A regular task with regular runners, but not our regular area activator… we had Ana-lternative run lead tonight in Lucy to get the gang of GoodGymmers down to Chiswick House safely.

We met Chris the gardener, who let us into the grounds after hours and led us up to the grounds to grab our gear for tonight’s task and off we headed to the spot where the action would be occurring. The exciting thing about Chiswick House is that every time we visit there always seems to be a new area to discover, and a different task to be done.

Tonight, we were shown a mountain of woodchip and mulch, with the addition of a few autumnal leaves sprinkled atop. Our task was to move this woodchip from its pile below cedar tree A to a new spot below cedar tree B, about 100 yards down. So we got to work, forking down and shovelling the organic matter into wheelbarrows, moving it across the grounds and then dumping the load in the correct place for Chris to rake out. The relocated woodchip and mulch is full of nutrients for the soil and tree roots below, and helps to increase the biodiversity of the ground below, which is, Chris explained, a really good thing.

So we had done good and learnt some good! Cedar tree B had a new ring of woodchip, finished just as our time was up. Wheelbarrows, shovels, forks and rakes were safely located back by the kitchen gardens and Chris unlocked the gates and let us escape back into the wild once more. The walkers went off, followed by the running group, and we all happened to meet at the pub at the same time following our cool down. Timed to perfection once more!

It was a clear, crisp evening at Chiswick allotment and burial ground last night. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the Autumn sky was lit with stars, and the cemetery next door was peaceful. All that could be heard was the odd hoot of an owl, a train sounding its horn somewhere in the distance, the wheels of a bike splashing through a puddle. But wait, what was that....?

Rock and Soil

That was the incomparable sound of GoodGym Hounslow arriving for their task for the evening! Soon the air was filled with music, from the Beatles to musical theatre, to London pub songs and everything in between.

Goodgym's got talent

We met with Kourosh, the head of the allotments, who set us to work quickly with loppers, forks and spades. Our task was to continue to clear the wall of ivy and dig out the space in front of it so that it could be used for planting. So with the scent of cherry woodchip in the air making us dream of cake and other delicious things, we got to work.

Wall of sound

The wall at the entrance to allotment was pretty much covered but before long we were pulling away the growth to reveal the beautiful brickwork underneath. Meanwhile the diggers were doing a sterling job of clearing the area of grass and weeds and creating piles for the rest of us to transport. All the time we were serenaded by Lucy's dulcet tones, and thinking of requests. We also cheered on all the racers from the weekend, with Florian, Eloise, Michelle and Matt all smashing that elusive 10 mile distance!

Short circuits

Job done, we just had time for a photo before rushing back to Turnham Green for fitness. With eight different stations it was a circuit themed session of squats, fast feet, tricep dips and the beautifully executed bunny hops. Great work everybody!

On Sunday don't forget we have a mission to help clear Baron's ponds, and next Wednesday we're back to finish the sanding and painting of benches at Strand on the Green - see you there!

Eight of us made our way to Strand on the Green school, running walking and cycling a total of 4km to help with the school with some jobs.

Chris was leading tonight's session after our lovely leader Ana was struck down by the post holiday lurgy. Get well soon!

Chris gave us a run down of the job's we'd been asked to help with.

1. Sanding benches on the astroturf
2. Digging out a patch of ground by the car park and covering it with tarpaulin
3. Transporting some of the rocks from an area by the entrance to the school to hold down the tarpaulin.

After 45 Minutes of vigorous sanding with one body torch between five Goodgymers that will teach us .... the older benches were looking much smoother and ready for treating. Take a bow Kymm, Katie, Emily and Gus for putting your backs into it even when the light was all but gone.

Meanwhile Chris, Jon and Luis dug out the area that was to be covered by tarpaulin and transported the soil to the secret forest. Before Emily and I joined them with the rocks we'd located by the entrance.

After the traditional end of task group photo we headed back in groups and warmed up at The Pack Horse.

It was a bit of a red letter day at GG Hounslow last night as we got to proudly induct our first ever run leader in Hounslow history! Ladies and gentlemen of GoodGym, please put your hands together for (just about to be) newly qualified Run Leader Michelle!

Leading her first session Michelle kicked off with a friendly welcome and run down of the evening ahead, before taking us through a few dynamic warm up moves. We then headed off together, with Jon back marking, to our task location at Chiswick House.

We soon met Aaron, who let us know that the focus of the session would be to clear a big area near the gate of weeds and some very tall nettles. So grabbing gloves and making sure all our vulnerable bits were covered up, we set to it.

It's that time of year again, and last night marked the official wearing of the first headtorch. Forget daylight saving time, its GG headtorch time that is the true indication of the change in season.

We worked hard for 45 minutes and the transformation was dramatic - we even emerged free of stings and scratches. Michelle then lead us back to base before taking us through our paces with some great stretches showcasing our varying flexibility levels (I aim for the ground and hope for the best).

Well done and congratulations to our fabulous new leader - if you'd like to join Michelle and share some of the fun in taking a session, then don't hesitate to let me know. The more the merrier, the gooder, the gymmier!