It was a most glorious autumn morning in Richmond. The sun was shining, the river rippled by and the leaves on the ground were crisp in shades of orange and brown. Along the riverside by the boating arches were six of Richmond’s finest GoodGymmers, ready take on a good deed. We were met by Trevor, who gave us a rundown of the task at ask, and geared us up with sandpaper sponge blocks and gloves to get part one of the job done - sanding down the doors.

Who Doors Wins

As we scratched away with our sponges, Trevor explained to us how the doors of the boathouse were made of a hardy tropical wood. This meant it was rot and mildew proof, however it’s an expensive investment, and needs yearly oiling to keep it at its best.

Sand Eye Co-ordination

Contrary to what TLC sang about, we did want some scrubs. With Liz and Adam on one door, and Chris, Sam, Lucy and Maena on the other, it wasn’t long before the the doors were sanded down and beautifully smooth. It was then time for a wipe down to get ride of the wood dust… and the layer of mud ingrained inside the bottom of each door!

Oil be ready

The best was yet to come, as Trevor took the lid of the pot of oil. The smell had all the riverside wanderers stopping to have a sniff (and admire our hard work)! Chris was the MVP of the morning - reaching all the tallest bits and rescuing Maena from several rather sizeable arachnids that also seemed to be enjoying our piling. With six paintbrushes on the go, the doors were soon beautifully coated and drying in the autumn sun. We even had time to go for a second coat on one of the doors in the direct sunlight. A team photo with our handiwork later, we said our goodbyes to Trevor and the boathouse doors… but not for long, as we will be back on Monday to do a proper second coat as part of our Halloween special group run. Nothing scary about that!