Every few weeks we go back to do jobs at Chiswick House and Gardens, and helping out here is always rewarding. Because the Chiswick House & Gardens Trust operates as a registered charity, they rely heavily on the local community to preserve their 65 acres of historic parkland. Without volunteer efforts, maintaining these heritage grounds to share them with the public wouldn't be possible.

Our evening began by gathering on the peak of the Classic Bridge. Built in 1774 for the 5th Duke of Devonshire and designed by the celebrated architect James Wyatt, this beautiful stone structure spans the lake and even still bears shrapnel scars from World War II. Standing on its crest, we took a moment to mark the Autumn Equinox—the exact time of year when day and night are of perfectly equal length. But as any seasoned GoodGymer knows, the equinox also brings a turning point: from here on out, head torches are officially at the ready for our evening sessions! 🔦

We then moved over to a densely overgrown patch to pull out stubborn ivy and tug and snip away at the tangled brambles. By clearing away these aggressive invaders, we opened up space to ensure that the plants meant to grow there can thrive, keeping the entire area beautifully clear and safe.

As twilight crept up on us, the team downed tools and carried heavily loaded bags out to the compost area in the pitch dark, before Maxime capably led the group back to base. Phenomenal work, everyone!

🗺️ Up Next:

Saturday Mission: We are heading over to help out the Friends of Baron's Pond - can you help create a beautiful bluebell grove?

Next week we are staying on home ground for a lovely green session, planting flowers at Turnham Green. Don't miss it!

What a bustling busy evening at INS for this week's group run! Starting with a longer run than usual, welcoming Khin for the first time as we ran through Twickenham up to the green. On arrival the group had already got going and had taken down a gazebo and almost finished sanding the handrails that needed painting. Donning aprons and gloves, we set to work with a second coat of paint on the ones we did last time, a first coat on the back area and some teamwork holding lights! That left three of us with spare hands so we set about wiping down windowsills, skirting, windows and skylights, getting rid of dead spiders, cobwebs and decorating dust from the gym! It was an amazing example of how much can happen in one session with nine sets of industrious hands at work!