It was freezing, it was wet, it was dark - and yet, in true GoodGym style, a brilliant crew gathered to run, graft and contribute to the community.

Despite our lucky charm being present, which usually guarantees dry conditions, the weather did not comply. So after a bit of persuasion we stepped out of the Town Hall for a brisk warm-up and then set off through the rain towards one of our regular tasks — a local school we know and love. We’ve been there plenty of times before, but this visit came with a well timed upgrade. For once, we were allowed inside.

Well… almost all of us.

Two absolute heroes remained outside to shovel woodchip in the rain — proving that some people are simply built different. Gus and Steph, take a (soggy) bow!

Inside, it was all hands on rollers and sandpaper. There were lots of different jobs to do, including

• Painting skirting boards in a sophisticated 'mushroom' shade
• Rolling walls like pros
• Sanding, prepping and testing knee joints
• Loo transformation by Alan and Lucy

There’s something deeply satisfying about a new paint job, it really makes a difference. An epic collective effort and Caretaker Claire was over the moon. The school needed to look tidy and properly cared for ahead of an upcoming Ofsted visit, and thanks to a high-energy GG visit in damp trainers, its now fresh, smart, and inspection-ready.

Meanwhile, in a herculean effort, Steph and Gus had managed to shovel the entirety of the woodchip into the wood so the kids can use the area again when they're back from half term. So impressive - next stop Barkley marathon?

Task complete, tools down, photo snapped — it was back out into the rain. We splashed our way back through the streets of Hounslow, earning ourselves the warmth that comes from a good deed well done (and the pub).

Massive kudos to everyone. Next week it's a visit to Comboni spiritual centre with Michelle, who I know will bring the sunshine!

Last night we were back at Strand on the Green school to help out with a huge wood staining job. There were huts to treat, there were sheds, there were tables and chairs - who wooden want to help out?

Headtorches on, we divided up into a leaf clearing and wood staining teams and got straight to work. With so many hands making light work, it didn't take too long to get all the structures done. So while the sweeping team carried on scooping up every last leaf, the staining teams moved over to the sensory garden to work on the weeds.

Thistles, bind weed and dandelions dispatched, the end of the session was signalled by....was that a donkey? Not a sound we expected to hear in the middle of Chiswick, but given our recent animal sightings nothing surprises us anymore.

We downed tools and went round the corner for our fitness session which last night was speed based. Learning what it feels like to run at different paces between 60 and 100 % effort helps us control our running, maximise efficiency and stamina and helps us understand just how much we have left to give at the end of a run, race or parkrun! We started off at 50% effort and slowly built up, trying to increase our speed by 10% each time. There was some impressively controlled running from the team last night, and some even more impressive turns of speed. Great work everybody!

Next week we're back at Chiswick House - hope to see you then!

With September on the horizon and the crunch of leaves underfoot, there were some proper back to school vibes at our task last night when we...er, went back to school.

Our job for the night was at Strand on the Green primary school, a place where we go and help out on a regular basis. However, unlike our normal visits, it was only as we got to the bridge near the entrance to the school did we find that the footbridge was closed! Luckily there was lots of local knowledge in the group and we soon opted for a slightly longer deviation.

We arrived to find loads of tools and armed with our set of instructions, we divided up into teams to tackle the various jobs. Emily, Maxime, Harvey, Matt and Jon got busy sanding down the metal trolleys so that they can be painted ready for the new term. It was painstaking work, but it's definitely going to breathe new life into the equipment.

Meanwhile Pippa was weeding and Michelle sweeping up the leaves and debris on the road, just as Eloise and Kymm snipped and pruned the hedge. Gus and Luis had the big guns out with the saw and trimmer, lopping off the tall sections of the overgrown bushes.

It's amazing what a team can achieve together. While everybody was working I was (trying) to work out how much time we would have saved the caretaker who manages the site. With 14 of us working for 45 minutes, that equates to 10.5 working hours - more than a full working day! What an impact.

There was just time to squeeze in a fitness session which featured AMRAP (as many reps as possible) and an abs based challenge based on the Oops Upside Your Head moves! (IFYYK)

This weekend there is a lovely mission to help support WLQP's birthday celebrations - sign up here and don't forget to fill in the form so they know you're coming. Next weeks it is our last visit to help Cultivate finish collecting up the leaves to turn them into mulch. The GG fun never stops!

Tonight we had people arriving by walking, cycling, and running, with Chris and Michelle leading us on the task. We were at one of our regular spots, Strand on the Green school, however tonight was a special occasion because it was Kymm's 50th good deed! Well done Kymm, you've made a huge difference to the local community in Hounslow and beyond, keep up the good work! Our mission was to cut back the overgrown bushes around the side of the school that were starting to obstruct the pavement, and give them a serious haircut. At first we were a bit reluctant because of their beautiful purple flowers, but then our hacking instincts took over and we attacked them with our usual vigour. We split the jobs of hacking and bagging up the offcuts and were done in good time. All in all a nice straightforward task successfully done!