We were back at Blondin Park tonight to do some mulching around the trees that we prepared recently with digging around. Despite the damp, wet and dark evening a small group of 5 people took their courage and braved the weather. In no time, the team mulched around 12 trees with trips back and forth. Wheel barrows guided by head torches 🔦. Yes its head torch season!! Then we made our way back to the cafe where Linda welcomed us back with some lovely hot chocolates. The conversation went around music tonight and what we listened to when younger or now. Tonight we were a small team of 5 but achieved alot. Was it Girl Power as 4 ladies and 1 man tonight? All I wannabe is a Goodgymer !! 🎶 🎵

We were back at Chiswick House last night for another lovely GoodGym Hounslow session, and what a treat we had in store: two tasks, both indoors! It was especially good timing with the evenings drawing in.

Chiswick House is a wonderful local resource and the team keep our green spaces thriving, protect their heritage and make them welcoming places for the whole community to enjoy. By helping with the behind-the-scenes jobs, we’re doing our bit to support a special place for local people.

We met up with Poppy and split into two teams to tackle our tasks for the evening.

🌱 Team Seeds

Half the group headed inside to sort through seeds collected from the garden and carefully pack them into pouches. These seeds will either be resown to help grow more beautiful plants or sold to raise funds for the charity. It was peaceful, chatty work, with plenty of time to catch up and discuss everything from the Pope to our upcoming birthday! Proof that chatting while GGing throws up some of the most interesting conversational topics.

🌿 Team Willow

Meanwhile, over in the barn, the other team got busy stripping willow branches before carefully manoeuvring them into arches. These will be planted to support the flowers in the herbaceous borders, helping them grow securely.

This task took a fair bit of skill and dexterity, but GoodGym Hounslow were more than up to the challenge! There were expert demonstrations of willow stripping, along with a spot of country dancing - anyone else remember the Stripping the Willow formation?

It was a thoroughly wholesome and productive evening, with plenty achieved and lots of good company along the way.

🏃 We rounded off the evening with a run back to base, breaking it up with a variety of fitness stations. A little extra exercise to finish off a brilliant session — and some very impressive pictures to prove it!

Next week: We’re heading to Duke’s Meadow to clear a space for young people. Another great opportunity to give something back to our local community, get moving and have a good chat along the way.

See you there, GoodGym Hounslow! ❤️

Seven months have passed since GoodGym last supported Walpole Park, making it clear that sessions in this beloved green space in the heart of Ealing are very much an autumn-winter thing. The temperatures, however, did little to signal the changing season. GoodGymers still happily sported short sleeves and shorts, while the park, despite being pitch black, teemed with nightlife, wildlife and parklife. Frolicking people and foxes alike were seen – or smelled!

The park welcomed back some seasoned Walpolers: Chris, Harvey, Steph Ducat, Sevan and Kash. Amy and Scott, who joined GoodGym over the spring and summer months, got their first taste of a nighttime Walpole Park session. Breda also visited from GoodGym Hounslow and was amazed by the abundance of tools sourced by our friend Richard.

Yes, Richard! The long-missed Ealing Greenwayer, best known to us from Pear Tree Park, made a comeback wearing his kitchen garden volunteer hat. He also hosted a historic session: the first time a task owner was actually present in Walpole Park during one of our activities!

Richard showed us a secret pocket of leafy compost, which we were tasked with moving to the kitchen garden's compost bins. The mulch was very well concealed indeed. Even when led to this obscure (but surprisingly well-lit, thanks to Ealing Studios) spot, the compost was hiding in plain sight.

"We are actually standing on a layer of composted leaves" – Richard.

To get to the mulch, we first had to excavate it. And it wasn't as quick and easy as simply shovelling: the compressed leaves were intertwined with roots. Some of us relished the challenge of seemingly endless digging and the accompanying upper-body workout.

"It's like a canoeing trip. After the first half an hour your arms are dead, but then you're numbed and just carry on." – Amy.

Supplied by Richard with barrows in addition to two larger trolleys, we managed to fill one of the compost bins almost to the brim. It was a successful first Walpole Park session of the season, but surely not the last one. So watch this space for more night-park-life coming up this autumn and winter!

For the second week in a row, GoodGym Ealing were volunteering at Acton Junior parkrun. Today was bright, sunny and chilly compared to the mist of last week when Steph was here.

Unusually, all 5 of the volunteers this week had chosen to marshal. It was Breda's first time here and everyone was too busy chatting to explain the course to her, except to point to the "crazy shapes" dodecahedrons that would be her marshal point, leaving her a bit unprepared.

It was another bumper number of finishers. Not as many as last week. 96 is a lot for Acton Juniors recently though and those numbers have gone up a lot since we've been volunteering there.

There were lots of happy children today and one enjoyed themself so much that 2km wasn't enough. They wanted to head back to the roundabout and go around the course again. They were really having fun, which was great to see.