Last shift of the day as all good things come to an end but also everything needs to be cleaned and put away for the next session. Welcome Osama who got straight into cleaning in the kitchen. I stayed also to clean the kitchen as ai am one of the culprits who did make a mess in it. Then one of our regular at Goodgym did her first appearance at the Hub : Gabriela. I could not remember from which country Gabriela was and she told me Venezuela. Told her and introduce her to 3 regular voluteers(Sonia and her children Isabella & Albert) who are from South America. The strange thing is that they are from the same place in Venezuela 🇻🇪. Its a small world 🌎. Goodgym is not only helping and staying fit but it is also making new friends like it was the case today. Gabriela has new "Pana" or friends. They chatted during the session and exchanged numbers.

Lunch service of the ESK was red as 5 Goodgymers volunteering from 1pm to help serve guests. Freya went from the tea station to serving, Iram was on parcel duties and also then helped in the kitchen with the pot wash,both Jamie and Jamiewere serving food and Steph Ducat was in his usual spot ...the kitchen finishing the prep and serving food. On the menu today was lovely Moussaka : lamb or veggetable served with a side salad. Then strawberries with greek yoghurt, a little sprinkle of sugar and some honey.

Busy shift and all the food went to hungry guests who enjoyed the meals. Takeaway service was also a success at the end of the food serving period.

There was a wave of red t shirts in the serving/kitchen area as 2 more voluteeers arrived at 3pm to help cleaning. 7 Goodgymers in total on the day.

Early Friday mission and I was back at Mrs M house where I recently did the front garden. Today it was for the massive back garden. I arrived and eanf the bell...no answer so rang a second time and the door was opened by her teenage son....fast asleep still as school holidays. Wake up as its time to get busy. I went through the side door and he plugged the extension lead I needed. I started with the side of the house with removing weed, leaves and trimming the tree. Them went to the patio area with removal of grass, weed and unwanted branches. Then it was time to hit the trampoline...but first had to clear the rubbish hidden in the long grass. Removed brambles and cut the grass and reached the trampoline. Cleared half the garden of the overgrown grass. The trampoline and apple tree were now reachable.

Team GoodGym was tasked by the Ealing Rangers with another impactful mission: a burr hunt in Elthorne Park! The bane of dog owners, the mighty burdock, has returned in numbers to the beloved Hanwell green space to terrorise the walkers and latch onto fur, hair, or clothes of everyone passing by.

Runners, walkers, and cyclists from Ealing and Hammersmith came together to defeat the invader spreading along the main paths. However, first, they had to defeat the tool storage security system to obtain the necessary loppers and bags for the job. While Freya, Steph, and Sevan embarked on the burr hunt, Kash was figuring out how to arm the security system again, only to discover that the unexpected arrival, Divya, needed a pair of loppers and a safe space to store his bike.

While removing burdock encroaching on the park pathways, the GoodGym crew heard a few thank-yous from HANGOT volunteers and dog walkers. Maybe their good work has even inspired one of the passers-by to become a GoodGymer? Time will tell!

If you missed the HANGOT cameo today, join us this Saturday for the full HANGOT orchard experience, followed by GoodGym Ealing 9th birthday!

Next Tuesday's group run will be to Acton to do some seeding, watering and tidying up at the Wildflower Trail. Sign up now!