Eyesore GoodGym getting Purim and proper in the snow

Snow, snow, snow, ice, blizzard, snowmaggedon. Whatevs. None of it stopped eight intrepid runners meeting in Chiswick last night to dig over frozen ground and even smash out a fitness session in the freaking snow! Subzero heroes, every single one of them.

Everything was carpeted in white by the time we arrived, but between the eight of us we had about 15 pairs of socks and 11 jackets. We also had the prospect of Remy's delicious Purim cookies to bolster us, and a task that was mere feet away.

But before we left there were a couple of bits of news, including the GoodGym social on International Women's Day next Thursday, plus don't forget that in this weather SWEP (severe weather emergency protocol) has been activated which means local authorities have a duty to offer emergency shelter to anybody sleeping rough. If you see anybody sleeping outside please contact Streetlink on their website or on 03005000914. You may well save a life by doing so.

After our much-needed warm up featuring some high fives, jumps and jacks, we discussed our favourite things to do on snow days. Reading books for hours without moving, sitting in front of log fires, pub,and breaking off icicles are all the lovely things we have to look forward to in the next few days.

Our job last night was to dig over a patch of land dubbed locally as 'Eyesore Triangle' ready for a new tree which is going to be planted there once the ground has thawed out. By the time we had walked over we had a wheelbarrow of tools waiting for us, and we got stuck right in. Despite numb fingers, a rogue pipe and a thick layer of snow we worked like the clappers and only 40 minutes later the area had been transformed.

But we still weren't done for the night. Nope, it was time for a fitness session in the damn snow. Against the very Dickensian backdrop of a snow-laden Turnham Green church, we split up into two groups. While one tackled a conditioning exercise, the other group took on an aerobic drill for 45 seconds. Then we swapped over, taking on 10 different moves in total. By the end of that tough session, the pub was well and truly calling, so we called it quits and headed into the warm to eat delicious cookies and defrost. Next week we hope to have tropical temperatures for our run - keep your fingers crossed and sign up here.

Good luck to Andy and Will and everybody else running the Big Half on Sunday - we're behind you all the way!