The roads were glistening white, our fingers were growing blue but our tshirts were red and that means one thing - it's GoodGym Hounslow night!

There was no doubt that the temperature has plummeted which made the prospect of an outside task not particularly inviting. But we had a job to do, and nothing was going to stop us!

We ran down to Strand on the Green school to finish off a job that we have been working on for several sessions. After sanding down the benches in the middle of the school field it was now time to stain them with wood protector.

We located the tins of preserver, grabbed our brushes and got to work.

Gus showcased his speed staining moves, Emily was flipping benches like a pro, Chris was popping the tops of the tins and the whole scene was a blur of activity. After 40 minutes of hard work, the complete set of seven benches was done and ready for winter. It just goes to show that with the right motivation we are highly efficient!

Sub zero temperatures meant that, for once, fitness was not on the cards. Plus we had already had a good workout with all that quick painting and trying to keep warm! So we raced back to base, did some stretches (important when it's cold to prevent injuries) and headed to the toasty pub.

Net week we're back at Chiswick House and there is also a great upcoming mission to rewild the river] (https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/rewild-the-river). Happy GoodGyming everyone!

On the third visit to Mrs H, Luis and JP finished the major job of clearing the ivy from the garden fence. We had already pulled all the ivy down on the last visit, so this time it was all about chopping it up and getting it into 3 green waste bins Mrs H had borrowed from her neighbours.

This we managed to do, as well as collecting the fallen apples from the lawn and having a nice cup of tea courtesy of Mrs H!

Foodbox was a hive of activity today, Kc and I were given the challenge of bagging up as many of the donated tea bags as we could in the 2 hour session.

Goodgymers like a challenge and we managed to bag up the stock of tea into two crates, ready to go into the Bags of Best Wishes for families and individuals in need.

Alan, Chris, Tish and Gus met at Baron's Pond on Saturday morning. After a short wait wondering if the task was still happening, their saviour arrived! Tools in hand and instructions given, it was time to help clear it all up!

Tish went litter picking diligently in the most obscure corners of the little reserve. Finding things of different culinary interests, let's say.

Alan and Chris, loppers in hand, cleared up a whole overgrown section next to the pond. Meanwhile, Gus assisted by one of the local volunteers (and his two sweet doggos) was tasked with clearing out the tree capony to allow space for a little oak to grow.

Cutting amassed quickly and by the end of the task, the pile of green waste had doubled in size and two bags of trash was also picked up.

A job well done once more!

Shopping for Mr K, featuring 2 blocks of cheese.

It's hard to believe that GoodGym Hounslow is a whole eight years old! Yet, with

5,426 good deeds

completed, we've certainly got a lot to show for it!

Over the years we've planted more bulbs that we can count, cleared more bags of rubbish than you can shake a litter pick at, and pulled an unimaginable amount of weeds. Not to mention all the miles we've covered!

We were treated to an indoor task last night (it was our birthday after all) which was just as well as the temperature was definitely dropping. So after a very short run we arrived at the church and community centre on Sutton Court Rd for a big painting job.

We were met by Carol who handed out brushes, and without any dilly-Dali-ing around we got straight into it. There were some excellent fashion choices on display, with the soon to be patented 'bin bag chic' range.

With no tape on hand for neat edges and some patchy paint we had a challenge on our hands, but I would say we did an Emin-entely good job. It just shows what you can do with a Kandin(sky) attitude. Ok, that one didn't work...

Job done, we headed off for Turnham Green, where Michelle debuted her excellent GoodGym Hounslow pass the parcel. Cue the music! Whilst doing squats and other conditioning exercises we passed the parcel, which was stuffed with sweets and questions such as 'who has done all the parkruns within the M25' and fiendish anagrams of past tasks. It was Tish who finally won the prize, which was full of amazing things like magnetic race number fasteners. What a bonus!

We just had time for an egg and spoon race and a ball between the knees relay which showcased some amazing techniques, before retiring to the pub for cake and memories.

Amazing to see all we've achieved over the last eight years, all the friendships made and the good done in the community. Happy Birthday and here's to you GoodGym Hounslow, and long may it continue!