This week we headed back to the beautiful grounds of Chiswick House, where we visit regularly to keep this historic green space looking its best. It helps keep the gardens and grounds free for everyone to enjoy, and it is always rewarding to know that an hour or so of work has a lasting impact on a community space.

A special welcome to Emma, who joined us for her very first GoodGym Hounslow session! Great to have you join us.

After a warm up and a quick run, we met up with the rest of the group, grabbed our tools and got straight to work on two important conservation tasks.

Our first job was tackling epicormic growth—the shoots that sprout from the trunks and lower branches of trees. While these shoots are a natural response to stress, they divert energy away from the healthy canopy and can affect the tree's long-term health. Removing them helps put energy where it's needed most.

Our second task was trimming back the browse line—the lower branches that create a neat line beneath the tree canopy. The name comes from the height at which deer naturally browse leaves in woodland. Maintaining this browse line improves visibility and allows more light to reach the ground, supporting a greater variety of plants and wildlife.

As always, there was plenty of conversation while we worked. Topics ranged from upcoming races and ambitious cycling adventures to remarkable hospital coincidences and plenty of plans for future events. Time flies when you're catching up with good company!

With an impressive number of trees tended to, we headed over to the estate yard for fitness. Tonight it was Tabata - a high-intensity interval workout consisting of short bursts of hard work followed by brief recovery periods. It's fast, energetic and efficient. There were plenty of laughs, lots of determination, and some truly impressive squats on display!

Next week we're off to help at a local school. Hope to see lots of you there! Sign up here for all the details

It was another hot evening for our GoodGym Hounslow group run, but with blue skies and a perfect task ahead of us, it was set to be a great evening.

Great to see Maria and Jalal joining us for a Hounslow group session—we hope it's one of many!

Our destination was the much-loved Turnham Green mural, a colourful local landmark that celebrates the area's history and has become a familiar backdrop for residents, commuters and visitors . Sitting in such a busy spot means it gets plenty of attention—and, inevitably, plenty of grime—so giving it a good annual clean is an important way to help keep it looking its best.

Armed with mops, scrubbers and plenty of elbow grease, 12 of us got stuck in. Before long, the mural was looking brighter, fresher and ready to continue welcoming everyone passing through Turnham Green.

We attracted plenty of interest from passers-by as we worked. Most were appreciative, stopping to say thank you and complimenting the effort. One curious observer asked if we were "trying to keep out of prison." No, we're not doing community service, even if we can frequently be found out on the run!

With the mural sparkling, it was time to head over to Turnham Green for a set of inventive planks - although everyone had to keep an eye out for the rather spiky bits while holding their positions.

We finished with a gentle run back, stretches and a well-earned cool down. Thanks to Gus for today's pun-spiration,

Don't forget we've got Community Missions in Brentford this weekend, and next Wednesday we're back at Turnham Green for another great evening. And yes - there will definitely be mitigations in place should England make it through to the next round! Sign up here!

Back at the Tiny Forest for Earthwatch tonight and wow — the weeds had gone full jungle mode. Some of them were nearly 5ft tall after just a month! 🌿 That sun has really been doing its thing.

The focus was gardening, but the ground was super dry so every weed put up a fight. We got in there and did our best to clear what we could, but it was tough going. The soil needs some love and water for sure.

We didn’t get it all, but we made a start. This Tiny Forest definitely needs a bit more work next time to get it back on track.

Big well done to everyone who came out and battled the heat and the weeds. Small forest, big effort! 💪