Wed 27th May at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
We had multiple jobs to do at Strand on the Green School last night — finishing off painting the nursery, moving a huge terrace-full of old furniture and toys down the stairs to the skip, and hedge cutting. Three different jobs, three skill sets, no problem.
We ran over to the task where we met caretaker Clare and got straight to work. Michelle, Breda, Lucy and Emily tackled the nursery painting, Jon, Kash, Maxime, Chris, Jonny and Fran became an efficient furniture-moving conveyor belt up and down the stairs, while Gus and Luis turned hedge cutting into an art form outside.
Within just 45 minutes all three jobs were complete. With 12 of us working for 45 minutes, that’s the equivalent of 9 hours (or a full working day!) of work saved for one caretaker — and Clare was delighted with how much time we’d saved her.
With the jobs done, it was time for a lower body blast with three different intensity options to keep everyone moving. We’re also all still wondering what Michelle’s mysterious final blue item could be… answers on a postcard.
After that, we headed back to base for stretches on the grass and a well-earned cool down.
Next week we’re off to Gunnersbury to sort compost — see you there for what will hopefully be a slightly cooler task!
Wed 27th May at 6:30pm
Maximise space and help improve the experience for kids at this local primary school
Read moreWed 20th May at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
We might be on the cusp of a heatwave but yesterday in Chiswick threatened a soaking - thankfully we managed to avoid a repeat of last week!
Last night we were back at Chiswick House for our regular task. Our last visit had been cancelled due to high winds — clearly Chiswick likes to keep things interesting weather-wise.
When we arrived, we met the rest of the team along with Grace, who led us over to our task area. Armed with gloves and loppers, we set about tackling bindweed, brambles and pretty much every other plant that dared grow there. Sadly there were no hedgehog sightings this time, only a disgusting collection of abandoned dog poo bags.
The time flew by as we chatted an d worked and before long we had mountains of cuttings to haul back and load up, leaving the area looking far tidier than we found it.
Then we headed over to Turnham Green for a fairly mean fitness session — apologies for that. In pairs, we battled it out to see who could rack up the most squats, sit ups, press ups and burpees. And after all that effort… I completely forgot to check which pair actually won. Oops. Sorry about that. But after surviving that session, you’re all winners.
There’s also a mission in the Sunday sunshine this week celebrating Gunnersbury’s 100th birthday — can you make it?
Wed 20th May at 6:30pm
Wed 13th May at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
Last night’s GoodGym Hounslow mission began after a day where thunder had rattled windows, lightning cracked across the sky, and hailstones had come down hard. Surely (we hoped) the weather had got it all out of its system by now?
It had not.
Spirits were high as we arrived at the task and got stuck into an eclectic evening of gardening, tidying and creative endeavours. We split into teams and spread out across the site.
Maxime, Tish, Michelle and Steph tackled the weeding operation, bravely taking on stubborn weeds and overgrown patches that had clearly enjoyed the recent rain a little too much.
Meanwhile, Chris, Emily and Alanna were busy clearing away piles of wet leaves — filling sack after sack with slippery mulch.
There was the evening’s most artistic assignment - Fran and Lucy took charge of transforming an old tyre destined for a new life as a raised flower bed. The mission was to entirely wrap it in rope to create something both practical and beautiful. It was certainly a first for GG Hounslow, but then we're always up for something new.
All systems were go… until the heavens reopened.
Rain came down suddenly and relentlessly, soaking tools, gloves and enthusiasm. But in true GoodGym style, we carried on as long as we could, squeezing every possible minute out of the session before the weather finally won.
The good news is that there’s definitely more to come. That tyre still needs to be completely wrapped, and now the big design question remains: do we continue with the same colour rope, switch it up with something different, or fully commit to a rainbow masterpiece?
As we packed up and headed home beneath a colourful sky, it felt very much as though the weather itself was offering a pretty strong hint…
Wed 6th May at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
What a week for GoodGym Hounslow — so many celebrations, achievements and adventures to catch up on!
Fresh off the back of the London Marathon, the good things just kept coming. Florian was busy acting as a guide runner at the Hamburg Half Marathon, while Steph completed a double-header, topping things off with a marathon in Milton Keynes. Add in Will racing in Copenhagen this weekend, plus some adventurous international parkrunning tourism, and it’s safe to say there’s absolutely no stopping you all! We love to see it.
Last night our group run headed out to Dukes Meadow via what we'll call the scenic route. On arrival, we found a few GGers had already beaten us to the task and got stuck in early.
We were joining forces with Abundance London to tackle a huge mound of mulch that had been fly-tipped across several parking spaces. Task organiser Jen greeted us with a cautious, “Just do what you can — I don’t expect you to finish it all…”
But this was her first encounter with GG Hounslow...
Armed with rakes, shovels and wheelbarrows, we got to work. Barrow-load by barrow-load, the mountain steadily disappeared until the hidden parking spaces were finally revealed once more. Great to see some brilliant teamwork in action.
Meanwhile, Emily and Lucy headed over to the beautiful riverside garden, where they took care of some much-needed weeding and tidying, helping the space look its very best for passers-by.
With the sun out, the river alongside us and plenty of heavy lifting involved, it turned into a stunning evening and an unexpectedly thorough fitness session too.
Don’t forget — there’s a mission happening this Saturday at Watermans Park. Can you make it?
Great work everybody!
Wed 6th May at 6:30pm
Weeding, moving mulch and making this community spot more beautiful
Read moreWed 15th Apr at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
Last night in Hounslow had that unmistakable GoodGym energy - a lot of laughs, and a sense that small actions add up to something meaningful.
We headed over to Turnham Green to support the brilliant Friends of Turnham Green, a community group doing big things. This park is a shared green space, a place where people can connect with nature in the city. Keeping it cared for means it stays welcoming, safe and ready for new growth.
The mission? Collecting sticks and branches. Spread across the whole site, the team got to work collecting fallen wood, clearing the ground so it’s ready for planting. It’s one of those deceptively simple tasks that makes a difference — tidier paths, safer footing, and open space for future planting. There’s something very satisfying about that visible before-and-after, and the team absolutely delivered.
With the task complete, it was time to turn the focus to fitness.
Lower body was the theme of the night. We powered through split squats, embraced the burn with mountain legs, and even flirted with the elusive pistol squat. Determined and very impressive efforts all round.
A few well-deserved shoutouts:
There’s another fantastic session coming up this weekend with the wonderful Hope Church, helping to create a garden for people using the food bank. A really special project with real impact — definitely one to get involved in
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