It was easy to see why Ms J is so proud of her garden - a beautiful plot laid out with mature shrubs, roses, fruit trees and a separate vegetable plot. Sadly a recent severe deterioration in her eyesight means she can no longer keep it looking at its best.

Enter a GoodGymer, eager to help as always. Ms J guided me through the setting up of her lawnmower and helped untangle the cabling, which meant that after a short intense bit of work in the summer heat, the lawn was soon looking much tidier.

Onto the main task - tidying up the bushes. Ms J was particularly keen to open up access to a plum tree currently bearing lovely fruit. That necessitated lopping away some very thorny rose bushes and in particular, hacking down some grape vines that had almost completely taken over the area.

The time flew by with horticultural guidance from Ms J and her fascinating reminiscences of her time living in the area. We soon amassed a large pile of severed rose branches and grapevines leaving the area looking a lot tidier.

A plum job indeed.

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!