Last people standing at the Hub are the people cleaning and packing everything away. Giles and Steph Ducat were joined by new comer to Goodgym Zine who took the cleaning and packing very seriously. Magical cleaning crew.

Jp arrived to help James and Steph Ducat at the grocery section and hand out bags of food to cook or snack bags for those without cooking facilties. Giles went to the clothing section and was guiding people to the different pieces of clothing they were aload including the t-shirts we normally see tourists buy. Jacquie was serving food in the sitting area. Today coronation chicken was served with a lemon couscous salad. Once all calmed down in the grocery and clothing section, Giles went to help in the kitchen to clean dishes and JP clean the grocery area. Steph was also clearing and helped in the foyer.

On an exceptionally warm Tuesday night, eight GoodGymers reprised their roles as rake and spade wielders and wheelbarrow drivers in the sequel to the magnificent fruit tree mulching task in Blondin Park. Dora even made it into the permanent cast after her debut at the same location last month! The task owner, Linda, wasn't around this time to welcome us, but she had arranged for volunteer David to support us and provide everything we needed - apart from Linda's famed hot chocolate!

The soft, golden-hour light was replaced this time by a darker backdrop, punctuated by flashing headlamps and work lights that helped the team find the apple trees in need of mulching. A few trees had been waiting for a dose of woodchip, with their bases exposed, since the beginning of August. These were prioritised for mulching by most of the team, while Richard and Giles made a start on digging the grass out from around a tree that wasn't quite ready for woodchipping yet.

Despite the late hour and the time of year making for less-than-bright conditions, everyone enjoyed the mild night-time temperature, with only a few drops of rain falling from the sky. The team achieved an impressive amount in such dim conditions, leaving only a few larger trees still awaiting their turn for mulching.

Arriving at Feeding Ealing today, there was already a large group of volunteers there. More than had been at the site for months. Walking through the growing area, compared to August plenty of harvesting had already been completed as growing beds had been picked and cleared.

Joseph was glad to see the GoodGym team again and had tasks ready for us to do. In the polytunnel, there was produce still shooting upwards and ripening, which sounded like a nice problem to have. Hiding behind the polytunnel were raised beds, where potatoes had been been growing and were ready for harvest.

Team To-may-to

Giles, Therese and Sevan made up team To-may-to. Their goal was to untangle tomato plants that had gone rogue. They were mingling together and not sticking to their own bamboo stakes, making them hard to support with the canes and difficult to spot ripe fruit and harvest from when the time comes.

They joined another volunteer in the very densely packed tomato patch who'd been at it for 2 hours already. The volunteer was teasing the vines apart to try and have a single stake per plant, from the roots to the shoots. The plants were brittle though and easy to break, so there were some casualties along the way.

This was Therese's first task and she asked if they were all like this. Complicated and difficult to complete? Well, it's not unknown and GoodGymers often need to use their ingenuity to solve problems at tasks. Today's was particularly challenging though. Well done on your first good deed Therese and we hope to see you again soon 👏🎉.

Team Po-tah-to

Team Po-tah-to was larger, with Delphine, Kash, Maxime and Dora, who's become a regular recently. They found that some potatoes had already been removed from the soil in the morning and Joseph said to leave the rest to be harvested later. Instead, the team was asked to tidy the area around the veg and potato beds to help the remaining produce grow stronger.

Time To Call It Off

The weeds were removed and Team Po-tah-to were successful, with plenty of time left in the session. They were even able to flex their muscles and move a heavy table too 💪.

Inside the polytunnel, Team To-may-to admitted defeat against the renegade tomato network. Between the heat, the density of plants and not having a good way to keep each one supported and separate to the others, they let Joseph know that it was best to leave things as they were.

Despite the tangled tomatoes still growing wild in the polytunnel, Joseph was very happy with what the team had achieved and decided to call it a day.

Just as we thought the 2026 heatwaves were over, the first Saturday of September hit us with a blast of scorching sun before noon - but we liked it! On a beautiful, warm day, ten GoodGymers gathered at Horsenden Farm to help the newest residents settle in nicely. The new additions to the farm animals gang were two ponies. One of them, a retired mare, Trixie, had already arrived, and we saw her grazing behind the orchard. Her companion, a working pony, was due to arrive over the next few days.

Today's task was to create a new paddock for the ponies. We didn't need to worry about building the fencing - the job required clearing an overgrown meadow, full of thistles that had outcompeted even the frequent offender among the invasive plants - blackberries. We collected thick gloves, shears and loppers from the tool store and headed up the hill, saying hi to the two goats and the farm cat on the way.

The result of our nearly 2-hour chopping extravaganza was spectacular. Thanks to teamwork, the satisfying feeling that cutting back activity offers, and staying well hydrated, we managed to clear a large area that would certainly be comfortable for more than two ponies at a time. Or at least we thought so. We really tried to look at the paddock-to-be from our customers' perspective.

"If I were a pony, I'd like to hang out under those trees." - Iram.

The task owner, Elsa, was delighted to see how much had been achieved in such a short time. We hope that Trixie and her new pony friend will be equally pleased with their new space.

On the way to the seating area, where we'd devour pizzas and drink locally produced beverages as a reward, we spotted that the harvest mice were back in town. The cute tiny rodents hiding in the glass terrarium got the adult GoodGymers as excited as kids! It might have been one of the last chances to see the mice this year, as they are released into the wild every summer and autumn to rebuild the population of a species that had been extinct in our borough until Ealing Wildlife Group had reintroduced them.

If you missed this month's Horsenden Farm session, worry not! The next visit to the hidden gem of Ealing is in October - save the date now!