It was a beautiful, warm summer evening as 8 GoodGymers came together to help spruce up the classic red phone boxes in our local area. This week we were partnering with Box Walks, a charity which develops nature-based, adventure walks using Britain's grade II listed phone boxes as destination points on the walks, which unlock interactive content and activities.

After meeting at the Tap Tavern, we walked over to Richmond Green and met task owner Emma at the two phone boxes close to the "Ted Lasso" pub. These boxes were Bertie (with a focus on biodiversity) and Sophie (sustainable food). We tried out the quiz questions on biodiversity, then set to cleaning Bertie and Sophie with dusters, cloths and cleaners. Birthday boy Chris scaled a ladder to clean the roofs of the boxes.

We then followed the route of one of the Box Walks up to the Vineyard to find Freddy (fungi) and to St Matthias Church where Tilly (trees) has her home. Each got a thorough clean and featured in a few shots of the group. It was a fun task and we look forward to doing it again!

This week we headed back to the beautiful grounds of Chiswick House, where we visit regularly to keep this historic green space looking its best. It helps keep the gardens and grounds free for everyone to enjoy, and it is always rewarding to know that an hour or so of work has a lasting impact on a community space.

A special welcome to Emma, who joined us for her very first GoodGym Hounslow session! Great to have you join us.

After a warm up and a quick run, we met up with the rest of the group, grabbed our tools and got straight to work on two important conservation tasks.

Our first job was tackling epicormic growth—the shoots that sprout from the trunks and lower branches of trees. While these shoots are a natural response to stress, they divert energy away from the healthy canopy and can affect the tree's long-term health. Removing them helps put energy where it's needed most.

Our second task was trimming back the browse line—the lower branches that create a neat line beneath the tree canopy. The name comes from the height at which deer naturally browse leaves in woodland. Maintaining this browse line improves visibility and allows more light to reach the ground, supporting a greater variety of plants and wildlife.

As always, there was plenty of conversation while we worked. Topics ranged from upcoming races and ambitious cycling adventures to remarkable hospital coincidences and plenty of plans for future events. Time flies when you're catching up with good company!

With an impressive number of trees tended to, we headed over to the estate yard for fitness. Tonight it was Tabata - a high-intensity interval workout consisting of short bursts of hard work followed by brief recovery periods. It's fast, energetic and efficient. There were plenty of laughs, lots of determination, and some truly impressive squats on display!

Next week we're off to help at a local school. Hope to see lots of you there! Sign up here for all the details