Ground Force meets the NYRP

(Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project - page 1)

To see enlarged pictures click on any the "picture strips" below

The Ground Force Team cross "the pond" and develop a wasteland plot in Manhattan as part of Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project. Bette has been buying up land in New York for some time and already has five acres divided into sixty small sites. Charlie also visits the Ground Zero site, just 20 blocks away, and reflects on the fact that casualties of the 11th September 2001 atrocity were from many nations, including England and the rest of the UK.

The Team - Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock, Tommy Walsh and Will Shanahan

Charlie Dimmock makes a tour of Manhattan harbour

Surveying the devastation at Ground Zero

With help from AmeriCorps volunteers, the New York Restoration Project's (NYRP) aim is to put green areas back into residential parts of the city. The rest of the team arrive later (picture 1 below) and meet the director Brian Sahd and the president of the NYRP's Garden Trust. The site once housed a four storey apartment building but is now just rubble, residential debris and a decaying cajita, or summer house. This eventually gets painted in "Ground Force blue" or as Alan refers to it, "Bette Midler blue!"

After showing his drawings to Brian, Alan gets unceremoniously removed from the site. Pretty strong woman that Charlie Dimmock! Michael (picture 3) is the driver of the cement lorry and makes giant Tommy look pretty small in comparison. Tommy is 6ft 5in and has a 48" chest. Charlie meanwhile is 5ft 6in and has a 36B chest (in case you're interested). Most men are!

Alan Titchmarsh shows his drawings to NYRP staff

Down to the serious stuff. One of many paths.

Charlie finds the wheelbarrows dreadfully balanced with bits sticking out at the front. These jab into the ground over bumps, whereas Charlie just bounces! Meanwhile the crossbar continually grazes the shins. Michael gives Charlie the ultimate compliment- "You impress the hell out me girl. I don't know too many guys who can hold a wheelbarrow the way you do." Even so, one of these unstable wheelbarrows manages to get the better of Charlie, but not for long.

It's not only the barrows that bounce over bumps!

One of the barrows gets the better of Charlie

Not the usual high quality Ground Force tools

Michael had hoped to drop the load of concrete and depart, but the truck was too big for the entrance and the concrete all had to be barrowed to where it was needed. The job took four hours. Charlie considered Michael the real star of day one and he relished his five minutes of TV fame. Alan tamps down the chippings into the new concrete and Charlie feels the heat. It's 99 degrees Fahrenheit and there's high humidity, not the usual Ground Force weather. Willy gets the chance of a speaking part in this Ground Force special. Is he being groomed to take over from Tommy when Alan leaves the team?

The chippings need embedding quickly because of the heat

Charlie feels the heat - rare when filming in the UK

| Ground Force Meets the NYRP - page 2 | | Pictures of Tommy Walsh |

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