We were back at Chiswick House last night for another lovely GoodGym Hounslow session, and what a treat we had in store: two tasks, both indoors! It was especially good timing with the evenings drawing in.

Chiswick House is a wonderful local resource and the team keep our green spaces thriving, protect their heritage and make them welcoming places for the whole community to enjoy. By helping with the behind-the-scenes jobs, we’re doing our bit to support a special place for local people.

We met up with Poppy and split into two teams to tackle our tasks for the evening.

🌱 Team Seeds

Half the group headed inside to sort through seeds collected from the garden and carefully pack them into pouches. These seeds will either be resown to help grow more beautiful plants or sold to raise funds for the charity. It was peaceful, chatty work, with plenty of time to catch up and discuss everything from the Pope to our upcoming birthday! Proof that chatting while GGing throws up some of the most interesting conversational topics.

🌿 Team Willow

Meanwhile, over in the barn, the other team got busy stripping willow branches before carefully manoeuvring them into arches. These will be planted to support the flowers in the herbaceous borders, helping them grow securely.

This task took a fair bit of skill and dexterity, but GoodGym Hounslow were more than up to the challenge! There were expert demonstrations of willow stripping, along with a spot of country dancing - anyone else remember the Stripping the Willow formation?

It was a thoroughly wholesome and productive evening, with plenty achieved and lots of good company along the way.

🏃 We rounded off the evening with a run back to base, breaking it up with a variety of fitness stations. A little extra exercise to finish off a brilliant session — and some very impressive pictures to prove it!

Next week: We’re heading to Duke’s Meadow to clear a space for young people. Another great opportunity to give something back to our local community, get moving and have a good chat along the way.

See you there, GoodGym Hounslow! ❤️

As the autumn evenings rapidly draw in, the GoodGym Hounslow crew gathered for some energetic warm-ups to get the blood pumping before heading into the twilight. Headlight season is officially upon us!

Warmed up and raring to go we headed down to Staveley Road where we met up with Michelle and Alanna. Last night's mission was to support Wild Chiswick, a fantastic local charity dedicated to increasing awareness of local wildlife, conducting vital citizen science, and creating robust urban habitats. This includes building hedgehog highways to managing a dedicated wildlife allotment plot - and this is where we working last night to help it get ready for winter.

With tools in hand, the team split up to tackle a variety of tasks across the plot:

• The Artichoke Excavators: Steph and Maxime took on the Jerusalem artichoke beds. They dug deep and found absolutely loads of bulbs which will be planted in spring
• The Weeding Wizard: David took charge of the first bed, meticulously weeding it until it was completely clear and ready for its next phase
• The Hedgerow Heroes: Jon and Michelle tackled the (currently mini) hedgerows, weeding between them to ensure they grow back stronger
• The Allium Avengers: Alanna and Gus teamed up to chop down the alliums and dig out the dead matter, tidying up the debris to keep the patch healthy

With the tasks successfully completed, we switched our headlamps to high beam and headed back to base. The return run offered plenty of interest, including a stop to admire a charming local attraction—a tiny diorama nestled right at the Chiswick traffic lights! We chatted along the way, discussing the old philosophical paradox: why bad news is actually good news. GoodGym sessions are nothing if not varied!

It is never too early to get into the festive spirit. Next week, we are escaping the autumn chill and heading indoors for a lovely seasonal task. We will be helping out and getting everything ready for Christmas at the beautiful Chiswick House and Gardens. Don't miss out on the indoor festive fun—go ahead and sign up for next week's session here!

Last night GoodGym Hounslow was back on Turnham Green, helping to sow the seeds of what should be another beautiful display next spring.

We did this job last year and the results were fantastic — bright daisies, pops of poppies and cornflowers bringing a splash of colour to the Green. In fact, we even had passers-by stopping to tell us how much they’d enjoyed the flowers last year! 🌸

Our first job was to scarify the ground, working in strips across the meadow. This meant pulling up the dried grass and vegetation to expose patches of bare soil, before gathering up and removing the rough grass.

Next was the heavy rolling. This helped consolidate and firm the seedbed, giving the newly prepared ground a good, even surface and helping create good contact between the soil and the seeds.

And then came the fun bit — sowing the seeds! 🌱

With the ground prepared, we scattered the wildflower seeds across the freshly exposed soil, ready for nature to do its thing over the coming months.

Watch this space in spring to see what happens next! 👀🌼

It’s a small investment of time now that will hopefully bring colour, enjoyment and increased biodiversity to Turnham Green for months to come. A little work last night for the benefit of people and wildlife in the future. 💚

With the task complete, we still had time for a nice long full-body workout on the Green. We started with some strength and conditioning, working all the major muscle groups, before moving on to some cardio to get those heart rates climbing. We finished with the bit everyone loves to hate — a two-minute burner! 🔥

Great work, everybody.

🏃 This Sunday: join us for an inclusive, social trail run around Wimbledon Common. Around 10km, at a social pace, with hills, greenery and plenty of chat — all welcome!

🌿 Next Wednesday: we’re heading back to help Wild Chiswick

See you next week! 💚

Every few weeks we go back to do jobs at Chiswick House and Gardens, and helping out here is always rewarding. Because the Chiswick House & Gardens Trust operates as a registered charity, they rely heavily on the local community to preserve their 65 acres of historic parkland. Without volunteer efforts, maintaining these heritage grounds to share them with the public wouldn't be possible.

Our evening began by gathering on the peak of the Classic Bridge. Built in 1774 for the 5th Duke of Devonshire and designed by the celebrated architect James Wyatt, this beautiful stone structure spans the lake and even still bears shrapnel scars from World War II. Standing on its crest, we took a moment to mark the Autumn Equinox—the exact time of year when day and night are of perfectly equal length. But as any seasoned GoodGymer knows, the equinox also brings a turning point: from here on out, head torches are officially at the ready for our evening sessions! 🔦

We then moved over to a densely overgrown patch to pull out stubborn ivy and tug and snip away at the tangled brambles. By clearing away these aggressive invaders, we opened up space to ensure that the plants meant to grow there can thrive, keeping the entire area beautifully clear and safe.

As twilight crept up on us, the team downed tools and carried heavily loaded bags out to the compost area in the pitch dark, before Maxime capably led the group back to base. Phenomenal work, everyone!

🗺️ Up Next:

Saturday Mission: We are heading over to help out the Friends of Baron's Pond - can you help create a beautiful bluebell grove?

Next week we are staying on home ground for a lovely green session, planting flowers at Turnham Green. Don't miss it!