We had a new task location last night in Hounslow, so after a warm up and a race to beat the falling light, we met Auberon from Cultivate at some of the beds they take care of on Chiswick High Rd.

While some of us took the more direct route, the other group opted for a more scenic way and a little bit of extra mileage, but we all ended up in the same spot ready to tackle the job in hand!

Local charity Cultivate has stewardship over several large beds, but it has turned into a bit of a litter hotspot as its on a main thoroughfare. Our task for the evening was to pick litter and clear leaves, making it a much more pleasant and healthier place for passersby. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the council had paid a visit earlier that day and done a sweep of the area. That meant all we had to really concern ourselves with was the leaves.

We collected bag after bag, which not only means the plants in the beds aren't fighting for sunlight and can thrive, but also that the collected leaves can be turned into mulch which Cultivate can then use. Everyone's a winner.

We enjoyed a steady run back to Turnham Green before the fitness fun commenced. First of all was a run round our familiar circuit at a good pace, recording individual times. Then we turned our attention to our previous GG fitness challenge where we had to complete a full set of various reps. It was absolutely amazing to see every single one of you beat your previous time! A huge well done. If that wasn't enough, we finished off with another sprint, this time even faster than before now our major muscle groups were fired up. Great work everybody. Next week's session is just being confirmed, It'll be up asap, so keep an eye out!

Meeting at Tap Tavern for an early evening run to Twickenham, the group dusted off the cobwebs of sitting at desks with some key stretches while Liz did the intro. A warm welcome was offered to Nina who was joining for her first task. Both a running and walking group then set off across Richmond Green, treated to some flashes of action from across the spiderverse as the sunset blazed through the sky above the river.

A run that is mostly beside the river is always a treat and one of many reasons why we look forward to visiting Lynde House Care Home. There is always a happy welcome for us too as we run down the quiet back streets to the home. In the past we have helped prep and paint garden furniture, build raised sleeper beds and treat bird tables. This evening though we were handed feather dusters and paint brushes to tackle the spiders who were trying to get in on some of the lovely care at the home too, around the windows and doorframes.

There are a lot of windows on the building and it worked well to have a good sized team on the case. Eight arms would definitely not have been enough! The spiders were clearly very comfortable and there were egg sacks in every crevice. We spun our way around the building, being careful not to disturb residents who were settling in for the evening.

As spiders know well, many hands make light work and the team managed to reconvene by reception ready for some suitably Halloween-style photos by headtorch before completing a neat 5km run by heading back to the Tap.