With September on the horizon and the crunch of leaves underfoot, there were some proper back to school vibes at our task last night when we...er, went back to school.

Our job for the night was at Strand on the Green primary school, a place where we go and help out on a regular basis. However, unlike our normal visits, it was only as we got to the bridge near the entrance to the school did we find that the footbridge was closed! Luckily there was lots of local knowledge in the group and we soon opted for a slightly longer deviation.

We arrived to find loads of tools and armed with our set of instructions, we divided up into teams to tackle the various jobs. Emily, Maxime, Harvey, Matt and Jon got busy sanding down the metal trolleys so that they can be painted ready for the new term. It was painstaking work, but it's definitely going to breathe new life into the equipment.

Meanwhile Pippa was weeding and Michelle sweeping up the leaves and debris on the road, just as Eloise and Kymm snipped and pruned the hedge. Gus and Luis had the big guns out with the saw and trimmer, lopping off the tall sections of the overgrown bushes.

It's amazing what a team can achieve together. While everybody was working I was (trying) to work out how much time we would have saved the caretaker who manages the site. With 14 of us working for 45 minutes, that equates to 10.5 working hours - more than a full working day! What an impact.

There was just time to squeeze in a fitness session which featured AMRAP (as many reps as possible) and an abs based challenge based on the Oops Upside Your Head moves! (IFYYK)

This weekend there is a lovely mission to help support WLQP's birthday celebrations - sign up here and don't forget to fill in the form so they know you're coming. Next weeks it is our last visit to help Cultivate finish collecting up the leaves to turn them into mulch. The GG fun never stops!

It was a warm but overcast morning in Twickenham as four of Goodgym’s finest gathered at the Richmond Furniture Scheme for our monthly mission there.

The RFS is a great organisation which repairs and restores donated furniture which is sold on to the public, at discounted rates for those who need a little more help.

We welcomed back a long-lost Vix and an even longer-lost Pippa and everyone got stuck in to the task, which was to move stone slabs from one side of the car park to the other. We decided to make use of one of the trolleys which Harry dragged across and up a deceptive incline to reach the shed where the slabs were to be stacked.

No slab was too heavy for two and we finished the main part of the task in 4 trips. It then remained for us to shovel the soil (as the slabs had been surrounding a flowerbed of sorts) into bags and across to the same destination.

It was a satisfying mission followed by a coffee in Richmond for those going that way. We’re looking forward to being back at the RFS in September.

Last night we were back at Cultivate London, a local horticultural charity, for round two of an unbe-leaf-ably big task. One that has a big impact though! Cultivate have been collecting all the leaves that fall into the playground at a local school and bagging them up so they turn into mulch. They then sell the nutrient rich mulch to local people and the profit goes back into the charity. Neat, right?

They needed a hand getting all the good mulch bagged up - enter GoodGym! So after a warm up where we cheered Eloise for an epic triathlon at the weekend, we set off on our run.

We arrived to find Romina waiting for us with tools and bags, and got to work. Despite it being just leaves, the filled bags turned out to be surprisingly heavy so it was quite the workout. Michelle, Steph, Eloise and Luis formed a great team to lift and squash, taking inspiration from the noble art of grape crushing. Unfortunately they did not produce any wine this time.

After 40 minutes of solid work we had made an enormous dent in the pile - I'd say one more session should do it! We were rewarded with a tree groaning with plums, and spent a happy few minutes enjoying the delicious fruit before heading back for fitness (just as fun?).

The workout last night focused on lower body, core and arms, and all muscle groups got a good challenge. Next week we're back at Chiswick House for another session in the beautiful grounds. Until then, happy GGing!

Last week, 7 Goodgymmers went to Peckham Rye Tiny Forest to do some weeding.

First to arrive at our meeting point, Old Spike, were Steve and Nelly. I arrived late to find them waiting outside, having a jolly natter. David arrived next, followed by Rosemary and Goodgym tourist Pippa 👋

After a quick warm up and ice breaker, we set of for an artificially long run whilst Steve walked there - this was a smart move since in the humidity, running felt surprisingly hard! A slog around the park, but worth it because it will make us stronger..

We arrived at Tiny Forest - James was already there, and Steve too. They'd already got stuck in. We followed suit, wading and weeding in between the trees. It was a chilled out kind of task, with chatter about recent news reports (someone got arrested for carrying gardening tools?!) and where to go for a drink after the task. The consensus was Franks cafe, which coincidentally was also someone's answer to the ice breaker question: "Whats your favourite place in London to go to in the summer?" 🌇☀️