GoodGym Ealing already cemented their position as speedy and resourceful engineers when they replaced a row of rotting wooden posts with new bollards within a short group run task at the Hanwell School of Boxing last year. Impressed by the concrete evidence of solid delivery, Linda, the task owner for both the boxing club and Blondin Park, rehired them for another construction-type task. This time, the job was to erect two new boot scrubbers in front of the Blondin Pavilion and lay woodchip on a muddy area serving as an overflow car park for the pavilion.

On a chilly Tuesday night, one walker, one cyclist, four runners, and one late runner landed on Blondin Park’s tarmac path, famously lit like a runway. In front of the pavilion stood a wheelbarrow with spades and shovels prepared by Linda. It was time for everyone to choose the tasks. Our close neighbour from GoodGym Hounslow, Breda, for her first Ealing group run, decided on the shovel+wheelbarrow action, accompanied by Sevan. James, Conor, Harvey, Steph Ducat and Kash were more in the mood for DIY and opted for the unique boot scrubbers installation experience.

Linda, experienced with larger construction projects, knew that for quick jobs involving securing fences or posts, there was nothing better than GoodGymers and Postcrete. We all know how GoodGymers work - but what’s postcrete, you may ask. It’s a rapid-setting cement solution that requires only the addition of water, and no mixing, making it ideal for occasions when you’re short on time.

The five GoodGym builders first dug four narrow and knee-deep holes, then tried the boot scrubbers on them, testing their evenness with a spirit level. The levels turned out to be perfect, and the GoodGym spirits were pretty high, so the team enthusiastically poured generous amounts of postcrete and water into the holes. And waited. And waited. To be frank, the mixture was set within 10-15 minutes, which may seem like no time in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, seeing Sevan and Breda still racing their wheelbarrows and raking like there was no tomorrow, made the builders' team feel pretty idle.

With the scrubbers literally set in concrete, there was not much else to do on the night than claim the delicious refreshment Linda prepared: sweet and dense hot chocolate! After warming up in the pavilion with a hot beverage, the runners set off for the run back to Ealing Broadway, which was the location of our following week’s group run: a gardening session in Walpole Park.

The 3 musketeers of the morning stayed on to serve food and hand out grocery bags. James handed out grocery bags, that he prepared with fellow volunteers earlier in the day. Chandrima was serving food and drinks in the dinning area whilstSteph Ducat was plating the food he cooked with the other chefs.

The chicken casserole with the puree and green beans was a success and the plates were empty and not much waste today!!This recipe is so good it should be illegal—fowl play at its finest. The ravioli was also served but not many vegetarian requests today.

Dessert : walnut brownies can't disappoint but the plum compote you either love it or hate. The kitchen and dining area calmed down : the clearing and cleaning started as a lot of pots, pans, plates and cluttery to deal with.

Another great day at ESK

Friday Hub and a wet day!!When I Steph Ducat arrived, James was already at the church to help - We are early birds. Then Chandrima turned up all the way from Tower Hamlets. Then Chandrima asked about someone famous : who was famous ? Was it James as 007, Anthony Kelly the mayor of Ealing who was present today, Sonna(our volunteer singer) or someone else? She said are you the famous Steph? Then understood when explained and yes it was Steph who goes to different areas and does alot of exercises as her fellow goodgymers at Camden mentionned!! We are all famous in the volunteering world!!Apart from that James was helping with the grocery bags, Chandrima wrote the menu on the board and helped set up in the dinning area, whilst Steph Ducat was in the kitchen assisting the other chefs prepare todays food.

Have you ever wondered what happens to the dead Christmas trees Ealing Council collects each January after the festive season's end? They are being sent to a cemetery. Literally.

Just as a year ago, the 2025 trees got minced into woodchip and dropped at the South Ealing Cemetery. We were going to use it to cover the side paths and disguise the sins of the last year: suspicious walkways. A year ago, the woodchip the cemetery received was rough and contained large, sharp pieces of timber, not really classifying as woodchip on which you could walk safely and comfortably. This year, having learnt lessons from 2025, the Council provided fine woodchip, mostly made of fragrant conifer needles. What a treat to shovel!

The rain might have scared off some of this morning's crew, but five GoodGymers showed up and joined Paul and two other volunteers from Ealing Parks Foundation for a 2-hour workout.

Sevan, Steph and Kash knew the drill: shovel the woodchip into a wheelbarrow, transport, tip on a path, and rake, rinse and repeat. Devi joined the shovel & wheelbarrow team with enthusiasm and grit. Despite the cemetery task being only her second session and the weather being a far cry from what we call a glorious day, Devi has proven to be a tenacious GoodGymer, enjoying an intense, non-stop activity outdoors. Great to see such a spirit!

Meanwhile, James found raking the paths thoroughly satisfying - so satisfying that he levelled every single barrow of woodchip dropped on all three paths we managed to do in the two hours allocated. Being a perfectionist and having a special connection to the green space must have helped. Great work, James!

Paul was both impressed and delighted by the number of paths woodchipped, and particularly happy to see a pathway to the Mausoleum being covered, as it was on the route of the cemetery's guided walk.

According to our data scientist Steph, each of the GoodGymers transporting the woodchip covered roughly 5km of walking with a wheelbarrow. That's not only plenty of the daily steps walked by midday, but also a fantastic impact on the calm, historic green space of South Ealing for everyone to enjoy.

A sunny Saturday morning following a week of greyness. Ivy hanging from the tall trees of Grove Farm like a canopy. Yellow mushrooms against a pattern of brown bark. A carpet of moist leaves rolling down a muddy slope. Calmness filled with faint birdsong coming from above. And then a sudden whirr of hedge trimmers and clink of shears. What's happening?

A group of people, mostly wearing red, are chopping large patches of baby brambles with zeal and enthusiasm. Is that how woodland conservation is supposed to be? Well, yes! According to Mike, a friend of Grove Farm, blackberries, if not kept in check, are taking over green spaces and suppressing the growth of other species that should be part of the ecosystem. And we believe him, because we've seen that in the past two years of helping at Grove Farm. Without a little help from volunteers fighting off brambles, the wonderful wood anemones wouldn't be able to bloom in March and April! See how they looked in the past!

This January, volunteers Mike and Livio are joined by seven GoodGymers: runners Steph, Sevan, and Kash, walkers Ash and Thaiza, and cyclists James and Richard. Richard is actually a runner too, and he already did a parkrun in the morning. Now, swapping swimming for shearing makes a different kind of triathlon for him!

The results of our conservation work from previous years have made a visible difference. The 2026 brambles are much smaller and more spread, compared to what we've dealt with in the past. A single session of cutting back and raking today allows us to clear the entire slope alongside a woodland path, and give wood anemones a strong boost. With enough sunlight reaching the ground, their flowers will be stunning in the spring!

The brambles never stop growing, though, and we'll need regular visits to Grove Farm this winter to stay in control of the wood anemone territory. Our February session will be another opportunity to help biodiversity, while enjoying a forest-bathing session by absorbing nature’s sights, sounds, and smells. If boosting wellbeing by spending time in nature and doing something impactful sounds like something for you, sign up to join us!

A mild January sunday afternoon saw a large group of volunteers meet by the Pear Tree Park cafe for some tree planting. The trees were, you guessed it, different varieties of pear trees.

A lot of work had already been done in an earlier session, but that still left digging, pile driving fence posts into the ground, spreading compost and mulch and finally applying a protective cover. There were a couple of unfortunate mishaps, including someone who planted 6 trees in one hole and a bucket that didnt survive the attentions of an excited dog. But overall it was a very successful and satisfying bit of community action - one that will hopefully bear plenty of fruit for years to come.