Six delightful GoodGymmers hit the streets of Hounslow last night to run and continue clearing up at Ealing Baptist Church. The Church does lots of good work including serving as a homeless shelter during winter months.

We had Simon and Graham from Islington, Alex from Ealing, and Hounslow regulars Andy, Olivia and Leanne.

After a 2.5k jog we arrived at the church to see work had been in full flow and Roger, the minister, had lashings of Ginger Beer to keep us hydrated while working.

We started by shifting a pile of bags and mattresses upstairs. Then we moved stacks of chairs around (carefully positioned so they would not be spied by the congregation), before finally checking out the basement and removing some debris, including the world's heaviest mini pool table, and having a bit of a sweep up.

Post-task, Roger had a special treat for us. He had gone to the trouble of preparing four chicken and rice dishes to take home for dinner. Roger was previously a chef and it was delicious. There was talk of goat curry for next visit in two weeks' time.....

On the journey home we stopped for a relay time trial. 1 minute 39 was the time. Hmmm, not bad. But how can we improve? Some great suggestions including stretching things out a bit with "open the gate", warming up a bit with high knees and star jumps and practising our standing starts. The second time trial proved beyond a doubt that it's worth preparing because we set a new record of 1:28. There you go.

Great work everybody. It's a trip to Bridgelink Centre next week. It's a long one, so bring your oyster card!

See you there,
Simon