This work is part of a longer-running effort we’ve been carrying out over the past few months to open up access and bring sunlight back to Coston’s Brook, with the added benefit of creating more space for hart’s-tongue fern and other woodland plants. On this visit, volunteers spent the day chopping, trimming and clearing brambles, hawthorn and tangled vegetation, bringing us to about a third of the way along the watercourse — and the work is already making a real difference.

Volunteers from Friends Of Grove Farm — Debra and Joe were joined by Good Gym Ealing volunteers Kash, Steph, Afshin, Sevan and Gus. The woodland offered welcome relief from the heat, reminding us how vital these green spaces are for keeping local temperatures down while providing a calm, shaded environment to work in.

Along the way, we uncovered some unexpected remnants hidden in the undergrowth: a birdcage, baby cot, table, pallet, bathroom tile and a collection of old glass vessels. Strange finds from an abandoned camp hidden within the vegetation.

Together, the team opened up around 20 metres of brook bank and established a new path, making previously inaccessible areas reachable.

This work is essential. Without access, we can’t manage the habitats that make Grove Farm so special, and there is still plenty more to do.