Today’s task had us swapping trainers for binoculars as we took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Our mission was simple: keep our eyes peeled, count the birds we spotted, and submit our findings to help track the UK’s bird population.

A few of us met in Marble Hill Park and we perched ourselves in prime viewing spots and soon we spotted a variety of familiar faces – from black crows, parakeets, robins and seagulls – all going about their daily beak-ness.

The task was a nice change of pace: calm, mindful, and a great reminder to slow down and appreciate nature. All observations were logged and submitted to the RSPB, helping them build a clearer picture of how our garden birds are doing. Overall, a very tweet task, well worth flocking to.

One GoodGymer was at Hatherop Park helping the Friends of Hatherop Park coppice some trees on another wet day in the end. The weather started out dry at first but that did not last. Me, myself and I cut away the ash trees to open the nature reserve up to some light.

One GoodGymer coppiced trees in the wet, wet, wet conditions for Friends of Hatherop Park in the forest. They are turning an abandoned bit of wasteland into a nature reserve and the stand of ash trees needs to be cut to let more diversity come in. A fair amount was done despite the rain. Time for some hot tea!

Following on from the great work done by the team in Saturday's Community Mission, four of us headed to INS in Twickenham to finish up the painting of the stairwell, cutting in and rolling where the tape had been carefully laid on Saturday.

It's a busy centre with a lot of use and a coat of paint goes a long way to freshen things up from scuffs and bumps! A satisfying job for a wet Monday night.

One GoodGymer came out to saw trees to improve biodiversity. Coppicing encourages new growth and light to reach the forest floor opening glades and greatly enhancing biodiversity.

We are officially over half way through January, and that means officially half way through the GoodGym January Challenge.

Adam, JP, Lucy, Maena, and Monika were in Twickenham to quite literally rack up the good deeds on Saturday morning. We met with lovely Sarah from INS who had a few tasks to keep us busy. Between us, and some help from Sarah and her husband, we helped to erect a large metal chair hanging rang. Luckily we had the agility, balance, strength and coordination (plus enough pairs of hands) to make easy work of the construction. Adam was left on screw tightening duty whilst the rest of us got on with next job, which was some woodwork painting.

Over the past few months, GoodGym Richmond have made several visits to INS to help repaint various rooms, hallways, toilet radiators and everything inbetween. Just before Christmas we helped to put a fresh coat on the walls lining the stairway (who doesn’t love a new coat for the winter?!), so our plan was continue on from that, by giving the woodwork around the stairway a fresh lick. Not all heroes wear capes, some in fact have masking tape; as Maena and JP helped prep the surfaces and tape up around the edges. The rest of us got the brushes out and got to work on the edges and skirting boards, the stair rails and panelling. A very therapeutic task later, and we had completed all the bits we needed to, and JP had taped up ready for Monday, when we return to INS to continue our painting party.

There paint nobody who loves us better than a task owner who knows we get the job done, and with that we left the paint to dry until we head back on Monday evening for more good deeds and good fun!