In-house GoodGym meteorologist, plodding along with my little runs and trying to do good in my community
0 Month Streak
11 Month Streak
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Block or report Leticia Bessel
Wed 5th Nov at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
It was all about the wildlife in Chiswick tonight as we delivered information locally about hedgehogs underneath the beaver moon!
Wild Chiswick is an organisation which works to protect vulnerable animals in the area. There have been recent sightings of hedgehogs for the first time in years at Strand on the Green and Jo, who runs the project, wanted to make sure the population continues to grow. Our job for the night was to deliver information leaflets to houses in the area so they knew how to care for hedgehogs, improve their habitats and help them thrive!
We divided up into teams and, like the well oiled machine we are, started delivering the leaflets at impressive speed.
We were done before we knew it, so meeting back up with Jo, we posed for some photos under Justin Beaver. (thanks for the punspiration!)
Then it was back to the town hall for a short but sweet tabata session working our major muscle groups.
The good news? The task was very effective - Jo got an enquiry about creating a habitat before the evening was out! Amazing work.
We have a couple of weekend missions coming up. Fancy taking part in a huge bulb planting task at Chiswick House??
Or maybe some hedge care in Heston is up your street.
Either way you'll be kicking off the weekend doing something positive for your community and getting in a great work out!
Wed 5th Nov at 6:30pm
Wed 15th Oct at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
Last night we were back at Strand on the Green school to help out with a huge wood staining job. There were huts to treat, there were sheds, there were tables and chairs - who wooden want to help out?
Headtorches on, we divided up into a leaf clearing and wood staining teams and got straight to work. With so many hands making light work, it didn't take too long to get all the structures done. So while the sweeping team carried on scooping up every last leaf, the staining teams moved over to the sensory garden to work on the weeds.
Thistles, bind weed and dandelions dispatched, the end of the session was signalled by....was that a donkey? Not a sound we expected to hear in the middle of Chiswick, but given our recent animal sightings nothing surprises us anymore.
We downed tools and went round the corner for our fitness session which last night was speed based. Learning what it feels like to run at different paces between 60 and 100 % effort helps us control our running, maximise efficiency and stamina and helps us understand just how much we have left to give at the end of a run, race or parkrun! We started off at 50% effort and slowly built up, trying to increase our speed by 10% each time. There was some impressively controlled running from the team last night, and some even more impressive turns of speed. Great work everybody!
Next week we're back at Chiswick House - hope to see you then!
Wed 15th Oct at 6:30pm
Wed 17th Sep at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
What we lost in distance last night we more than made up for in productivity, positive impact and a bumper balancing session!
Our task for the evening was just across the road at Turnham Green, so we wasted no time heading over to the wild meadow where Jan from Friends of Turnham Green was waiting for us. Many of the tasks we do have an immediate impact - washing the Chiswick mural, uncovering the old pillars at Chiswick House or plastic picking at Kew Bridge, for example. This job was a little different as we were investing effort now so that come next spring, the area will - hopefully - be an amazing display of wild flowers for local people to enjoy.
Dividing up into pairs, we each took a 2 X 2 metre patch of recently mowed grass in the meadow area and began the laborious job of scarifying. For the uninitiated, this means pulling up all the loose grass and weeds to reveal the earth so that seeds can be spread. It is hard work, but ultimately satisfying - the pile of dead grass quickly grew to monster proportions.
Once that part of the task was complete, we moved on to the more delicate process of using a tablespoon to disperse the cornflower and poppy seeds far and wide. Let's keep our fingers crossed for rain to help them bed in, as if they so come up successfully next year it's going to be a glorious riot of colour.
All that was left was to use the GG red roller (very on brand) to complete their journey into the soil. Great work - can't wait to see the results!
Without a run this week we had plenty of time for a longer fitness session, this time focusing on balance for runners. And if last night was anything to go by, should Cirque de Soleil need any last minute stand-ins, GG Hounslow have plenty of candidates! As runners are constantly propelling their weight from one side to the other, good balance is important for stability and efficiency. It's definitely worth including some of the drills from last night into your weekly training.
Next week we have a new (woohoo) task. We're going to be going to a school in Brentford to help transform an overgrown space into a community growing space.
There is also a fun mission marshaling at local centenary celebrations on Saturday and setting up for a community event in a conservation area on Sunday - we definitely need a few more pairs of hands for these ones, so if you're free this weekend and want to do some good why not sign up?!
Wed 17th Sep at 6:30pm
Wed 20th Aug at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Michelle
On a warm evening, we made our way on foot and by bike to lend a hand in caring for the historic cedar trees at Chiswick House and Gardens.
With the lawns showing the strain of recent summer heatwaves, our task was to refresh the bases of the trees with a protective layer of woodchip.
We got into an easy rhythm of spreading and chatting and levelled two piles around the large cedar.
Just in time, Lucy arrived to lend a hand and orchestrate the all-important group photo at the end.
With the final barrow emptied it was time to head to the pub to raise a glass on the eve of Remy's birthday, and tuck into another much heralded birthday cake made by Eloise. So good Emily hot footed it across London to try some.
Happy Birthday Remy!
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