the grass cuttings were raked up and used as a mulch in the hedgerow.  The canes that remained in the hedgerow from its initial planting were also removed.   

Close to the ‘mother’ oak tree in the middle of the woodland was an area that had become very boggy.  The water courses through PLMG alter and possibly as a result of other work we had done this area was now very wet.  The team got to work and dug trenches and lay pipes to help divert the water through the area. 

Thank you to Terry for the photos and to Rose (PLMG Trustee) for the biscuits.

Wednesday 22nd April 2026 - The Duver & Priory Bay, St Helens GG #1077

 Terry's photos

We battled a Force 6 wind this week on our visit to the Duver and Priory Bay, St Helens, to undertake another litter pick.  The wind meant we had to keep a tight hold on our rubbish bags!  As is our custom we started on the Duver.  Some areas had been cleared of gorse and undergrowth over the winter period and, unsurprisingly, there was quite a lot of litter caught beneath the remnants of the plants.  After tea break, we moved onto the beach where a survey for the Marine Conservation Society was conducted over a 100 metre stretch.  GG-ers then moved along to Priory Bay.  Along with the usual plastic rubbish and glass we found long lengths of fishing rope – some of which may be re-purposed.  At the end of the session, the rubbish was removed by Brighstone Landscaping.

Thanks go to Baywatch on the Beach Café for sponsoring this session, Brighstone Landscaping for rubbish collection and to Terry for the photos.

 

Wednesday 15th April 2026 - Mountbatten Hospice, Newport (Part 2) GG #1076

 Terry's photos

We returned to Mountbatten Hospice this week to continue helping the garden team with the management of their lovely site.  The GG team split into two groups.  One group returned to the new flowerbed created last week and continued clearing the ground.  It was hard work!  Large stones, debris, bindweed and bramble roots were dug out.  Towards the end of the session cardboard was laid down to help keep the area weed free until planting starts.  The second group worked on a beech hedge which was planted as a screen in an area between clinic rooms and bedrooms to help maintain privacy. 

Thank you to Mark for funding the session and to the Mountbatten Garden Team for providing the refreshments.