A lot of running for Kash and Steph Ducat this Sunday in between missions as they got confused with the different Ms L listed during the week, but ended up doing both Ms L missions in Hounslow. Second run together and a quick lovely lunch, then it was time to step up to the task at Ms L which both have previously visited to fight brambles and ivy. Today we were asked to clear a corner in the garden to allow the bin to be placed for the council to collect it as stuck in the side of the house so not collected. Ladders were climbed, bins were conquered.

We didn’t just take the stairs… we took the ladders. A mission of ups, downs, and throw‑aways — ladders up, bins out. Ivy was cut down and the path was cleared to the corner Ms L wanted for her bin to the sad removal of the small holly that was there(Ms L has loads of holly on the side by the front home door) Today we had a quick show up of her cat, which was no longer limping. Dog in the house was to his usual barking from behind the front door. A bin‑credible teamwork and ladder‑climbing heroics.

After a long day on Saturday, full of running and an unreasonable number of community missions, two Ealing GoodGymers who love challenges finally found time to rest. Or did they? Not quite!

Steph and Kash were up early to run to Acton, carrying their shoes for recycling collection, and eager to meet their friends and volunteer at junior parkrun. A coffee break afterwards was not the finale of an intense weekend, but merely an operational pause before Steph & Kash Hounslow's special episode: a double feature!

The team of two set off for a 13 km run to Feltham, hoping the rain would hold off. It didn't. Between Brentford and Isleworth, a strong shower struck and convinced the hardy GoodGymers to put on their rain jackets. Waterproofs were great, but the two would have to put up with wet shoes for the next 7 hours or so. The joys of GoodGymming in the winter!

Arriving at Feltham, the team realised they were very much too early and walked the final kilometre, spotting and stroking a handsome white and ginger cat on the way. At Ms L's house, they met the lady's granddaughter, and later the daughter, who was about to leave for her shift at work. Since the long grass in the front garden was wet from the rain and not suitable for the strimmer, the GoodGymers received artistic licence when it came to general weeding.

They found plenty of weeds to pull from the flower beds or dig from the grass, sprouting brambles to cut, hidden ivy to remove from the hedge and moss to scrape from the driveway. It didn't look like a lot of work (half a wheelie bin of green waste), but the little jobs added up to fill the whole mission time.

Towards the end of the session, Steph's vintage scraping brush broke, and its operator proclaimed it to be a sign. It was indeed time to go. The two caught 5 minutes of sunshine and ran another 6.5km to Cranford for a well-deserved and well-overdue pub lunch break, then on a mission for another Ms L.

Alongside our monthly volunteering session at Acton junior parkrun, we also organised a collection of old running shoes from the children and families at today's event. And they did not disappoint! The shoes are headed for JogOn, who will find good homes for the better ones and break down/recycle the ones at the end of their lives.

This was a weekend for shoes collections, as Osterley parkrun did the same yesterday! A huge thanks to their team for adding our shoes and transporting the whole lot the to Jog0n warehouse!

Thanks to the amazing team at Action juniors and We Run Ealing for their support and letting everyone know about the collection.

Acton Junior parkrun this morning coincided with Harvey's task to donate old running shoes to Jog On. It resulted in a great haul of well worn trainers which will be saved from landfill. A lot of the runners must've been wearing speedy new shoes then, with the first runner finishing in a PB of 7:41 on the hilly course.

Unusually, no GoodGymers were volunteering in the funnel. A marshal shortage meant that Harvey, Joanna, Tom, Steph, Maria, Kash and Sevan were dotted around the marshal point on the course.

"Is there a marathon on today?" - Park goer

There was no marathon. Instead, a 2km run completed by 53 brilliant children.

As the ceilidh got into full swing (pun intended), Steph Ducat and Iram teamed up with the kitchen crew to clean, dry and clear the dishes, while Kash commandeered a second sink in another room to tackle even more washing-up with help from Sevan.

Once the dancing shoes came off and the party began to wind down, the GoodGymers shifted swiftly into full action mode:

• Folding, wiping and stacking tables
• Stacking chairs as efficiently as possible
• Gently corralling party-goers away from said tables and chairs
• Collecting and packing away the wonderful Burns Night decorations
• Politely distributing leftover sweets (GoodGymers cannot stand food waste!)

Early nerves about running low on whisky were quickly settled when a record-breaking four-litre bottle made a heroic appearance. As the Address to a Haggis got underway, shots of whisky were speedily distributed so that everyone (except the children!) could properly toast the haggis. The performance was poetic, dramatic, and just a little bit violent... exactly as tradition demands.

Then it was full service mode. The team worked swiftly to ensure everyone received their haggis, neeps and tatties with gravy (or a vegetarian alternative). Maria, crowned the Gravy Queen, made sure every table was well supplied, while Steph patiently whipped up an impressively large bowl of cream in preparation for dessert.

Dessert was a mathematical challenge: dividing 80 portions of cranachan so that everyone got a fair share of fruit, cream, oats, and sauce. We did our best and, with only minor spillages along the way, the cranachan crew (Maria, Steph, Sevan, Iram and Kash) got the job done.

After plates were cleared (with thanks to Kash, the GoodGym muscle came into play again as centre tables were swiftly moved to make space for a Cèilidh dance. Little did we know we’d also be called upon to demonstrate the moves. It was a different kind of workout to what we're used to... and let's just say there was mixed success!

Had prohibition hit the Hobbayne Centre's Burns' Night? Like previous years, set up involved preparing bamboo cutlery and napkins and pouring drinks to prepare for the Address to the Haggis.

With the cutlery completed and placed on the tables for the guests, the GoodGymers saw 3 partially empty whisky bottles to pour 90 shot glasses from. Hmm, there didn't look like there'd be enough.

As the first 2 bottles were emptied, 40 glasses had been filled. It was time to open the last bottle and the cork crumbled. A bottle opener was tried and made a hole through the middle of the cork. What to do? Find a strainer and a measuring jug to remove the "bits" from the liquid, of course. Necessity is the mother of invention and keeping everyone whiskied up was also a motivator.

Fifty glasses were filled and then the team had to wait for the next bootleggers to make it through police lines with a new bottle to finish pouring...

It was task owner Tamzin's first day at home after a long holiday and it was straight back to Care4Calais work as she arrived with a car full of clothes. Team GoodGym caught up on the holiday highlights over a coffee before the first job of unloading the car and getting to work.

Kash & Steph started fulfiling requests that had come in while Tamzin had been away. They had the most difficulty finding winter coats and shoes of the right size. Most of the requests were completed, however there for 2 for women with large feet. Size 9 or 10s! According to Laycy this wasn't unusual for supermodels, but the Care4Calais stock room wasn't prepared for such sophisticated or legendary clientelle.

Nearby, Laycy and Sevan were busy building standard packs of medium clothes for men. The new boxes of stock were filled with jogging bottoms, sweatshirts and t-shirts. Their production line put together 28 packs, some with a rather Xmas-y red & green feel. They moved onto box crushing and recycling duties and eventually helped Kash and Steph complete their requests.

The team completed everything they could with the available clothes. Any requests that are still missing items could still be around when GoodGym returns next week to help Care4Calais again.