Sometimes you plan on going to task. Sometimes you just happen to walk there with other Goodgymers simply because you weren't 100% certain of your best way home after ParkRun. And whose is to complain!

In any case, beyond the social butterfly that I am, 6 proper, reliable and dedicated GoodGymers were in attendance this morning at Harvard Hill: Michelle, Ariane, Alan, Chris, Kymm and Maxime.

Shortly after our arrival, the team of local neighbours, cultivate and abundance london got us not 1, not 2 but 300! young native trees to plant alongside the back wall of the park currently bare with the exception of some old graffitis.

We were tasked to plant those in some sort of V shape with the aim of producing a rather natural bush formation by the time they mature.

And so we dug, we planted and we dug and we planted. With the great turnout of local residents as well the task was a great success and even though not all trees were planted by the time we left off the whole wall area was covered and some more trees ended up being planted elsewhere.

Having done such a good job, some of us decided to treat ourselves with some brunch (the social butterfly was at it again!)

Now we shall come back soon to Harvard Hill to see how those little trees will have grown!

13 GoodGymers, one very congested path to clear, below zero temperatures - it could only be our first group run of the year!

After a couple of weeks away from group sessions it felt great to be back doing what we do best - supporting local communities, getting active, and having a lot of laughs along the way.

Our job for the evening was at Strand on the Green school, where we were tasked with clearing a pathway that had become very congested with leaves, mud and branches. So after a run down to the school, avoiding all the precarious icy patches, we grabbed tools and got stuck in.

There were branches to break down, mud to scoop and debris to clear. We caught up on all the things we had been up to over the break - how many cheeseboards were consumed, who did festive parkruns, who started training for some epic 2026 races.

Before long the path had been transformed into a beautiful, clear walkway so we put everything away and moved on to fitness.

Diving up into pairs we swapped between conditioning and cardio exercises and soon any thoughts of the freezing weather were forgotten as we concentrated on who was doing what.

There are lots of exciting sessions coming up, including:

This Sunday mission in Putney I mentioned. It's going to a fun and impactful one creating a seating area for under fives - be great to see you there!

The January session weaving and bashing balsam on Chiswick eyot

..and next week's group session picking plastic by the river

If the numbers of bulbs we have planted over the past few weeks is anything to go by, the borough of Hounslow is going to be soon bursting at the seams with spring flowers! It's great to think, as we run round Gunnersbury, Chiswick and beyond next year, that GoodGym helped fill the borough with tulips, daffs, narcissus and more.

Last night we were working outside Gunnersbury tube helping Abundance clear the raised beds of old grasses and lavender, and replant them with bulbs in fresh compost.

We started off with a short run down to the task, where we found that there was a vast difference in tolerance to the cold, wet conditions. While some of us sported several layers, from hat to Christmas socks, others took a more tropical approach in tshirt and shorts! Whatever our choice of December outfit, we all got stuck in to the job.

The air was soon filled with the scent of lavender as we carefully preserved the grasses and dug in new bulbs. First person to spot the first bulb up next year wins a prize!

Before long the raised beds were filled with the promise of spring flowers, so we ran off to our next spot for some balance and cardio based fitness. We started off with the one legged closed eyes squat test before moving on to a round of circuits, and finishing with a minute squat challenge. That soon warmed us up!

This weekend we have a mission on Chiswick eyot and next week we're going to be sowing cowslips at Turnham Green. Good luck to Pippa, Michelle, Jon and Will this weekend, racing everything from 5miles up to marathon - have a great one!

Six enthusiastic Goodymers braved steady rain to support Heston Community Gardens, a brilliant local initiative to tackle fly-tipping and transform the space into a welcoming, sustainable haven for the community.

Aneel and Phil from the Heston Action Group shared the story of how the gardens began. The aim was to transform a once-neglected litter hotspot into a vibrant green space that encourages people to come and use the space and contribute to the gardens.

With more rain on the way, Aneel gave us three options: hedge-cutting, weeding, or shifting a long-donated mountain of mulch. As highly motivated mulch movers we chose the latter. Mulch better than plane old gardening!

Working in unison filling barrows and hauling bags until there wasn’t mulch left we powered through with planes overhead on their descent to Heathrow, and in no time at all the once-towering mulch pile had been completely cleared.

Cue group photo and the ultimate reward: tea, biscuits, and fruit generously provided by our Community Garden hosts. Along with saplings to take home and cultivate.

Great to help this fantastic community group and we hope to be back at the gardens in the future.

7 GoodGymers joined forces with the CHGT Kitchen Garden volunteers on a chilly Saturday morning, to help with their annual bulb planting work. Gardener Sally showed us to the slope around the front of the Conservatory where the plan was to get 4000 crocus, narcissus, tulip bulbs into the ground. Sally gave us a demonstration of making a “flap” in the soil to drop a few bulbs into, before patting down the earth. She made it look very easy!

We split into pairs, taking a segment of lawn each, the scattered a flower pot full of bulbs to create a natural planting scheme. Armed with a variety of tools and kneelers, we got to work shovelling as many bulbs as we could into the ground, while avoiding the many worms that popped up to say hello.

We welcomed Ros to her first GoodGym session, who came well prepared with gloves and bulb planting tools! After a good hour making our way along the bank, the job was done. All that was left to do was head to the cafe to celebrate Maxime hitting his 50th good deed milestone! Congratulations Maxime, what a fantastic achievement 💚