Green Gym…

This afternoon the volunteer gardeners were at work in The Walled Garden at Chadkirk. Out in the fresh air of a June day, in an idyllic setting, a gentle pleasure, in fine company. And the added satisfaction of helping to create a little bit of beauty and harmony in this quiet corner of Stockport.

This is a busy time in the garden. In a space like this one, at this time of the year, some of the plants that we don’t want are growing faster than the ones we do, so the team have plenty to do pulling up weeds from the beds and tidying around the edges. Each volunteer does their bit. Each person comes to garden when they can and as a result the garden is there for all to enjoy.

Before the restoration project and the gardening of the Friends of Chadkirk, this place was dishevelled and forlorn, overrun with brambles, nettles and weeds. Without the team of volunteers, the weeds would win and the garden would be lost again.

A little bit of moving around in the open air, stretching, hoeing, weeding, planting. Good for the heart and lungs, connecting with community and landscape, with friends and with green. Movement and growth. In a peaceful setting. Uplifting. Benefits for mind and body. And after the team head off home, the tranquility and beauty remain…