Mr A needed his old fridge to be removed to make way for a new one, so Luis and JP were on hand to help.

It was a sunny Sunday morning as we met Mr A at his door. He showed us the fridge and we quickly realised we would need to clear a path through the rest of the flat to make way for it.

We measured the fridge and went through the flat checking doorways and gaps between furniture. Satisfied we could navigate a path, we unplugged and pulled out the fridge and set off.

Fortunately, the fridge had small wheels so the going was quite straightforward. It got a bit trickier once we were outside the flat as we had to negotiate uneven tarmac and gravel, but eventually we made it to our destination, the waste area behind the front wall of the complex.

All in all, it was a satisfying task and Mr A was very grateful for our help.

Shopping for Mr K, including a bottle of Flash liquid

Luis arrived first at the allotments and was met by one of the summer show organisers. Initially concerned that it may just be one volunteer, Luis assured them that more help was on its way.

He was soon joined by me and then Suze, after sorting some bike issues.

Our task today was to weed and clear two areas around the site ready for the summer event.

It was a baking hot morning so we quickly weeded where the sun was hottest and took shelter under the canopy, to weed another area in part shade. We got through litres of water and two bags of weeds before tackling the final job; moving a large planter.

Not thinking to check what might be underneath we successfully moved the planter and in the process my feet and legs were attacked by flying ants.

A quick scramble to get them off and we were done. The allotment gang were happy with our work and we cycled off to get cold showers.

Phew – it was a warm one last night as we returned to the beautiful Chiswick House for another impactful GoodGym session!

This time, our task took us to the dog playground, where a massive pile of mulch was waiting for us. And as well as being huge it was also quite compacted,which added to the hard work. But we weren’t phased. Especially as our aim was to make the dogs of Chiswick as happy as possible with a freshly mulched play area.

Armed with barrows, rakes and enthusiasm, we set to work. The pile soon turned out to be no match for our big team. We raked, shifted, scooped, and (squeakily) wheeled mulch across the playground. Several dogs passed by mid-task, offering us an approving wag – the highest form of praise, obviously.

With the job wrapped up in no time, we relocated to a lovely grassy spot nearby for a bit of strength and conditioning - and a much needed cool down. We worked all the major muscle groups and tested our mettle with various planks. After returning the tools, we jogged back to base for a good stretch and a debrief.

Coming up: We’ve got a mission this Saturday at Chiswick Allotments in the sun.Sign up here to keep the good deeds flowing!

ps Did we mention it was hot?

Two Ealing GoodGymers, Sevan and Kash, were crossing borders again this Saturday afternoon, supporting GoodGym Hounslow for the second weekend in a row. After proving their worth by cutting trees with a bread knife, the duo felt unstoppable and ran 5km further west to test their skills against Ms H's patio.

Ms H's sister, Ms K, welcomed the two and offered them ice-cold water. What a relief after a run in the blazing sun! Ms K was the carer of her two sisters, both of whom were in poor health. Ms K's age and caring responsibilities left her without energy or time to tackle the back and front gardens of Ms H's house. That's why we have GoodGymers in this world!

The patio in the back garden was the priority, so Sevan and Kash took the challenge to clear all of the weeds in sight and sweep the mess into waste bags. Most of the weeds were easily pulled from between the slabs, except thistles and dandelions that needed a little bit of convincing to let go - a pair of shears was the best argument! The GoodGymers uncovered a colony of bindweed at the far end and dealt with it with utmost delight.

Ninety minutes was enough to finish the transformation of the back garden. The spectacular result surprised even Sevan and Kash themselves! Ms K then introduced the GoodGymers to her sisters, Ms H and Ms M. All three were very grateful for help and hoped to see the GoodGym team again (maybe to help with the front garden?).

Isleworth was the location of K&S Gardeners' first mission of the day. On arrival, it looked fairly simple as the grass in the small front garden needed mowing. K's sharp eyes identified some more jobs that needed attention, spotting some young trees growing on the boundary between the street and garden.

While K took control of the lawnmower - with upside down controls - and started the main task, S was ready to go to cut the trees and asked for some tools to use. While he waited for some secateurs or loppers to appear, Miss R's granddaughter appeared at the door and took an interest in the strangers, offering them her Fruit Shoot.

When Miss R's daughter came back with tools and black bags, she didn't bring loppers, nor a pair of secateurs. Instead, she handed S a bread knife. She explained it by saying that the granddaughter was getting too curious about the chopping tools, so the bread knife was safer all round 🤷‍♂️. The granddaughter asked why the strangers were allowed to use the knife and she wasn't and was told it was because "aunty and uncle" were older than her youthful 21 months 😂.

GoodGym breeds resourcefulness and and this was another one of those occasions. The GoodGymers had never use a bread knife to cut, well, anything as part of a mission. After finding the right technique, the knife was actually pretty good at cutting through the little saplings, struggling with anything more heavy duty. It also did a great job of slicing through the wall of tall grass growing around the wire fence and at edging the lawn.

With 2 very different tools, the pair made a big impact. Six trees were discovered and chopped, plus the grass was neatly trimmed, meaning that Miss R didn't need to worry about her front garden for a while.