"What are your names?" - Mr P
"Kash." - Kash
"...and Sevan" - Sevan
"That sounds like a rock band!" - Mr P
"Well, we are the rock stars of volunteering. 👩‍🎤👨‍🎤" - Kash

Mr P had an unusual decluttering task for the rock stars. Taking coats and jackets from his bathtub and throwing them in the bin. The aim was to get him one step closer to having his bathroom replaced.

Why were there coats in the bathtub and why were they being disposed of? They'd been put there briefly while Mr P's hallway was redecorated, then he had a heart attack and the clothing stayed in the bath for a while longer, ending up pretty dirty. Now housebound, Mr P didn't need his jacket collection anymore.

The GoodGymers knew that the clothes would be valuable to a charity if they were clean. Not knowing who in the local would take on the effort of washing or dry cleaning them, they agreed to bag them up and throw them out. Kash and Sevan had both been to enough Care4Calais clothes sorting sessions to give the clothes a once over before getting rid of them.

"Let's check the pockets."
"There might be some cash left in there." - Sevan
"Probably with the queen on it. Queen Victoria!" - Mr P

Most of the jackets came up empty for hidden treasure... until the last one, sitting at the bottom of the bathtub. It had a handful of coins, but not only that. There was also a pair of gloves to keep Mr P's hands warm - very useful - and an envelope, which he took and put back in the bathtub 🤷.

On the way out, the band put the bags in the metal communal waste bin and headed off for their next gig 🎸.

A 7km run took Sevan and Kash from Hanwell to East Acton, where they visited Mr R, a regular recipient of GoodGym gardening service. Since the last mission, Mr R's back garden became quite a thorny subject, with roses growing tall and brambles abundant.

With loppers and secateurs found in the shed, the roses have been tamed, and brambles pushed back, leaving Mr R feeling much happier about the state of his garden.

Mr R's garden was in the shade, so Sevan and Kash didn't get to enjoy the afternoon sunshine, and by the end of the task, they felt the air had become a bit chillier. It was quite a relief that the next mission to run to was an indoor one!

It was a glorious and surprisingly warm morning in Hanwell when team GoodGym and team HANGOT met on Saturday. They made the most of it with a long walk along the sunny side of the canal to one of the furthest orchards from HANGOT's base, Blackberry Corner.

HANGOT's plan for the day was to prepare the orchard for winter and also be good neighbours to the nearby canal users. There were a few jobs to complete:

1. Cutting vegetation along the fence line to give more light to canal users
2. Clearing weeds from around the trees
3. Stopping animals from eating their bark
4. Checking for any damage or disease

Clive from HANGOT explained that there were small muntjac deer in the area who loved to eat the bark of apple trees. There were also rumours of giant rabbits around too who did the same. That wasn't the only rumour at today's session as there were stories of an animal paw being found in the cuttings pile 🐾😮!

The first 2 jobs would allow the team to tick off 3 and 4 as well. Kash and Steph grabbed shears and worked along the orchard's east fence, cutting away weeds and tree suckers. They also found dead branches that the boaters had cut from high up in the trees, so they were scooped up and added to the new cuttings pile.

Giles and Sevan trimmed circles around the fruit trees as HANGOT often do to give the trees' roots more water and less competition for nutrients from the soil. They also spot checked the tree guards gaps to be patched. Giles went on to rake up cuttings from HANGOT's scythers which all headed onto the new cuttings pile too. As the session came to an end, Sevan dipped into the old cuttings to use as mulch around the tree trunks.

This was the last task of 2026 with HANGOT as work winds down for the year. After a tough summer for all of HANGOT's orchards, Blackberry Corner was left in a good state to welcome winter and hungry animals 🦌🐇. We'll be back in January for HANGOT's next Orchard Love Day, preparing for the coming spring and new growth 🌱.

I visited Ms F after work and discovered she was planning to get back to some serious cooking. The first dish on the list was: فاصوليا . The sound of the word made me think it must be something made with beans. Indeed, Ms F had two packs of round beans on her shopping list.

The other items were all-time Ms F classics: Orkney thin oatcakes, poached salmon, sugar snap peas, a six-pack of still water, and so on.

Ms F also mentioned that she'd been feeling cold at home over the last few days. All her winter clothes had been stowed away in a pirate trunk, which GoodGymers are sometimes tasked with bringing up or taking down as the seasons change. Who knows, there might be a treasure chest mission coming up soon for Ms F!

We were back at the Abundance Garden on Chiswick High Road last night, this time with bulbs and other plants to get into the ground, including some beautiful asters.

It's always a busy spot, with the added challenge of a cycle lane running right alongside us – so there was a bit of bike dodging as we got ourselves organised! First, we cleared away the leaves, grabbed our trowels and got stuck in.

Rosemary, the Abundance organiser, had came armed with a top tip. To stop squirrels digging up all our carefully planted bulbs, she suggested sprinkling curry powder over the freshly planted areas. Not only should it help deter the little bulb raiders, but it also left the whole area smelling delicious!

We managed to cover two beds, getting lots of bulbs and plants into the ground. Come spring, these should bring a splash of colour to this busy urban spot. Planting bulbs and flowers in towns and cities does so much more than brighten things up: they provide valuable food for pollinators such as bees and butterflies, support urban biodiversity, create greener and more welcoming streets and help connect people with nature. A little planting can make a big difference!

We'll have to watch this space come spring to see the results of all that hard work.

And finally, a huge congratulations to Alanna on reaching 100 good deeds! 🎉 Sorry for being a little premature with the celebrations last week, but this time it's official. You've earned your wings, Alanna! We even spotted you sporting a red GoodGym top – don't worry, now you've hit your century you can claim your black one.

Another evening of community action, a little curry powder and a big milestone. Well done everyone! ❤️