With the beautiful camelias of Chiswick House blooming in GoodGym red, it must have been time for our visit back to help out with jobs in the garden!

This week we were met by George with an emergency job - GoodGymers assemble! The Kitchen Garden is due to open today but the team has just discovered that there is a dangerous lintel by the normal entrance which means the public can't use it for the time being. There is an alternative pathway in, but it has been neglected over the winter and become clogged with weeds. That's where we came in!

Our task for the evening was to clear the path of weeds, grass and other undesirables. We were given a demonstration on the various roles.and told that it was imperative that rakers take the lead and must stay ahead of the pack. they were followed by hoers and forkers. The choreography was everything.

With the light rapidly dropping we worked worked hard, fueled by discussions of books, travel and weekend races. A massive well done to Michelle, Florian, Alan, Steph and Matt for taking on the Queen of the Suburbs in tough conditions and for some epic running!

After 45 minutes of effort we had reached the end of the road. You can see what the path looked like before our hard work, but I wish I had a decent after shot to show you. You'll just have to take my word for it that it was path perfection!

Next week Michelle will be leading the group to help with the new season of planting for Hounslow Foodbox at Chiswick allotments. You can find the details here and sign up. We also have anice litter picking task at Baron's ponds this Saturday if you're ale to help out.

Well, wasn’t last night a double whammy of excitement? Two tasks, double the fun, and a whole lot of running to get us there! We had two teams of GoodGymmers heading off in different directions, each with a unique mission.

Team Duke - clearing the pathways

Alan led the group on a run to Duke’s Meadow, a beautiful park offering a fantastic space for locals to enjoy. It’s a lovely community green hub which needs a lot of looking after. So, that’s exactly what Alan and his crew delivered.

Upon arrival, they were all ready to dive in, no problem locating brushes and tools, and soon enough, they were busy clearing the area of twigs, branches, and debris. The only challenge? The dark conditions. But armed with their tools and determination, they worked like absolute troopers, clearing out everything in sight. By the time they were done, the area looked much clearer, ready for people to enjoy without tripping over branches!

And as for the mileage, they definitely covered their fair share, with a small detour on the way back. Kudos on getting in some extra steps!

Team Chiswick Pier - sorting out the planters (or that was the plan...)

Meanwhile, Team Chiswick also had a slightly more interesting route to their task at Chiswick Pier Trust than originally intended. Chiswick Pier Trust is an incredible community project aimed at preserving the natural beauty of the Thames and offering locals a space to connect with nature. It’s a hub for educational events, boat tours, and environmental conservation. The Trust’s work not only helps keep the river clean but also gives people a reason to love and protect their environment, and GoodGym was there to lend a helping hand.

Upon arriving at the site, we met up by the river and waited for the tas owner to arrive. And waited. And then waited a little bit more. Eventually we took matters into our own hands! With scrubbers and steel wool in tow we tackled the algae and gave the planters a good old scrub-down. We also cleared weeds and litter, and Chris cracked the secret to eliminating the green scum - plenty of water. Thank you, Emily, for your emergency water bottle! By the time we finished, the planters were looking much clearer and more presentable and hopefully we stopped the beginning of rot.

Reunited at the Town Hall

After our respective tasks were done, we all regrouped by the Town Hall for a good stretch. Two tasks, plenty of running, cleaning, and good deeds done. Before we wrapped up,there were a few exciting things to mention. We’ve got a mission coming up helping out at Baron’s Ponds, and we need as many helping hands as possible! If you’re available, come join us!. Don’t forget about our regular Sunday task helping out at Junior Parkrun at Osterley. It’s always a blast and a great way to get involved in the community. There are also not one but two opportunities to help protect the Chiswick eyot this weekend.

Lastly, a huge good luck cheer to Alan, Michelle, and everyone else taking on the Queen of the Suburbs race this weekend. We know you’re going to smash it!

We had that extra bit of brightness to power through our tasks at the local school under the light of the full moon last night. It was our second week on this project, and we were ready to take on our two main jobs. First up, we had the task of moving heavy rocks across the playground, turning soil, laying down membrane, and filling the whole area with rocks. It was a proper workout—are there any sore arms out there today?

But of course,it just isn't GoodGym if we don't find find some treasures along the way. Last night these included:

Steph finding a bin lid, which he wielded like a true gladiator, using it as a shield against Kash, who was dramatically reenacting the Battle of Strand on the Green with a pair of secateurs. In a moment of triumph, she also recovered the glove Jon lost two weeks ago. And the pièce de résistance: we discovered a massive piece of astroturf. What was it doing there? Who knows! But it made a fine addition to our collection of weird finds, adding to the bike we found there last time.

Meanwhile, Chris and Alan were busy clearing the relentless buddleia and turned a once-unattractive area into a much more inviting space. Great work team.

As the temperature started to drop (thank you, false spring) we decided to ditch the fitness session at the school (not before a fun photo in the magical little playground) and head back to our starting point, stopping for fitness stations along the way. It featured oblique crunches, toe taps and tricep dips - but I completely forgot the last station. Funnily enough no one reminded me. So, in the spirit of making up for it, next week we’re going to do a two-minute squat challenge to finish things off instead of the planned one-minute challenge!

We wrapped up the night with stretches, and a trip to the pub for Thai food to warm up. A big shout-out to everyone for making the magic happen even in deceptively freezing conditions. There are more missions coming up in the next few days, including this one to improve the river habitat tomorrow. See you at the next one! 🌕💪

There are a few signs we watch out for to mark the beginning of spring. Warmer weather, blossom on the trees, lighter nights - and a return to our regular visits at Chiswick House! It must mean a change of season is afoot, as last night we met Chris the head gardener in the depth of the dark gardens.

While we couldn't really see the transformation over the months we had missed because of the dark, we were told that there had been a lot of planting going on. Over 3000 bulbs were popping up, and there were plenty of new trees. There was something magical about being in the park when nobody else was allowed in, the only sounds the swoop of roosting birds and rustling in the undergrowth.

We were in between the Obelisk and the cascade where the team had discovered a pathway which has been hidden by years of mud and woodchip. Our job was to use spades to lift up everything that was hiding the path so that it could be used as it was originally intended again.

It wasn't as straightforward as it first seemed. At some points we were digging deeper and deeper with no path to see. We feared it might be one of those tasks where we actually made it worse than we were first started, but before long we hit our stride. It was a tough workout but when we took a break to see how far we had come there was an impressive distance of old path behind us.

There was plenty of chat, and even more singing as we worked. The puns were coming thick and fast, and kudos to goes to Michelle for this week's tuneful run report title!

This weekend why not find time to make a difference in an elderly person's life by signing up to this Age UK Saturday friendship club in Chiswick? Or help improve the river habitat next week?. There is plenty to choose from!

There was proof that treasures can be found in the most unlikely places at our task last night! On our travels round Hounslow over the years we've not always uncovered the most savoury of items during our tasks. We've found old shoes on river picks, blown tyres by the side of the A4, and some more unmentionable things in the bushes in various Chiswick parks. However, read on to find out what we discovered in the shrubs at a local school...

We started off the evening by welcoming Maxime to his very first session. Give him a big GG cheer! Great to have you join us on the run, Maxime.

We needed a good warm up in the chilly conditions, so after waking up the legs we set off for Strand on the Green school. We arrived to find Kymm, Luis and Gus waiting for us, and quickly divided up into teams to tackle the two main jobs.

While Maxine, Kymm and Jon were on rock moving duty, Khai, Michelle, Luis, Gus and Chris began the challenge of clearing away an overgrown area, roots and all. It wasn't easy going for either group, as both took a lot of elbow grease. But as the car park team clipped and pulled, hacked and tugged, something shiny started to appear. Was that a wheel? A handlebar? Some spokies? That's right - they found a perfect bike, which had been preserved by the branches growing around it. Of all the things you can find hidden in the overgrowth, that ranks pretty highly.

Meanwhile the rock shifters had done a fine job moving wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of heavy stones over to the site to be laid on membrane once the ground is ready. What a workout!

Excellent effort everybody! A few dates for your diary:

• Next week marks the beginning of spring in Hounslow as [we are back for our regular visit to Chiswick House} (https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/back-to-chiswick-house-1af59017-4d44-4e05-b55f-7e6401ab531c)

• The weekend after there is brand new friendship club starting at Age UK in Chiswick which will be a lovely session

• We're starting regularly volunteering with Osterley junior parkrun on Sundays

• Come and celebrate International Women's Day at GoodGym wit a fun task and run - everybody welcome!