While the recent storms caused troubles across the country: cancelled flights, power cuts, delayed trains and flooding, GoodGym Ealing was lucky to fit their group run at a time of mild, calm weather. Maybe the perspective of further disruptions didn't encourage a large group of GoodGymers to attend tonight's session, but three runners and one walker stood up to the challenge.

This Tuesday's task had a lot to do with the storms. Linda from Blondin Park Community Pavilion had a few jobs in mind, but what bothered her the most was a large piece of tarp blown off the fencing in front of the pavilion's containers. The GoodGymers decided to let go of the easy-going prospect of woodchip shovelling which is a good workout for the body but not as good for the mind. Instead, they chose to help with Linda's main worry: the windshield. That required some good thinking, coordination, and experimentation.

First, the team detached all the hooks that still held the windshield in place and took the tarp down. The sheet was more than double the width needed to cover the fencing but not long enough to reach the ground when attached to the top of the fence. After exploring different ideas, the GoodGymers put the first layer flat against the fence.

Now the question came back: how to fold the rest of the sheet? Someone suggested that the second layer could make up for the missing length. Linda wouldn't mind cutting the tarp into two to make that happen but Sevan pointed out the material may start fraying at the edge. Another option was to fold the windshield. That required attaching the sheet to the fence where it was supposed to be folded. But there were no loops or hooks! The sheet underwent an operation and had four punctures done by Dr Kash with scissors. Madhan and Steph then locked the hooks of the second layer to the top of the fence while Sevan and Kash, following Steph's idea, used double cable ties to attach the bottom of the tarp to the base of the fence.

Throughout the task, Linda listened to the problem-solving discussions of GoodGymers. She was impressed with the final result and invited the volunteers for a hot chocolate and chat in the pavilion - a great perk of Blondin Pavilion tasks in the winter!

Next week we are running to Acton to do flyering for the upcoming Reduce and Recycle event at Acton Market. Sign up now!