There was a fantastic turn-out of volunteers today at the Swansea Canal Centre, made all the more amazing by the appalling weather – torrential rain all morning. We truly are an amazing bunch!

The only dry task was in the storeroom where John Gw, Christina and Moira sorted, organised and labelled the contents of the shelves. A place for everything and everything in its place – let’s hope it stays that way.

Andy cleared willow and weed from the canal. A job he had started three weeks ago – you mustn’t rush these things!

Far and away the biggest – and wettest – task for the day was to continue creating the paths and bases for the community garden. Lance led a team on the base nearer to the Centre. A bit more digging and the addition of an expansion strip followed by mixing and laying huge amounts of concrete took all morning, but the job is now done. We covered everything with tarpaulins to protect against the rain until the concrete is set.

A second team, with Alan at the helm, dug out the path leading to the second base and completed the shuttering. Hopefully, the weather will be better when we lay the concrete next week.

Tea was taken in the dry of the storeroom. Christina’s cheese scones and cakes were delicious and a warm drink was most welcome.

Work continued after tea. We concluded that we couldn’t get any wetter so might as well finish the jobs. Well done everyone. Talk about triumphing in the face of adversity! It’s worth noting that our beloved leader kept an eye on proceedings from the warmth and comfort of Mexico. It’s good to know he cares about his minions.