Despite the grey skies and looming threat of rain, nothing could bring down the energy in Hammersmith on Saturday morning. GoodGym was proud to provide volunteer marshals for the West London Queer Project’s annual 10km walk, raising funds and awareness for Motor Neurone Disease, and bringing together communities together in solidarity, colour, and kindness.

As rainbow flags fluttered and everybody got ready for the off, we gathered for a quick briefing. We were assigned our marshalling points and quickly dispersed to get into position before the walkers set off. Our job: to cheer, guide, encourage, and ensure that every walker stayed on course and felt supported along the way.

The route was bursting with positivity—smiles, music, flags and a parade of brilliantly behaved dogs that added even more joy to the day. Rain or shine, the walkers powered on, and we were proud to be part of a movement that radiated acceptance, resilience, protest and celebration.

Once the final walkers had crossed the finish line, we regrouped and were each handed a well-earned medal. From there, it was off to a local pub, where the celebrations continued. We marked not only the amazing fundraising total but also a beautiful milestone: GoodGymers Johnny and Holly’s anniversary. The couple met at the inaugural walk three years ago, and they were rewarded with a shout out and a bottle of prosecco from Beary Poppins.

The entertainment carried on into the afternoon, with incredible drag queen performances, sing-alongs, and plenty of dancing. This mission was a reminder of why community events matter. They bring people together, raise awareness, and make space for everyone to be seen and celebrated. GoodGym was honoured to play a part.

Eleven goodgymers descended on the Comboni Project on a bright Wednesday evening. The sisters greeted us like old friends and ran through the tasks they were keen to get our help with.

They were especially keen to enlist the help of "two strong men" and within a matter of seconds of arriving, Gus and Steph were led inside and taken to the prayer room. What happened there nobody knows, we are nun the wiser.

According to Steph they went to the 1st floor of the building to make space for a cupboard. Then moved the cupboard from a room on the top floor, through a small landing space down the winding stairs to the room where they had made space. Then moved the furniture back again. If you managed to follow that you're doing better than me...

Eventually the dynamic duo returned to the rest of the group, who by then were on a mission of their own, trying to clear endless weeds from the front and back garden.

Alanna and Jon, were working on the front garden clearing weeds and cutting back herbs. While the rest of us were set to work in the back garden clearing the lawn and two borders.

The sisters worked with us and we managed to fill three bags. Nun too shabby!

We'll be back to continue clearing the lawn and helping the sisters keep on top of the garden very soon.

Wood You Believe It? A Busy Evening at Strand on the Green! 🌳🪚🎨

What a fantastic evening we had last night at Strand on the Green School, where our mission was to protect some of the school’s outdoor wooden structures with a fresh coat of wood preserver and to tame the overgrowth that had taken over parts of the car park!

We kicked things off with a warm welcome to Sara ** – benvenuta! 🌟 So lovely to have you join us for your very first GoodGym session – we hope it’s the first of many.

There was plenty to cheer about before we got stuck in: 👏 Steph completed an ultra at the weekend – massive congratulations! 💪 And Eloise is gearing up for a half iron(wo)man this coming weekend – sending all the luck and power your way!

Armed with brushes, gloves, and secateurs, we split into teams and got straight to work. One group got busy painting and preserving the wooden structures, while the other tackled the overgrown bushes that were creeping into the car park. The transformation was impressive – big impact in a short time!

Once the task was complete, we rounded off the evening with a fitness session in the school grounds. It was a spicy mix of cardio and conditioning, with Emily, our reigning Queen of Planks, showing us all how it’s done! 🏋️‍♀️🔥

Looking ahead, we’ve got a fun mission coming up – we’ll be helping to marshal for the West London Queer Project’s 10km charity walk. It promises to be a joyous event.

Thanks to everyone who came along. Next week, Michelle will be leading the group at the Comboni Centre for some peaceful and mindful gardening. Don’t miss it!

A Berry Good Morning in Battersea 🌿🌞

What better way to kick off the weekend than with a GoodGym community mission that had a huge impact!

A brilliant group of GGers came together on Saturday morning, answering the call to help out at a thriving community garden in the heart of Battersea. This huge green space is a vital hub for local residents—a place to grow, connect, and learn. We're really happy to visit regularly to help keep it flourishing.

It was especially lovely to welcome some first-time GoodGymers—great to meet you Abadesi, Pranav, Adrian and Shreyasi and thanks for getting so stuck in!

There was certainly no shortage of jobs to tackle, and we going straight away. Tasks ranged from planting raspberry canes to clearing an overgrown area, de bind-weeding around a goji bush, and yes—digging not one, not two, but THREE holes to plant a beautiful new bay tree. There was weeding a-plenty, pruning, trimming and composting and a few mystery pipes to contend with, but it was nothing we couldn’t handle.

The energy was high, there was plenty of teamwork strong and even more laughs. It’s always amazing to see how much can get done when a group of motivated people come together. By the end of the morning, the garden was looking better than ever and Malissa was really pleased with all we got done.

We wrapped up the mission in the best possible way—with a trip to a local café for some well-earned tasty drinks and snacks. A perfect reward. Nice work everybody!

On a gloriously sunny spring evening, Team GoodGym Hounslow gathered to get active, do some good and also celebrate a special occasion – Tish’s birthday! 🎉 What better way to mark the day than with a good deed, some hard graft, and brutal core workout?

Our task last night took us to Chiswick Allotments, where we were back helping the brilliant team at Wild Chiswick – a local community organisation focused on boosting biodiversity in Chiswick. They work to protect and promote wildlife habitats, educate locals about urban nature, and create spaces where pollinators, birds, and all manner of creatures can thrive in an urban environment.

On a golden evening, we set to work on a variety of tasks. The raspberry cane bed was cleared with care, persistent weeds were dug up, and an overgrown area was tamed – though not without a disclaimer to the task owner that a few non-weeds might be collateral damage in our efforts. 🌱

Meanwhile, Georgia gave the thirsty rhubarb a proper soaking – working up a serious arm workout in the process – while Steph and Maxime undertook the massive task of filling a giant water butt one can at a time. An endurance event in its own right!

As we toiled away, we became aware we were being watched. Not just by the other plot holders but by a curious fox and her cubs. With the job done and tools down, we ran (and cycled) back to Turnham Green for Tish’s Birthday Core Blast. It involved a relentless series of core exercises that were sure to give us abs of iron.

A good stretch followed (with various levels of flexibility judging by the pics - I couldn't be any further away from my toes while most of you are reaching them with the ease of a professional gymnast!), and then a stroll to the pub where cake and celebrations awaited. Happy birthday, Tish – and well done, team!

If you fancy an hour or two on the eyot in the sun this weekend, there is another session weaving branches coming up on Saturday.