On a quiet, chilly Tuesday night, an alarm went off in Walpole Park. The residents were totally oblivious to two parties that approached the park minutes before the incident. Both groups were part of a famous GoodGym Ealing gang - a bunch who knows how to have fun while doing good. One squad, led by Harvey, ran around Ealing to confuse the passersby, the other, led by Liv, inconspicuously sneaked into the park at a walking pace.

The police officers only glanced at the walking group, fooled by Liv's reflective leggings (what burglar on earth would wear those)? They didn't know that Liv was proficient in opening locks and that the security system of Walpole Park shed would be taken down by her in minutes.

Thanks to GoodGym, a bunch of tools from the shed was taken for a late walk in the park: shovels, rakes and brooms - but, more importantly, two wheelbarrows - the yellow ones! If you drive a Ferrari, you want it to be red. If you drive a wheelbarrow, you want it to be yellow.

The whole operation would be perfect if not for the alarm that went off. That did not discourage a new recruit, Raj, a young runner and a regular volunteer at Gunnersbury parkrun. Welcome to the family, Raj!

The team skedaddled from the scene, with their new rides and gardening gadgets of course, and hid behind a woodchip pile. From there they could see a new memorial stone that would look much better with a path around it. When it comes to action, you don't have to tell GoodGymers twice what to do! Raj, Mike, Madhan and Annabel started shovelling mulch into wheelbarrows. Liv, Jenni and Claire stepped with their rakes closer to the memorial and worked on smooth lines - meaning the edges of a new path as well as the pun. Milly and Kash were too fast and too furious to do any other activity, so they jumped behind the wheel(barrow) and started speeding on the tarmac between two other groups. A couple of daffodils might have been knocked down when going off-road in the dark... oops! GoodGym will definitely plant some new bulbs before the spring!

When the teams were pathway there with the mulchy path, Milly sniffed a different kind of woodchip. "Christmas trees!", she exclaimed, and everyone with a shovel started stuffing the wheelbarrows with the newly discovered green stuff that smelled amazing. We believe the minced Christmas trees also looked amazing as part of the new path - hard to be 100% sure in the dark though!

After the new path has been laid out, all the tools and vehicles have been returned to the shed - to the accompaniment of the alarm that went off (again!).

Next week the GoodGym gang will be swinging by Acton Town to help Cultivate London - don't miss that one!