Helping out our local award winning race, the Ealing Half Marathon, has become one of our annual group sessions. The race is incredibly well organised and planned - we provide willing hands to put up advance warning signs on the route. There was some debate as to how far '200 metres apart' actually was - the next lamp post? The one after that? All very high tech.

We split into two teams, taking a side of the road each. There began a quiet sense of competition as we faced each other on opposite sides of the traffic. This was left unsaid, of course - it's better that way. An eyebrow movement can convey all it needs to, even through a couple of lanes of traffic bustle.

There's a fantastic atmosphere on race day at the Ealing half and we got asked lots of questions by curious residents as we made our way through the borough carrying step ladders and large yellow signs!.I think our high vis vests reassured people that we were legit (maybe!).

I saw the sign...and it opened up my eyes (apologies to those too young to get the reference!).

The Brentford Festival, which the GoodGymers helped set up had ended on Sunday, but the festival gazebos that had partied very hard were now a bit lost in the aftermath. They were the last ones to leave the field by Blondin Park Community Pavillion and now had no idea how to get home. After two days of gazebos not returning to their container, the event manager, Linda, decided it was time for a GoodGym intervention.

Seven GoodGymers (and one GoodGymer-to-be?) ran, walked or cycled to Blondin Park to give the gazebos some comfort and gently pack them away into a cosy storage. Steph gave each gazebo a warm hug to prepare them for spending the upcoming months in the dark sleeping bags, just unfolded by Sevan. Before the tents could make it to the container, Claire and Lena moved festival tables inside first and stacked them neatly.

It was Lena's very first session and she already showed unparalleled enthusiasm for doing good while problem-solving and having fun. Welcome to GoodGym Lena!

With the tables sorted out, the whole team moved on to unfolding and folding back the six-legged gazebos (the monsters-size Gazebos which you should write with a capital G!) to adjust their frames and shake any water off the roofs. The latter looked like an attempt at a mini-storm simulation, with the canvas fluttering dramatically and raindrops sprinkling the faces of GoodGymers caught in a torrential downpour. Was it a prelude to the wet winter tasks outdoors? Hopefully not!

Martin and Gus specialised in compressing the Gazebos and squeezing them into the giant gym bags. One of those covers had a broken zip, and despite Gus' heroic attempts to make it work, the ultimate solution was to use the old-school bungee cord. Steph got caught up in Lena's ritual of wrapping the gazebo bag with the rope and almost ended up as an annual sacrifice to GoodGym gods. Luckily, with his running mastery, he managed to escape last minute!

Five gazebos, dressed in covers or not, made it safely to the container, where they were left to sleep and recover from the festival. It was then that Linda found a couple of rogue gazebo limbs outside! The GoodGymers couldn't tell which of the gazebos might have misplaced parts of their frame, so the spare legs were placed together with the rest of the festival tents to await their next big outing.

Speaking of outings, that Tuesday was a special night for GoodGym Ealing with a pub quiz as a reward for another fantastic month of doing good!

Next Tuesday we are visiting the Impact Theatre again to do prep for painting - sign up here!

If you cannot wait for a group task with us until next week, pop to Horsenden Farm for a task and social lunch with The Horsenden Loaf pizza!

Tonight, our group run attendees were sew happy with the task, that they all stayed for an extra 30 minutes to tie up some loose ends and finish off their draw string bags. In total 15 bags were created which task owner Mary will donate to Ealing Soup Kitchen to give to their clients 🛍️

While everyone was excited about the task, there were some experienced needleworkers, some lapsed and others who'd never sewn a stitch in their lives. Mary and Yvonne came prepared with t-shirts which would otherwise have gone for textile recycling and were ready to be given a new life. They explained - more than once - how to slice and dice a t-shirt into 4 bags, using the features of the original garment to easily transform it.

Clare meanwhile inherited the job of hand-sewing the GoodGym flag, making good progress with the letters and also cursing the slippery material of the GGs. Who chose that spangly material is lost in the mists of time. On our next visit, completing the GoodGym flag and the GG challenge will pass on to someone else.

By the end of the task, almost everyone had created at least one bag end to end and learned the skill of threading cord through a hem or waistband. Emmanuella also became a magician, turning a t-shirt into yarn which was a bit like reversing the manufacturing process. Reusing and recycling in act(i)on 💪

See Emmanuella's trick here https://www.instagram.com/p/C-6EiobhtQl/

It's been eight years since the very first GoodGym Ealing group run to Boston Manor Park on the 9th August 2016. Such a chunk of history had to be celebrated with style!

A thank you to our supporters

• The venue was kindly provided to us by The William Hobbayne Charity at their community space.
• The birthday cake and snacks were supplied by June Martin from the charity.
• The local pub The Green W7 donated their delicious wood-fired pizza to feed all of us!

Sevan volunteered to drop from the running group of tonight's group run to run to our task and party venue with a peculiar companion - a giant golden "8" helium balloon, causing a sensation amongst Hanwell children.

Mike did the honour of blowing the candle as the longest-serving Ealing GoodGymer at tonight's party, and Milly brought some GoodGym-themed bits and bobs for everyone, donated by the previous leader of our GoodGym, Liv.

What makes us great?

After the birthday speeches, the guests were asked to share with everyone what they think makes GoodGym Ealing great. Here are some facts:

• How nice everyone is
• Having a shared purpose
• The people
• The company
• The passion of all Ealing GoodGymers
• Socialising
• Seeing a group of people spending time to give and help
• It's the people, of course!
• Being able to volunteer with lots of great projects thanks to GoodGym
• The "good" in GoodGym Ealing

Let the games begin!

After last year's quiz, Kash and Sevan decided to up their game and have three teams (Harvey's Angels, Amaretti and W7 Men) compete in four disciplines:

• I Spy, a warm-up silly game. Our fitness leaders never forget about warm-ups, right?)
• Build a polytunnel from recycled materials (think milk bottles, a rainproof poncho, pastel de nata packaging, egg boxes, etc.) in 10 minutes. Every GoodGymer involved in setting up the real-life polytunnel at Western Road in Southall can attest that such a task can be more demanding than it seems!
• Take a photo with as many mouths and as few noses and shoulders on it as possible.
• Write a GoodGym-themed haiku.

All the teams showed fantastic teamwork and unbridled creativity, GoodGym Ealing style.

Here is to the next 8 great years! 🍻