We saw off another amazing year of doing good and getting fit in Hounslow last night with a task for an amazing charity, a run/walk that took in some incredible festive displays- and a bit of jeopardy thrown in for good measure!

It was a very Christmassy scene outside the Town Hall at 6:30 last night as GoodGymers met from far and wide, resplendent in Christmas hats and jumpers. Our job for the evening was our traditional end of year task to support the That's a Wrap project. This charity aims to get a gift to every child living in vulnerable circumstances this Christmas. We've supported them the past few years by spreading the word to encourage donations.

We were all set to pick up the leaflets which had been left at the Town Hall earlier that day. Except that - the hall had been locked up early. The grinch had struck!

It took quite some time of pleading, persuading and, let's face it, begging, for somebody to let us in. Thank goodness it eventually worked. We managed to run in and collect the leaflets - it was a Christmas miracle!

With no time to waste, we divided up into walking and running teams and worked out our routes. With 400 leaflets to deliver we needed to make it count. Before too long we were off putting leaflets through letterboxes and enjoying some of the finest Christmas lights Chiswick had to offer.

Fingers crossed all that hard work will result in plenty of donations to That's A Wrap. I'll keep you posted!

Job done, it was off to the pub for a celebratory knees up. There was secret Santa, there was quiz victory, there were festive socks, there was disappointing aubergine. But most of all there was a lot of laughs and plenty of joy to go round.

This year a whopping 70 of you have racked up an amazing 801 good deeds, which is pretty astounding. Five people have got their black tshirt and we have collectively covered over 9000 kms. What a year! Well done to each and every one of you - can't wait to kick off a happy, healthy, fit 2026 with you in January!

First visit to Mr K for a while and it’s always great to catch up with him. His physio was there when I arrived and I updated Mr K on my own rehab progress. After a successful supermarket trip to replenish his food supplies for the week, we had a great chat about the fortunes of our respective football teams.

On our penultimate group run of the year we were back for our second visit to Green Dragon school to work on their new garden, visit the foxes and tackle more than a few brambles and rocks.

Well done to Michelle ad Jon for racing at the weekend in tough conditions. Great running!

We met for a run down to the school, beautifully lit by all the festive lights along the route. By the time we arrived, Una, who manages the garden, was ready with spades, forks and instructions on our job for the evening.

It maybe have been one of the last group sessions, but there was certainly no slacking. We had some very gnarly established bramble roots to dispatch, huge rocks to remove and a flat planting area to create.

We soon got to work, the evening filled with the festive sound of tuneful GoodGym voices echoing gently over the peaceful playground and the neighbourhood beyond....

After a good stint the area was looking much clearer, with Una remarking that 'you did more in one night that we could have in a month' - praise indeed! Well done team.

If that wasn't hard enough, we did an intense arm work out that worked our traps, biceps and shoulders. We even got a bit of encouragement from the kids on bikes that passed by!

Next week is our final group run of the year, but don't worry, it's going to be a goodie. In what has become an end of year tradition for us, we are going to be spreading the word about the amazing It's a Wrap project, hopefully getting a pressie into the hands of every underprivileged child in the borough. We'll then be celebrating with a social at the pub. Don't miss it!

Shopping for Mr K, this time featuring washing pods

If the numbers of bulbs we have planted over the past few weeks is anything to go by, the borough of Hounslow is going to be soon bursting at the seams with spring flowers! It's great to think, as we run round Gunnersbury, Chiswick and beyond next year, that GoodGym helped fill the borough with tulips, daffs, narcissus and more.

Last night we were working outside Gunnersbury tube helping Abundance clear the raised beds of old grasses and lavender, and replant them with bulbs in fresh compost.

We started off with a short run down to the task, where we found that there was a vast difference in tolerance to the cold, wet conditions. While some of us sported several layers, from hat to Christmas socks, others took a more tropical approach in tshirt and shorts! Whatever our choice of December outfit, we all got stuck in to the job.

The air was soon filled with the scent of lavender as we carefully preserved the grasses and dug in new bulbs. First person to spot the first bulb up next year wins a prize!

Before long the raised beds were filled with the promise of spring flowers, so we ran off to our next spot for some balance and cardio based fitness. We started off with the one legged closed eyes squat test before moving on to a round of circuits, and finishing with a minute squat challenge. That soon warmed us up!

This weekend we have a mission on Chiswick eyot and next week we're going to be sowing cowslips at Turnham Green. Good luck to Pippa, Michelle, Jon and Will this weekend, racing everything from 5miles up to marathon - have a great one!

Shopping for Mr K, this week featuring Ryvita crackers