GoodGym Ealing had not one, but two musical tasks on Monday night. The first was to fill a moving van with the steel pans of the UFO Steelband from Christ The Savior church in Ealing Broadway, relocating them to a new community space in North Acton.

One person in elaborate dress was asked if she was part of the band.

"I'm from the church" - Well dressed lady
"So, are you kicking them out or did they find a better space?" - Sevan
Nervous laugh
"All of the above" - Well dressed lady

Bass pans and tenors were wheeled out of storage, then lifted by Steph, Kash and Sevan through the church courtyard and out to the square in Dickens Yard. They were lighter than they looked. Awkwardly shaped though. The band members helped too and pan covers followed, then stands and trolleys.

After 10 minutes, a white Luton van arrived with 2 drivers. For the purposes of the story, maybe they're the pantomime villains as they kept us waiting in the cold. The drivers played Tetris with everything sitting in the square, squeezing the last items in at strange angles.

The GoodGymers eyed the van, estimated the rush hour traffic and boldly stated that they'd run to North Acton quicker that the van would drive there...

For the second part of tonight's duet with UFO Steelpan, Kash, Steph and Sevan arrived in North Acton well before the white van with the pans. While they were waiting, they met the leader of the Republic of Park Royal, Johnnie.

Johnnie and the charity he's involved with, The Foundry Collective, work to make Park Royal a more human space by running upcycling workshops, building furniture for public spaces and running a community hub. They also manage the community space that UFO Steelpan were moving into, so the GoodGymers got early access and cleared the area where the band would store their equipment.

There was still a bit more waiting before the van arrived. When it did, the first thing to be freed were trolleys, followed by the pans. This started a speedy operation by the GoodGym trio and band members to shuttle the steelpans to their new home, past a few surprised commuters. The instruments were then stacked against the wall before Kash, Steph and Sevan ran back to Bodyline Studio, which is where we'll be meeting for tomorrow evening's group run.