After a lifechanging diagnosis a week ago, Mrs J's plans had been turned upside down, then put on steroids. What had been planned for the future was now going to be accelerated into 2 weeks. It was time to declutter and get the house in a good state to have a nice, tranquil place to recuperate.

"It's called Swedish death cleaning."
"Getting rid of things before someone else has to" - Mrs J

Sevan arrived to find Mrs J's husband ripping up carpet and moving furniture ahead of an electrician coming the next day to rewire the house.

"Don't move things by yourself"
"He'll end up moani..." - Mrs J
"I'll moan anyway" - Mr J

First up was to move boxes and bags filled with books to the car. Mrs J admitted to being an avid reader and having hundreds of books and she'd even read quite a lot of them. Her friend's son was going to open vintage shop, so all except the favourites would go to him to be sorted through. With the first set of books packed and moved, it was time to do something new.

The first floor rooms were filled with a lifetime's worth of belongings and these too would need to be ruthlessly donated. Furniture would be collected and everything else would be scooped into bags and boxes and moved to the dining room for sorting later.

The last task for today was to empty wardrobes on the first floor that were due to be replaced as part of the big reset. Eight large laundry bags, filled with coats, dresses and jeans, were hauled up to the master bedroom and left in a big pile to be rehomed somewhere else in the house.

As Sevan left, the car had vanished, along with the books to be given away. That's one thing off the To Do list for Mrs J.

Alongside our monthly volunteering session at Acton junior parkrun, we also organised a collection of old running shoes from the children and families at today's event. And they did not disappoint! The shoes are headed for JogOn, who will find good homes for the better ones and break down/recycle the ones at the end of their lives.

This was a weekend for shoes collections, as Osterley parkrun did the same yesterday! A huge thanks to their team for adding our shoes and transporting the whole lot the to Jog0n warehouse!

Thanks to the amazing team at Action juniors and We Run Ealing for their support and letting everyone know about the collection.

Acton Junior parkrun this morning coincided with Harvey's task to donate old running shoes to Jog On. It resulted in a great haul of well worn trainers which will be saved from landfill. A lot of the runners must've been wearing speedy new shoes then, with the first runner finishing in a PB of 7:41 on the hilly course.

Unusually, no GoodGymers were volunteering in the funnel. A marshal shortage meant that Harvey, Joanna, Tom, Steph, Maria, Kash and Sevan were dotted around the marshal point on the course.

"Is there a marathon on today?" - Park goer

There was no marathon. Instead, a 2km run completed by 53 brilliant children.

As the ceilidh got into full swing (pun intended), Steph Ducat and Iram teamed up with the kitchen crew to clean, dry and clear the dishes, while Kash commandeered a second sink in another room to tackle even more washing-up with help from Sevan.

Once the dancing shoes came off and the party began to wind down, the GoodGymers shifted swiftly into full action mode:

• Folding, wiping and stacking tables
• Stacking chairs as efficiently as possible
• Gently corralling party-goers away from said tables and chairs
• Collecting and packing away the wonderful Burns Night decorations
• Politely distributing leftover sweets (GoodGymers cannot stand food waste!)

Early nerves about running low on whisky were quickly settled when a record-breaking four-litre bottle made a heroic appearance. As the Address to a Haggis got underway, shots of whisky were speedily distributed so that everyone (except the children!) could properly toast the haggis. The performance was poetic, dramatic, and just a little bit violent... exactly as tradition demands.

Then it was full service mode. The team worked swiftly to ensure everyone received their haggis, neeps and tatties with gravy (or a vegetarian alternative). Maria, crowned the Gravy Queen, made sure every table was well supplied, while Steph patiently whipped up an impressively large bowl of cream in preparation for dessert.

Dessert was a mathematical challenge: dividing 80 portions of cranachan so that everyone got a fair share of fruit, cream, oats, and sauce. We did our best and, with only minor spillages along the way, the cranachan crew (Maria, Steph, Sevan, Iram and Kash) got the job done.

After plates were cleared (with thanks to Kash, the GoodGym muscle came into play again as centre tables were swiftly moved to make space for a Cèilidh dance. Little did we know we’d also be called upon to demonstrate the moves. It was a different kind of workout to what we're used to... and let's just say there was mixed success!

Had prohibition hit the Hobbayne Centre's Burns' Night? Like previous years, set up involved preparing bamboo cutlery and napkins and pouring drinks to prepare for the Address to the Haggis.

With the cutlery completed and placed on the tables for the guests, the GoodGymers saw 3 partially empty whisky bottles to pour 90 shot glasses from. Hmm, there didn't look like there'd be enough.

As the first 2 bottles were emptied, 40 glasses had been filled. It was time to open the last bottle and the cork crumbled. A bottle opener was tried and made a hole through the middle of the cork. What to do? Find a strainer and a measuring jug to remove the "bits" from the liquid, of course. Necessity is the mother of invention and keeping everyone whiskied up was also a motivator.

Fifty glasses were filled and then the team had to wait for the next bootleggers to make it through police lines with a new bottle to finish pouring...

It was task owner Tamzin's first day at home after a long holiday and it was straight back to Care4Calais work as she arrived with a car full of clothes. Team GoodGym caught up on the holiday highlights over a coffee before the first job of unloading the car and getting to work.

Kash & Steph started fulfiling requests that had come in while Tamzin had been away. They had the most difficulty finding winter coats and shoes of the right size. Most of the requests were completed, however there for 2 for women with large feet. Size 9 or 10s! According to Laycy this wasn't unusual for supermodels, but the Care4Calais stock room wasn't prepared for such sophisticated or legendary clientelle.

Nearby, Laycy and Sevan were busy building standard packs of medium clothes for men. The new boxes of stock were filled with jogging bottoms, sweatshirts and t-shirts. Their production line put together 28 packs, some with a rather Xmas-y red & green feel. They moved onto box crushing and recycling duties and eventually helped Kash and Steph complete their requests.

The team completed everything they could with the available clothes. Any requests that are still missing items could still be around when GoodGym returns next week to help Care4Calais again.

A sunny Saturday morning following a week of greyness. Ivy hanging from the tall trees of Grove Farm like a canopy. Yellow mushrooms against a pattern of brown bark. A carpet of moist leaves rolling down a muddy slope. Calmness filled with faint birdsong coming from above. And then a sudden whirr of hedge trimmers and clink of shears. What's happening?

A group of people, mostly wearing red, are chopping large patches of baby brambles with zeal and enthusiasm. Is that how woodland conservation is supposed to be? Well, yes! According to Mike, a friend of Grove Farm, blackberries, if not kept in check, are taking over green spaces and suppressing the growth of other species that should be part of the ecosystem. And we believe him, because we've seen that in the past two years of helping at Grove Farm. Without a little help from volunteers fighting off brambles, the wonderful wood anemones wouldn't be able to bloom in March and April! See how they looked in the past!

This January, volunteers Mike and Livio are joined by seven GoodGymers: runners Steph, Sevan, and Kash, walkers Ash and Thaiza, and cyclists James and Richard. Richard is actually a runner too, and he already did a parkrun in the morning. Now, swapping swimming for shearing makes a different kind of triathlon for him!

The results of our conservation work from previous years have made a visible difference. The 2026 brambles are much smaller and more spread, compared to what we've dealt with in the past. A single session of cutting back and raking today allows us to clear the entire slope alongside a woodland path, and give wood anemones a strong boost. With enough sunlight reaching the ground, their flowers will be stunning in the spring!

The brambles never stop growing, though, and we'll need regular visits to Grove Farm this winter to stay in control of the wood anemone territory. Our February session will be another opportunity to help biodiversity, while enjoying a forest-bathing session by absorbing nature’s sights, sounds, and smells. If boosting wellbeing by spending time in nature and doing something impactful sounds like something for you, sign up to join us!