Level-hedged

It's been three weeks since the closure of Perivale Park Golf Club to repurpose the area for rewilding and expand Perivale Park into a larger public space. When Harvey and Kash took a 15-minute walk from their earlier task, they stepped into what was to become the first regional park in West London. As they strolled off-track through the grass, they marvelled at fields of daisies and dandelions that had appeared when the golfers departed the site.

"I've been living in Ealing for twenty-odd years and never walked across this golf course." - Harvey

It seemed as if the exciting idea of the regional park started becoming true. The challenging part of pursuing the dream was maintenance. Jamie, the Ranger from the Ealing Council Parks and Open Spaces team, was hoping for some volunteer help to manage the summer growth at the newly opened park. Richard from Ealing Greenwayers was keen to make it happen, organising a task with a group of eager GoodGymers.

After Harvey and Kash arrived at the Perivale Park Cafe, they reunited with Sevan and Steph Ducat who opted for a run between tasks, and Richard who drove to the location with the tools. He had a selection of brand-new loppers and a thick rope with him. The team used two discarded trash bins and the rope to mark the desired height of a pyracantha hedge that needed trimming down. Their task was to cut enough of the hedge to reveal the view of the new Perivale Park from the old golf club cafe. It was a challenging job as the hedge was pretty long and thorny.

"This is nasty stuff!" - Harvey
"It is a rottweiler of hedges." - Richard

Undeterred by the spikiness of pyracantha and armed with thick gloves, the GoodGymers kept chopping and pulling the branches, while Richard was collecting and taking away the trimmings. One hour later, the magnificent view of the meadow was revealed.

Two older gentlemen, the former golf club members - although unhappy about losing their local space for activity - thanked Richard and GoodGymers for their work at the hedge.

"I liked to sit at the cafe and watch the golfers. Now I can sit and watch... the walkers!" - one of the golfers.

Having cleared all the cuttings, the team of five sat down at one of the cafe tables in the sun for a chat and cold drinks, and then the GoodGymers ran or walked to enjoy the rest of their Sunday afternoon - be it a training run, a late lunch out or a shower!

Join us for another session with Richard and Ealing Greenwayers in July - sign up here. The tasks are short, rewarding and in a friendly atmosphere - and running is not a requirement!