And that's a wrap! After an amazing month of July with the bandstand session on, every Saturday at Watermans Park, it is now a wrap until next year.

Today, as ever, was a great success with a great turnout in both attendance and artists to go on stage. Countless artists of many different spectrum, ages, stage proficiencies and of quite impressive quality overall, I must say!

Following a 2-hour session of bathing in the music for Gus and Emma and a slightly shorter one for Kash who stepped out quickly to do another mission, all the bands had gone, the DJ was finishing his set, it was therefore time to pack up.

Pull down. Fold up. (Hug???) Carry down. Stack up. Rinse and repeat.

Passing by a few fashion show moments from drapping the Goodgymer to (literally) walking the carpet, it was soon a job well done and time for a selfie in front of our beautiful Tetris work.

Until next year Waterman's Park July Bandstand sessions!

As the theme tune says 'Come out to play in Waterman's Park', and for that the stage needs setting up!

In its fifth consecutive year, The Friends of Watermans Park organised a summer bandstand every Saturday of July for local legends/residents (your pick) to come and play.

A mighty crew was assembled this Saturday made of Brenda, Emma, Kash, Sevan, Kymm and Gus.

Gazebos and shade were setup in no time. Bunting creativity was at its pick and seat arrangements have been so inviting.

After a job well done, it was time for a few Goodgymers to enjoy the fruit of their labour and stay for the show!

Cycling over to Hounslow I realised I was returning to a house I’d been to a few times before, the last time a couple of years ago. Ms G and her sister greeted me and offered the usual selection of interesting tools for clearing weeds, a couple of screwdrivers and a pair of scissors – fortunately there was also a rather nifty weeding tool this time and I’d remembered some secateurs.

After 90 minutes of snipping, tugging and persuading a particularly stubborn crop of weeds and brambles to vacate the patio, the clear up was complete. As I was leaving the sisters noticed some bindweed and a fresh bramble starting to poke through near the front door so those had to go aswell. Now the job was really done and I headed off to cool down out of the sun.

Arriving at Ms T's flat and hearing her familiar accent, I remembered visiting her once before to collect a prescription for her during the darkest days of Covid.

Today's task was a perfect one for a lone GoodGymer: Ms T wanted the weeds removed from her small courtyard garden so she can enjoy sitting outside in the only outdoor space she can visit at the moment due to her ongoing illness.

The space was compact, the weeds surrendered meekly, and at Ms T's request I administered some weed killer as a final touch to help keep them from returning.

A visible difference to the space after an hour's work and Ms T was delighted with the results.

This week we headed back to the beautiful grounds of Chiswick House, where we visit regularly to keep this historic green space looking its best. It helps keep the gardens and grounds free for everyone to enjoy, and it is always rewarding to know that an hour or so of work has a lasting impact on a community space.

A special welcome to Emma, who joined us for her very first GoodGym Hounslow session! Great to have you join us.

After a warm up and a quick run, we met up with the rest of the group, grabbed our tools and got straight to work on two important conservation tasks.

Our first job was tackling epicormic growth—the shoots that sprout from the trunks and lower branches of trees. While these shoots are a natural response to stress, they divert energy away from the healthy canopy and can affect the tree's long-term health. Removing them helps put energy where it's needed most.

Our second task was trimming back the browse line—the lower branches that create a neat line beneath the tree canopy. The name comes from the height at which deer naturally browse leaves in woodland. Maintaining this browse line improves visibility and allows more light to reach the ground, supporting a greater variety of plants and wildlife.

As always, there was plenty of conversation while we worked. Topics ranged from upcoming races and ambitious cycling adventures to remarkable hospital coincidences and plenty of plans for future events. Time flies when you're catching up with good company!

With an impressive number of trees tended to, we headed over to the estate yard for fitness. Tonight it was Tabata - a high-intensity interval workout consisting of short bursts of hard work followed by brief recovery periods. It's fast, energetic and efficient. There were plenty of laughs, lots of determination, and some truly impressive squats on display!

Next week we're off to help at a local school. Hope to see lots of you there! Sign up here for all the details

Ms N has previously had help from a couple of Goodgymers but this time I was the only sign up. Her back garden is overgrown and though Ms N has some nifty tools, the lawn mower can’t handle the rough ground.

So I did what I could to clear the long grass, nettles and brambles so Ms N can get to the plum tree and collect the plums once they start to ripen very soon.