THE Times and Independent Series news team today donned gardening gloves and had their shears at the ready for Mitzvah Day.

The team helped the British Trust of Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) with a project in Coldfall Wood, Muswell Hill, by coppicing goat willow and clearing saplings along a pathway.

The project was selected from more than 20 projects put forward in a competition launched in September to find a worthy cause for the journalists as part of the Jewish-led annual good deeds day.

The winner was decided by a judging panel that included Finchley and Golders Green MP Mike Freer and founder of Mitzvah Day Laura Marks.

Last year, the news team helped at Meryfield Community Primary School, Theobald Street, Borehamwood, by creating a garden.

Michael Bury, community project officer at the BTCV, said: “It’s been absolutely brilliant to have the Times and Independent Series Mitzvah Day team here.

"It has really been beneficial to the woodland and all the hard work has opened up an area that will help regenerate trees.

“It has also created a lot more light, so a lot of the seedlings and smaller plants will now have a chance to grow, which will be really beneficial to woodland habitat.

“Mitzvah Day is a really important day and vital for people, especially younger people, to give back to the community they live in and to get them working, especially in conservation areas including parks and green spaces.

“Thank you very much to the team who worked very hard today. We hope others will learn about what we do here and want to help us in the long term."

Times and Independent Series group editor Martin Buhagiar added: "We really enjoyed ourselves. The weather was kind and we are all delighted with what we achieved. I am proud that we were able to play our part in Mitzvah Day. Carrying out good deeds can be very rewarding."

To volunteer for BTCV, contact Michael on 0208 348 6005 or email m.bury@bctv.org.uk

For more details about Mitzvah Day, log on to www.mitzvahday.org.uk