Today I was back helping Ms V with her beautiful garden. As I was more familiar this time I was able to get going with the tasks that Ms V talked me through. I started by chopping back a bit more of the huge fig tree to be able to access underneath it. Then I dug out a type of weed, the brambles, and the ivy. At the back of the garden was more weeding, as well as taking some of the home made compost and putting it around the bottom of the apple tree to help it grow. Once I had started working on the brambles I started to find more and more, and they were very thorny! Thankfully my gloves were mostly thorn proof. I used the shears to cut the long bits of the grass that I didn't manage to mow last time, and then finished off my cutting off the dead heads of the rose bush. All that was left to do was to deposit all the cuttings into the green bin out the front, and I was off on my way, with a very grateful Ms V thanking me for the help.

AJ and Emily arrived at the church and met the food bank volunteers who explained the jobs that needed doing and a bit about the service that is provided. Emily initially got stuck into carrying through the chairs from the church room to the reception area where people would be coming in to have a cup of tea and wait for their selection of food that would be brought to them. We set up lots of small tables with little table clothes and two or three chairs set around them in a cafe style so it would be welcoming and relaxing for people to spend some time there. Then the main job was setting up the back room where the donated food was being delivered to and unpacked. First we had to bring big tables through and set these up, and then we could arrange the food on them. The system was that there would be pickers with a list so that they could come and put together a bag of food and bring it out to the people it is for. AJ has helped in many food banks in the past so had a brilliant suggestion of turning the tins on their side with the labels up so that the pickers can easily see what they are grabbing, plus you could fit more in the crate that way. Another job was cutting some of the bigger loaves of bread that had been donated by Gail's into halves so that they could be distributed to more people. We donned our blue gloves and got to work - Emily cutting and AJ bagging them up individually. After this room was all set up and the empty crates stacked up ready to be taken away, we had finished the task. All the food bank volunteers made us feel very welcome and we left them well prepared.

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!

This was a marathon hacking task. The small garden essentially just needed hacking and clearing. First I tackled the remnants of last year's hacking that had never been bagged up and taken away, which was a big job itself as it was all tangled up dead vibes that needed to be prized apart before being able to shove in the bags. Then it was a case of tearing up as many weeds and hacking back as much of the plants around the edge as I could manage in the time. I managed to get it mostly cleared although ran out of time to make it look really neat and tidy. But Ms D and her daughter were pretty impressed with how much I got done, if I do say so myself!! A very fun, sweaty and satisfying job.

Last night saw us return to the stunning grounds of Chiswick House & Gardens, a beautiful space that runs as a charity and is completely free for all to enjoy — a real West London gem.

We kicked things off with a warm-up in the evening sunshine, and took a moment to give a huge congratulations to our racers from last weekend — well done Alan, Michelle, and Florian for smashing it out there!

Limbered up, we made our way to the gardens to meet the rest of the GG crew. After gathering tools and (eventually!) locating the elusive pile of mulch, we figured out exactly where it needed to go and got to work.

We quickly developed a well-oiled system of shovelling, barrow-shifting, and spreading, transforming the space slowly but steadily. It was great to be back helping out a local spot that brings so much joy to the community.

Once the tools were down, we found a lovely patch of grass for a post-task fitness session. Things kicked off with a playful warm-up (with some varied results!) before moving into a session focused on balance for runners — both challenging and hopefully fun.

All in all, it was a perfect summer’s evening spent doing good and getting fit.

If you're hungry for more GoodGym action this weekend, why not check out the mission at Waterman’s Park – a great way to get out and enjoy the local area!