Back at the Pokopia Garden again, this time with help from Louise.

Unfortunately, the persistent heat waves has made it hard for any garden to flourish, but we still came out today to do our part in maintaining it. Louise and me went of to get our water equipment, then once we returned to the garden, the local vendors kindly let us use the water supply and hose for the gardening.

It took us awhile to water everywhere, mostly because of how tall the living wall is (we are not the tallest volunteers). However, we had a great time tending to the garden. Hopefully we get some rain soon so that the garden can flourish more.

Last Saturday, before the 10th anniversary celebration of GoodGym Ealing, our gang joined the Hanwell and Norwood Green Orchard Trail (HANGOT) to cut back orchard hedges and water young trees at the Elthorne Triangle Orchard.

But what about the older trees? How were they going to survive the extreme drought that has been affecting London since the end of June, especially with Hilary and Clive from HANGOT away for a week in August?

The GoodGymmers offered to take care of the mature trees in the Elthorne Triangle orchard, and, thanks to Ranger Jon, they were given access to 10 five-litre water containers. According to Hilary, that was just the right amount of water to keep the trees going that week.

What better excuse to perform the farmer’s walk routine than carrying containers to water fruit trees in a public orchard! And that’s exactly what the GoodGymmers did, hauling and tipping the containers around the orchard. It was the hottest day of the week, with temperatures reaching 37°C, but with five pairs of hands on the job, the task was short and easy, taking less than 20 minutes. In fact, a significant percentage of that time was spent simply opening the storage space where the containers lived!

The GoodGymmers decided to add a bonus task: weighted step-ups on the steps leading from the canal to Elthorne Park. Since the ranger had provided a bucket, funnel and rope, they also decided to fill the empty water containers with water from the canal, ready for the next time the trees needed watering.

The five GoodGymmers also used the session as an excuse for some extra light exercise on that very hot day. Scott cycled, Richard, Sevan and Steph Ducat ran, and Kash walked. It was a great way to get out of the house or work and into the outdoors, making the most of the golden hour before sunset.

It's been a tough summer for the weeds at St Mary's Churchyard Garden in South Ealing. First, the unforgiving drought, then the mighty gardener Cliff, and now this - a horde of GoodGymers!

Even the train disruptions during the heatwave couldn't hinder the unstoppable active transport enthusiasts: group runners led by Sevan - Steph Ducat and Kash, a solo runner Richard, cyclists Amy, Scott and Maria, and walkers James and Diana.

Thirsty and depleted weeds growing by the northern wall of the churchyard could not stand a chance against the assault of spades, forks, mattocks and shears carried by the gang in red t-shirts. Chopped, pulled or dug out, the weeds became green waste to be rapidly raked away and loaded into a wheelbarrow. From there, there was only one way - onto the giant compost heap.

The transformation of the area was remarkable: from a green (yes, it somehow managed to stay green, unlike the dried grass) carpet of weeds into a levelled layer of woodchip. Cliff was very pleased by the sheer power of teamwork, brought by GoodGym. When Ealing eventually gets some rain, the chief gardener hopes to seed some grass in the churchyard and bring the garden back to life with some pleasant greenery.

We will be back at St Mary's churchyard first thing in September. With Steph in charge, the team will attack the infamous northeastern corner of the garden to free it from the remaining weeds. Sign up now!

Next week's Tuesday session: Help women in Acton discover free, inclusive health and fitness opportunities.

More GoodGym this week?

Thursday: Help keep the orchard alive! 🌳 Watering fruit trees at Elthorne Triangle in Hanwell 💦.

Saturday: 🥦 Fun, exercise, food growing 🥔 August Community day at Western Road Urban Garden.

Kash and Harvey rolled out for our monthly Ealing Mile support. After helping carry out the timing kit, mat and clock, Harvey was assigned to his usual role at the very far, far reaches of the park. Kash was close by at the first corner. What were they trying to say?!

But, hang on, Kash had an extra role - place spotter! A hefty responsibility that involved a clipboard, crikey, and 28 runners!

After packing up, Kash headed off for lunch and her next mission. Harvey was off for a run. See you next month!

Back to Mrs A back garden for more berrying on with the overgrown brambles and weed behind the garage against the fence which you cannot see at the moment. Ploughing through and started to see more and more grapes amongst the berries. Then a metallic water tank with taps appeared : Mrs A son said it was previously against the garage and collected the rain water from the gutters...well it moved and was in the middle of the bramble jungle. Found more gold balls - not a surprise. Then a wired fence, some wooden panels and a wooden seat made from a tree appeared. Reached the neighbors fence!!!It could not be seen up to now as the brambles were so intense. Mrs A was speechless as didn't see the fence for ages. Another 2 bins filled, but still some work to be done.

On Saturday 8th August 2026, the day before the actual big milestone date, GoodGym Ealing celebrated its 10th birthday. A decade of doing good (over 11,900 good deeds and counting) by 990 GoodGymers (local and from afar) deserved a truly Ealing-style party - no pomp under any circumstances! A small crowd gathered on a meadow in Brent Lodge Park for a picnic by GoodGymers for GoodGymers - and some of our wonderful partners, too!

The location allowed us to borrow a few pieces of festival furniture thanks to the generosity of the William Hobbayne Charity and the Hanwell Hootie team, both represented by Andrea, who joined us on the day. We were visited by the Running Mayor Tom Kerry from We Run Ealing and the leads of Hanwell and Norwood Green Orchard Trail (HANGOT), Hilary and Clive, with whom we watered the trees and cut back a hedge at one of their public orchards in the morning.

While Linda from Blondin Pavilion couldn't make it to the party due to existing commitments, she was with us in spirit - more precisely, in the lemon drizzle she had kindly baked for us. It was a delicious treat!

TaskForce Iram, Steph Ducat, Sevan and Harvey (the latter sadly unable to make it to the party) received a well-deserved shoutout from Area Activator Kash for their incredible work behind the scenes and their support in making the 10th birthday happen: coming up with ideas, sending invites and bringing fun and tasty things to make the day even brighter.

The historical side of the celebration was boosted by the presence of GoodGym veterans like Bryon and John, who had been GoodGymming before GoodGym Ealing even existed! It was fantastic to see a range of newer GoodGymers joining at different times: Ealing regulars like Maria and Ashley, the more recent active members Jo, Andrew and Zuzanna, and the newest additions to the team: Giles - starting his sessions this week - and Beverley and Helen, who had their first opportunity to meet our team today. A lovely surprise was to see Mohamed, a dedicated member last year, who carved out a bit of his busy schedule to come and reunite with the team.

As time went on, the tree's shade receded, and we were forced to keep retreating to the ever-shrinking shade. The only thing that should be baked for a birthday is a cake - certainly not GoodGymers! We even opted out of setting the birthday candles alight on such a hot, dry day to mitigate the risk of a wildfire - or maybe no one thought about bringing a lighter!

The message of the day was simple: everyone is welcome at GoodGym Ealing and every time GoodGymers show up, it counts - for the community and for themselves. Whether you have just started your journey, come for one session a week or a month, do five tasks a week, or have had to take a break for a few months or even years, you are equally welcome, and GoodGym will be waiting for you. No matter if you walk, cycle or run to GoodGym tasks, it's an incredible way to get to know the unique places in your borough, learn about its diverse communities, and meet new people. So come and explore! GoodGym was there for you 10 years ago, it's here now, and it will be waiting for you over the next 10 years too! On to the next decade of getting active together!