We saw off another amazing year of doing good and getting fit in Hounslow last night with a task for an amazing charity, a run/walk that took in some incredible festive displays- and a bit of jeopardy thrown in for good measure!

It was a very Christmassy scene outside the Town Hall at 6:30 last night as GoodGymers met from far and wide, resplendent in Christmas hats and jumpers. Our job for the evening was our traditional end of year task to support the That's a Wrap project. This charity aims to get a gift to every child living in vulnerable circumstances this Christmas. We've supported them the past few years by spreading the word to encourage donations.

We were all set to pick up the leaflets which had been left at the Town Hall earlier that day. Except that - the hall had been locked up early. The grinch had struck!

It took quite some time of pleading, persuading and, let's face it, begging, for somebody to let us in. Thank goodness it eventually worked. We managed to run in and collect the leaflets - it was a Christmas miracle!

With no time to waste, we divided up into walking and running teams and worked out our routes. With 400 leaflets to deliver we needed to make it count. Before too long we were off putting leaflets through letterboxes and enjoying some of the finest Christmas lights Chiswick had to offer.

Fingers crossed all that hard work will result in plenty of donations to That's A Wrap. I'll keep you posted!

Job done, it was off to the pub for a celebratory knees up. There was secret Santa, there was quiz victory, there were festive socks, there was disappointing aubergine. But most of all there was a lot of laughs and plenty of joy to go round.

This year a whopping 70 of you have racked up an amazing 801 good deeds, which is pretty astounding. Five people have got their black tshirt and we have collectively covered over 9000 kms. What a year! Well done to each and every one of you - can't wait to kick off a happy, healthy, fit 2026 with you in January!

If the numbers of bulbs we have planted over the past few weeks is anything to go by, the borough of Hounslow is going to be soon bursting at the seams with spring flowers! It's great to think, as we run round Gunnersbury, Chiswick and beyond next year, that GoodGym helped fill the borough with tulips, daffs, narcissus and more.

Last night we were working outside Gunnersbury tube helping Abundance clear the raised beds of old grasses and lavender, and replant them with bulbs in fresh compost.

We started off with a short run down to the task, where we found that there was a vast difference in tolerance to the cold, wet conditions. While some of us sported several layers, from hat to Christmas socks, others took a more tropical approach in tshirt and shorts! Whatever our choice of December outfit, we all got stuck in to the job.

The air was soon filled with the scent of lavender as we carefully preserved the grasses and dug in new bulbs. First person to spot the first bulb up next year wins a prize!

Before long the raised beds were filled with the promise of spring flowers, so we ran off to our next spot for some balance and cardio based fitness. We started off with the one legged closed eyes squat test before moving on to a round of circuits, and finishing with a minute squat challenge. That soon warmed us up!

This weekend we have a mission on Chiswick eyot and next week we're going to be sowing cowslips at Turnham Green. Good luck to Pippa, Michelle, Jon and Will this weekend, racing everything from 5miles up to marathon - have a great one!

At GoodGym Hounslow we're practically experts at planting bulbs now! The team kicked off the season by putting in daffs at Chiswick House, last week we were brightening up the High Rd with tulips and last night we were back at Harvard Hill to plant 300 narcissus bulbs. By next week, when we go to Gunnersbury tube to help Abundance get yet more bulbs in the ground we'll be a finely tuned planting machine!

We met with one of the lead volunteers of Friends of Harvard Hill, who handed over the tools and bulbs and gave us instructions about where they all needed to go. Luckily the ground wasn't totally frozen, although it was certainly nippy conditions last night! It was great to meet our favourite project manager, Sybil the Cat, at the task. She kindly oversaw our work making sure our planting was paw purrfection.

After 40 minutes of hard graft, we had got to the bottom of the sack. There was just one more thing to do to ensure we didn't get too chilly - a lower body blast. We kicked off with pogos, moving on to curtesy lunges, jack lunges and squats before calling it a night. Job well done!

This Saturday we have a mission with Trees for Cities - you can find all the details and sign up here

Finally, a huge congratulations to Maxime who, last weekend made it to that magic milestone - 50 good deeds! What an achievement - great to see you in your black tshirt Maxime!

There was plenty of chat pre-task about whether we would be planting bulbs in the snow last night, but that didn't stop a group of be-thermalled GoodGymers turning up to help out with the second half of a big task last night. Just goes to show that GG Hounslow is made of sterner stuff!

So, after a much needed warm up at the town hall, we ran down to meet Abundance London for the second part of our mammoth task to plant thousands of bulbs on Chiswick High Rd. The plan is that the spring flowers will deter passers-by from throwing rubbish in the beds, to improve biodiversity next to a busy road, and to cheer up the place with a splash of colour!

Last week we had spent some time clearing away the leaves and doing a bit of weeding. Not only did this prep the area for planting but it made sure the pavement had fewer slip risks from the wet leaves. We grabbed our shovels and bulbs and started work.

There were established plants to get in, tulips, daffs and narcissus, and a limited period before we lost all feeling in our fingers. There was no time to lose!

With hundreds of bulbs to go in, and we dug and planted steadily. By the time we had finished, Karen from Abundance London said that we had saved them days of work! Well done everybody.

Don't forget about the session this Saturday at the Bend it like Beckham task and next week we're back at Harvard Hill - see you there!

TRAID are pioneers in selling second-hand clothes, putting pre-loved vestments back on racks so they get another shot at being seen out and about (rather than rotting away in a wardrobe somewhere). But while TRAID might not approve of fast fashion, they still have to move with the seasons, and that means boxing up their current stock so new recruits can have their moment to shine. And there was quite a lot of that stock at the Kilburn TRAID! So Beatriz, Chris, Emily, Faz, Lee and Tabitha rolled up their sleeves so they could roll up some sleeves - as well as the other parts of the clothes they were packing away. That was only half the battle though, with no time for hangers on, as our six got to grips with endless, endless hangers that needed storing too. They really pulled their trousers up though (as well as the many second-hand trousers that needed dealing with), sorting the job in double-quick time. In fact, it looked like they might be ready to (cat)walk away ahead of schedule – until disaster struck. Faz’s jacket…had gone missing.
It’s the one thing we didn't want to happen. But no clothing left behind, so we ripped those taped up boxes back open, sending garments flying as we desperately attempted to find it. A real needle in the haystack operation, if the needle was something you could wear, and the hay was also stuff you could wear. Thankfully Tabitha emerged triumphant, clutching the missing coat above her head. The evening was saved, the circular economy was back on track, and we could be on our way again. See you again in January, TRAID!