Trowels and tribulations

Every once in a while we get a perfect storm moment at GoodGym. The weather is fine - not too hot, not too chilly - we have a beautiful task that doesn't involve compost or mice, and there are lots of great things to celebrate. That is exactly what transpired last night. Plus we got some freshly picked raspberries. Does it get better than that?

We kicked off the evening by cheering Madhan for reaching his 100th good deed in record speed, and just in time for his birthday too. We also had the pleasure of welcoming Remy's Dad Louis all the way from NYC to his very first session - come back and see us soon!

After a quick warm up we set off for our regular visit to Chiswick House community kitchen garden. After spending many evenings there in the dark, it was a treat to see it in all its summery splendour, abundant with fruit-filled mature trees, rows and rows of colourful flowers and humming with bees. It is especially heartening to see as only a few years ago the whole area was overgrown and neglected. Today, thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers, the space is used for education programs and horticultural therapy and raises money to support the running of the charity.

It is a huge piece of land and takes a lot of upkeep, so we were only too happy to get stuck in. Head gardener Stephen was ready and waiting with instructions, trugs and a whole bucket load of trowels. It wasn't long before we were working hard on the borders, making them look more beautiful and creating space for the other plants to grow. We were rewarded with a punnet of raspberries plucked straight from the bush - the perfect snack to keep energy levels and morale high!

After 45 minutes of work we said our goodbyes and ran over to Turnham Green for our fitness session. What started off as a challenging pair-based strength work out featuring plank high fives, Russian twists and plank rotations quickly descended into hilarious chaos as we attempted back-to-back squat stands and wheelbarrow squats. Check out the photos to see just how much fun we had!

Next week we're going to a local youth centre to help move some heavy items around - I hope you can make it. Until then, enjoy the rest of your week!