This was a marathon hacking task. The small garden essentially just needed hacking and clearing. First I tackled the remnants of last year's hacking that had never been bagged up and taken away, which was a big job itself as it was all tangled up dead vibes that needed to be prized apart before being able to shove in the bags. Then it was a case of tearing up as many weeds and hacking back as much of the plants around the edge as I could manage in the time. I managed to get it mostly cleared although ran out of time to make it look really neat and tidy. But Ms D and her daughter were pretty impressed with how much I got done, if I do say so myself!! A very fun, sweaty and satisfying job.

Last night saw us return to the stunning grounds of Chiswick House & Gardens, a beautiful space that runs as a charity and is completely free for all to enjoy — a real West London gem.

We kicked things off with a warm-up in the evening sunshine, and took a moment to give a huge congratulations to our racers from last weekend — well done Alan, Michelle, and Florian for smashing it out there!

Limbered up, we made our way to the gardens to meet the rest of the GG crew. After gathering tools and (eventually!) locating the elusive pile of mulch, we figured out exactly where it needed to go and got to work.

We quickly developed a well-oiled system of shovelling, barrow-shifting, and spreading, transforming the space slowly but steadily. It was great to be back helping out a local spot that brings so much joy to the community.

Once the tools were down, we found a lovely patch of grass for a post-task fitness session. Things kicked off with a playful warm-up (with some varied results!) before moving into a session focused on balance for runners — both challenging and hopefully fun.

All in all, it was a perfect summer’s evening spent doing good and getting fit.

If you're hungry for more GoodGym action this weekend, why not check out the mission at Waterman’s Park – a great way to get out and enjoy the local area!

I strolled over to meet Ms V on a beautiful sunny day and was ready to help out in the garden whilst also topping up my tan. Ms V has a lovely garden with all sorts of plants and trees, and she was very knowledgeable, giving me useful information about lots of them. I even wrote a few tips down for my own garden! First I trimmed back the fig tree so that it didn't block out the light so much for other plants. Turns out the figs aren't really edible because it's not hot enough in England to make the lovely sweet ones we eat. Then I hacked away at some brambles, which is definitely my comfort zone seeing as this is a classic GH task. With direction from Ms V I pruned and trimmed various plants and bushes, and then finished off by doing a rough mowing of the lawn using the hand mower, which I'd never used before but actually I much preferred to a normal lawnmower! Luckily the garden waste bin had been cleared that morning so I was able to fill it up again with all the trimmings. Ms V was very grateful for the help and I must say it was a job well done!