The roads were glistening white, our fingers were growing blue but our tshirts were red and that means one thing - it's GoodGym Hounslow night!

There was no doubt that the temperature has plummeted which made the prospect of an outside task not particularly inviting. But we had a job to do, and nothing was going to stop us!

We ran down to Strand on the Green school to finish off a job that we have been working on for several sessions. After sanding down the benches in the middle of the school field it was now time to stain them with wood protector.

We located the tins of preserver, grabbed our brushes and got to work.

Gus showcased his speed staining moves, Emily was flipping benches like a pro, Chris was popping the tops of the tins and the whole scene was a blur of activity. After 40 minutes of hard work, the complete set of seven benches was done and ready for winter. It just goes to show that with the right motivation we are highly efficient!

Sub zero temperatures meant that, for once, fitness was not on the cards. Plus we had already had a good workout with all that quick painting and trying to keep warm! So we raced back to base, did some stretches (important when it's cold to prevent injuries) and headed to the toasty pub.

Net week we're back at Chiswick House and there is also a great upcoming mission to rewild the river] (https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/rewild-the-river). Happy GoodGyming everyone!

In 2024 Library of Things celebrates 10 years of making borrowing useful household items available for everyone in the area. It's cheaper than buying, convenient and kinder for the planet.

This year, Ealing Broadway became yet another of the 19 locations. Shortly after the launch of the new spot, Ealing folk has been renting on average 30 library items per week: drills, sewing machines, saws, hedge trimmers, and audience favourites: the steam cleaner and pressure washer!

Could this get any better? Of course! More people could learn about this fantastic initiative. Kyra from the Library of Things met five GoodGymers at the Ealing Broadway shopping centre, which transformed over the weekend into a Christmas market. The temperatures dropped so much this week that no one doubted we entered the winter season. Kyra was very pleased to see that our team braved the cold to support the Library of Things in spreading the word about the new location.

Supplied with stacks of leaflets, walkers Chris, Kash and Sevan, runner Mohamed and cyclist Gus teamed up with Kyra for a walking task on the streets towards Ealing Common. Keeping hands warm while trying to separate the individual leaflets was a challenge. Luckily, no fingers were frostbitten or dog-bitten during the flyer delivery. By the end of the session, only a thin stack of leaflets remained, which GoodGymers promised to deliver with a bunch of extra flyers to other towns in the borough at the nearest occasion.

We are hoping that Ealing residents will forget Black Friday and swap the shopping craze for more sustainable renting things binge!