A little pallet cleanser

We kicked off our Wednesday GoodGym last night with a historic moment - the first Hounslow 100 milestone! Ladies and gents of GoodGym, please put your many hands together for the red flash himself, Andy Cowan who has become a good deed centurion. Such commitment to doing good and getting fit is to be celebrated. So we did, with more doing good, more getting fit, and pub-cake. Way to go, Andy.

Not content with just one celebration, we also welcomed the lovely Hannah to her very first group run - go on, give her a cheer! - and had some great GoodGym tourism from Chi who was visiting us all the way from Haringey. Good to see you guys!

Our task last night was a new one, so after a warm up which featured a poll to find out our greatest sporting heroes (Nadal, Charlotte DuJardin, any woman rugby player, MO, Zatopek, Cathy Freeman and Tasha's Mr Bradley all featured) we excitedly set off on the short run to Cultivate London. After a happy half mile of running we got held up by a pesky train, which meant a little rest for some, and an intense few minutes of squats for others. That's the way the cookie crumbles, gang!

We soon arrived, and enjoyed a little talk from Rosie about Cultivate London - an innovative urban farm and social enterprise based across multiple derelict sites in West London. They train unemployed young people in landscaping and horticulture, and work to engage our community in food growing. They have a long term impact on the lives of young people and change the way Londoners think about their fresh produce and where it comes from.

We split into three groups - pallet breakers, nail removers, and woodchip baggers and set to work on these jobs, which looked a little easier than they actually were. That didn't stop the GG crew, and half an hour later, Michelle won her long fought battle against that last nail, there were several dozen bags filled to the brim with woodchip, and a woody pile of former pallet. Fantastic work.

After a speedy run back to base, it was time for a fitness session that was short but intense. It featured a slightly pedestrian game of ZipZapZop, before we got into the hard stuff. Six round of HIT later, we finished off with a fitness test designed to really work the core and upper body, and get that heart pumping. A few much-needed stretches later and we were done! It was great to see you pushing yourselves, that's the kind of effort that really ups fitness levels.

If you just can't get enough of GoodGym - and let's face it, who can? - then sign yourself up for tomorrow's social at the fabulous Waterman's. Every time we go to do a task at this independent arts charity we get tempted by the delicious aromas coming from their in-house Indian restaurant. This time we're going to skip the task, and head straight for the curry! Everybody welcome. Then, Saturday morning, several of the group will be doing Gunnersbury parkrun, joining Luis for his first ever parkrun. Good luck everyone!

Next week we're back to Ealing Baptist Church, where we have helped out before with their homeless shelter and foodbank, to sand down a lot of railings. Here's where you sign up for your Wednesday dose of fitness and goodness.

ps shout out to Adam for this week's punspiration!