Late Sunday afternoon and two goodgymers wondered into Camden to meet at Ms N or at least tried to figure out where the entrance was as late 60's/70's flats with multiple entrances and weird numbering order. Figured it out and when going into the lift did not see the floor we had to go off, but luckily a resident was going up and explained how it worked. You go a level above the one you require, then walk a long the corridor and it will go to the level you need. Ms N welcomed us and in the flat just a landing with incorporated cupboards. We then went a floor down - you must love the constructions from 50 or 60 years ago. Mission today was to help Ms N to pack boxes as will be moving to another newly built flat. Where to start? As there were a massive cupboard in the lounge under the staircase, we decided to empty it and pack or bin depending on our findings. Ms N did say she has not opened it for a while as didn't know what to find apart from maybe Mickey Mouse as she had some of his friends getting through the holes of the old building. Steph Ducat put his head torch as no lights and started pulling items out to Alice. We had a lot of rubbish and some items that Ms N wanted us to box. Out of the items we found there was a trip back to the future or was it more back in time. Very old PC with loads of floppy disks and even an IT manual for Windows 95!!Found some Xmas decorations and tinsel from the 70's. Steph found a mouse who was wired : yes a computer mouse and not a real one! Coat hangers and ladies bags came in masses. Did you vote in 1992? Well we found an local election flyer from that year! One cupboard done - 3 more smaller ones in the corridor. Then this looked more like a DIY store with old tins of pain, dried wall fillers, old paint rollers etc. Found a very intriguing object for Alice : an indoor TV aerial from the 70's or 80's and we got sign NOT when tested. At the end we collected 6 bags of rubbish, 2 boxes filled with rubbish, newspapers. Also got rid of an old empty suitcase which was damaged by the dampness from an old leak in the small cupboard. Boxed items in 1 box for Ms N to move as left in one of the cupboards DIY that can be re used and others to be binned properly. We also set a side some personal paperwork and some Xmas cards that Ms N needs to go through. Once finished we went back to the future in Camden

When the world was still waiting for the Black Friday sales at the end of November, Greenford Park Residents Association came up with their own version of the Christmas shopping season kick-off: earlier and more sustainable! The Baby & Kids Table Top Sale, organised by a group of local volunteers, is a response to the shopping madness and gives the residents a chance to buy and sell preloved children's items. Ealing GoodGymers couldn't say no to supporting such a great event!

The Table Top Sale prep night happened to be on Halloween, so Sevan and Kash ran 5km to Greenford, dodging herds of scares and spooks in the dark on the way. Dressed as a pair of GoodGymers, they brought some tricks with them to the GPRA Hall. Steph Ducat was already there, unfolding the tables for tomorrow's stall holders. The trick was to make the tables stand safely, which involved fixing or replacing the clips securing the legs. Brains and muscles were equally in use to complete this task.

Next up, the trio cut out the stallholders' names and labelled their tables, then strategically placed QR codes for donations to the GPRA Hall. After making labels for pastry items on sale and putting up boards with GPRA Hall history, it was time for the last two tasks.

When the task owner, Emma, asked for a volunteer with a creative flair to design a price list of muffins, cakes, cookies and pastries, Steph and Sevan declared their allegedly ugly handwriting. They have been transferred to the kitchen, where they have shown talent for making reusable dishes shiny and sparkly at the sink. In the meantime, Kash awakened her inner Michelangelo to develop the commissioned price list with four coloured pens, with her favourite red running out of steam.

With their various talents and tricks, the GoodGymers earned not only Emma's and other GPRA members' respect, but also real treats: chocolate muffins - yum!

That was not the end of GoodGym's collaboration with the GPRA Hall this year. Even more fun is coming next month! Sign up now to get involved in decorating the GPRA Hall for Christmas. We are hoping to see you there!

October is the month of beer festivals and also a scary month as monsters come out!!Yes OktoberFest seems to be in the air as a lot of cans around the streets of the borough. Monsters too are around but in various forms. Gabriela and Simon were not scared of the Pickled Onion Monster Munch : bagged it straight away along with some other items found on the streets of Ealing. Steph Ducat has a few usual spots which give of the main roads like Burbage Close or should it be called Garbage Close as seems that always loads of litter in that area. Harvey spot is Hanwell - litter monsters are also present there not only at Halloween.

On Sunday, 26th October, the clocks went back. According to the This Girl Can campaign, that night marks the time when almost three-quarters of women in the UK change how and when they get active outside out of fear about their safety.

To raise awareness about that gender activity gap and urge communities to change behaviours towards women that make them feel unsafe outside in the winter months, Let's Lift the Curfew movement, together with GoodGym and England Athletics, hosted over 320 events across the UK. One of them happened in Ealing!

We were looking forward to our group run, excited to see a fifty-fifty split between boys and girls in our sign-ups. Ultimately, we ended up with twice as many men as women, which might have been a stark illustration of the This Girl Can research, highlighting the barriers to getting active that women may experience outdoors after dark.

Undeterred by fewer than expected women showing up, we ran to Acton, 3 km each way, to find other ways to encourage women to stay active and healthy. We had 450 leaflets from Action West London, inviting Acton women to participate in free, inclusive fitness programmes: from strength and mobility classes for women aged 50+ to courses about strengthening the pelvic floor.

To distribute the leaflets promoting the events, we set off for a 3 km walk through Horn Lane and the streets East of it, occasionally astonished by hop-on hop-off buses cruising through nighttime Acton and slightly disappointed by the poor numbers of Halloween decorations. We managed to drop all the flyers through the letterboxes and are hoping that the initiative will help more local women discover opportunities to stay active, healthy, and connected.

Next week, we will slightly shift the theme of our group run and visit the Lammas Orchard a.k.a The Garden of Eden, where we will be clearing the spaces around mature fruit trees and more recently planted saplings, then mulching around them. Sign up now to join us!