Every few weeks we go back to do jobs at Chiswick House and Gardens, and helping out here is always rewarding. Because the Chiswick House & Gardens Trust operates as a registered charity, they rely heavily on the local community to preserve their 65 acres of historic parkland. Without volunteer efforts, maintaining these heritage grounds to share them with the public wouldn't be possible.

Our evening began by gathering on the peak of the Classic Bridge. Built in 1774 for the 5th Duke of Devonshire and designed by the celebrated architect James Wyatt, this beautiful stone structure spans the lake and even still bears shrapnel scars from World War II. Standing on its crest, we took a moment to mark the Autumn Equinox—the exact time of year when day and night are of perfectly equal length. But as any seasoned GoodGymer knows, the equinox also brings a turning point: from here on out, head torches are officially at the ready for our evening sessions! 🔦

We then moved over to a densely overgrown patch to pull out stubborn ivy and tug and snip away at the tangled brambles. By clearing away these aggressive invaders, we opened up space to ensure that the plants meant to grow there can thrive, keeping the entire area beautifully clear and safe.

As twilight crept up on us, the team downed tools and carried heavily loaded bags out to the compost area in the pitch dark, before Maxime capably led the group back to base. Phenomenal work, everyone!

🗺️ Up Next:

Saturday Mission: We are heading over to help out the Friends of Baron's Pond - can you help create a beautiful bluebell grove?

Next week we are staying on home ground for a lovely green session, planting flowers at Turnham Green. Don't miss it!

It was a warm welcome to Tom, joining us for his very first GoodGym Hounslow session! Great to have you along, Tom — and hope to see you at many more!

We also had something else to celebrate - A huge well done to Breda, who has now clocked up an incredible 50 Good Deeds! 🎉 That is an amazing show of commitment and a brilliant positive impact on the community. And through all those good deeds, Breda is always there with a smile on her face. Congratulations, Breda — 50 Good Deeds is something to be very proud of! 👏

Last night we were back at Chiswick House, where the gardens are definitely feeling the effects of the dry spell. The trees are looking distressed and shedding their leaves, so our main mission for the evening was weeding, watering and more watering. The camellias - a popular attraction for visitors - in particular needed some TLC to make sure their bulbs don’t flower too early.

So we got to work tackling the drought, hauling heavy watering cans around the gardens and making several rounds to give the plants a much-needed drink. Full of water, they doubled up as a great workout — plenty of lifting, carrying and walking to keep the arms and legs working.

And because no GoodGym session is complete without a little extra opportunity for fitness, we squeezed in a squat challenge during a short break. Just what everyone needed between rounds of watering!

Once the plants had been thoroughly hydrated, we turned our attention to the weeds. We battled our way through alkanet and bindweed, before getting the rakes out to tackle the dry fallen leaves. Rather than simply clearing them away, we redistributed them around the beds so they could do their bit as natural mulch, helping the soil retain precious moisture.

With the gardening jobs complete, it was time for our final feat of endurance: a five-minute plank! We mixed things up with different plank variations, and gave our cores a good all round session. 💪

Next week I'm just waiting for the task to be confirmed,so watch this space (and look out for my weekly email which will have all the details). Hopefully see you at the next one! 💚

We have an exciting opportunity this Sunday to get out on the river on a paddleboard to help clear litter. You can see all the details and sign up here

Finally, good luck to all those racing the Big Half this weekend!

Another great GoodGym Hounslow session happened last night, with plenty to celebrate and two important community tasks helping local green spaces recover after the drought.

🎉 Celebrations all round

A huge congratulations to Maxime on his 100th Good Deed! That is a fantastic milestone and a testament to the time, energy and commitment he has put into helping others in the community. Reaching 100 good deeds means 100 occasions of turning up, getting stuck in and making a tangible difference — one task, one neighbour and one community space at a time. What an achievement!

We also gave a warm GoodGym welcome to David, who joined us for his very first session. It was great to have him along, and we hope this is the first of many GoodGym adventures.

💦 Watering after the drought

With our local green spaces needing some extra care following the drought, we split into two groups for two very worthwhile watering tasks. One group headed to Abundance in Chiswick, helping to water their community growing spaces. Organisations like Abundance do so much to bring people together around food, nature and sustainable local communities, so helping to keep their plants healthy is a small but important way of supporting that work.

The other group headed to Wild Chiswick’s allotments, where there was plenty to keep us busy watering plants that had been through a tough spell of dry weather. Wild Chiswick helps protect and nurture local biodiversity while keeping valuable community growing spaces thriving. We even had a curious fox was keeping watch over proceedings! 🦊

🤝 Reuniting!

We decided to skip the usual workout in the interests of bringing the groups back together and spending more time as one team. Neither group was short of a workout, though. At Turnham Green, the watering crew had to carry heavy watering cans all the way across the Green from the rockery — definitely enough functional fitness to make up for skipping the usual fitness! Next week, we’re back to normal with our session at Chiswick House — workout included!

A big well done to everyone. From 100 good deeds to a first session, and everything between and beyond, it was another great night of doing good together. 💚