What a week for GoodGym Hounslow — so many celebrations, achievements and adventures to catch up on!

Fresh off the back of the London Marathon, the good things just kept coming. Florian was busy acting as a guide runner at the Hamburg Half Marathon, while Steph completed a double-header, topping things off with a marathon in Milton Keynes. Add in Will racing in Copenhagen this weekend, plus some adventurous international parkrunning tourism, and it’s safe to say there’s absolutely no stopping you all! We love to see it.

Last night our group run headed out to Dukes Meadow via what we'll call the scenic route. On arrival, we found a few GGers had already beaten us to the task and got stuck in early.

We were joining forces with Abundance London to tackle a huge mound of mulch that had been fly-tipped across several parking spaces. Task organiser Jen greeted us with a cautious, “Just do what you can — I don’t expect you to finish it all…”

But this was her first encounter with GG Hounslow...

Armed with rakes, shovels and wheelbarrows, we got to work. Barrow-load by barrow-load, the mountain steadily disappeared until the hidden parking spaces were finally revealed once more. Great to see some brilliant teamwork in action.

Meanwhile, Emily and Lucy headed over to the beautiful riverside garden, where they took care of some much-needed weeding and tidying, helping the space look its very best for passers-by.

With the sun out, the river alongside us and plenty of heavy lifting involved, it turned into a stunning evening and an unexpectedly thorough fitness session too.

Don’t forget — there’s a mission happening this Saturday at Watermans Park. Can you make it?

Great work everybody!

Last night three GGers gathered to tackle a big task at St Andrew's Youth Club. This place is so much more than a youth club; it’s a safe haven where young people can connect, learn, and grow. It empowers youth from diverse backgrounds to learn life skills, build friendships and so much more.

Our mission was to empty and restock a sizeable cupboard that will soon transform into a changing area for the upcoming BBC's Children in Need. The centre will feature, with several celebs coming to film its various activities.

We sorted through an array of resources, including hulhoops, boxing gear and the iconic Operation game, lifted heavy tables, and got rid of unwanted items. Together, we transformed chaos into order, creating a beautifully organized space. Hopefully our work will help raise significant funds to continue the vital work they do. And we might even see our hard work on TV!

Next week, we’re off to a new community garden within a central London estate. We'll be planting up a green space that will blossom into something beautiful for the community. Sign up here to add purpose to your workout!

Yesterday’s session was a bank holiday special. A brilliant crew of runners giving up their time and potential long lunches to do good and create community spirit. Nice one!

We met, as always, at Battersea Arts Centre, where things kicked off with not one but two questions to get the brain firing—covering the unlikely pairing of cricket and the human skeleton. A true test of both sporting and anatomical knowledge before we even set off.

From there, we headed out to Doddington Community Garden, ready to get stuck in. Tasks included pulling out stubborn dry grass, giving the space a tidy-up, planting valerian root—known for its calming properties and often used to aid sleep—and, of course, plenty of watering to keep everything thriving. Solid teamwork all round.

Next stop: the square for a proper legs session. Lunges in all their forms, squat variations to keep things interesting, and step-ups to really finish things off. It was intense, but the group rose to it—serious effort from everyone.

All in all, a bank holiday well spent. Next week we’re heading to Balham Nursery. Hope you can join us

A very pleasant sunny morning was the background for Ana and I to move a double mattress and divan base from an upstairs bedroom down two flights of stairs and outside for a local council collection - Mr A's wife was on hand to guide us on what she wanted doing.

After moving a single mattress and bed that were lying on top of the double bed into the next-door room, we got hold of a rather limp mattress (which did have handles though, always a bonus) and managed to navigate that down the stairs and into the garden.

The divan base we discovered folded in two, but wouldn't split apart - although we gave it a good go by cutting through the material, only to frustratingly discover a rather large spring ran down the middle, and we'd still be there tomorrow if we started unwinding it...

Not to be deterred, and reciting the GoodGym mantra that it must've somehow got into the room, we folded the base in two, moved a wardrobe to open the door wider, and shuffled our way down the flights of stairs, taking advantage of the fold in the middle to manoeuvre around a u turn on the landing, and parked it in the garden, propping the still floppy mattress next to it.

Some polythene sheets were provided to cover it in case of rain, and we applied our wrapping skills as best we could to stop it blowing away. Mr A's wife was delighted with our efforts - we were both just glad to have solved all the various parts of today's divan puzzle!