It was the second week of our task supporting Abundance London getting rid of all those never ending leaves that were clogging up the beds on Chiswick High Rd and stopping oxygen getting to the bulbs which had been carefully planted by the charity earlier on in the year. With some massive plane trees right above them, we had filled no fewer than 14 bags last week but there was still masses to do!

Happily there was even more positivity in the air than usual on a Wednesday, thanks to some lovely returning faces! So, after meeting Rosemary from Abundance we pulled on our gloves and got to work filling Hounslow council sacks.

As bag after bag was quickly stuffed with dry and rotting leaves and the carefully planted bulbs were freed, we chatted about all things running. There are some brilliant races coming up - good luck with trainign everybody who is taking on the challenge. If you have any specific requests for our fitness sessions (which Lucy guarantees are going to be definitely, conclusively, regularly happening as soon as the weather picks up) then don't hesitate to let me know and I'll plan some suitable ones.

After 45 minutes hard work we posed for a group photo with some unusually good lighting thanks to the electrics shop behind us, and took a steady run back to base for stretches. Next week we're back to Strand on the Green school to help out with various jobs - hope to see you there!

First up, the amazing news. GoodGym Hounslow absolutely smashed its January target. That's right, despite the freezing weather and dark evenings, team Hounslow managed to clock up an amazing 80 good deeds and 1133 kms (so far) thereby exceeding the goal. Absolutely brilliant work, a high five to each and every one of you!

Last night we came from all directions on foot and two wheels and converged at Cavendish school for the first time in a while. The new caretaker, Andrew, took Chris through all the jobs to be one. Chris then expertly took the lead and we all chose our area to work on.

The jobs were to transport logs and branches to the nature area, and to clear the playground of the many, many (many) fallen leaves.

As usual, tools were at a premium and there was some bartering to be done over the best kit for the job. Somehow I ended up with the kid sized fork and spade, which proved to be surprisingly effective, while Michelle raked, Chris shoveled, Alan wheelbarrowed, Luis loaded and Beth, Jonny, Emily and Kymm swept and collected like troopers.

It was difficult to know when to stop, but with the school area looking much clearer and neater we downed our respective tools, and made our way into the night.

The fitness session for the evening was based on agility for runners, and it proved to showcase some extremely impressive fast feet, dexterity and coordination. The team bounded its way three times over some (badly drawn) chalk ladder runs, leaps and other drills. Runners need to use fast reflexes, coordination, and quick reaction time to react to situations with speed and efficiency, both on road but especially cross country. Kudos for navigating the course with such efficiency!

January may be almost over, but there is plenty to get you motivated into February. To kick off, join run leader Chris next wednesday for this group session] (https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/helping-with-the-comboni-garden-project-17d2f68b-4db8-4f18-82c1-72806969f20e) or sign up for our new mission at the local Age Concern friendship club!

Remy, Kymm and Emily met on a beautiful, sunny, cold Saturday morning at this well loved community space that GG Hounslow have been working with for a long while to keep the place full of lovely flowers for locals to enjoy. Today was no different with tulips and daffodils to plant. With the right digging tools and the ground surprisingly soft we got through planting the tulips around the entrance in no time, and moved onto planting the daffodils around the edge of the park. We nattered away enjoying digging in the sun, and decided to continue enjoying it by heading to a cafe in Chiswick to sit outside with a coffee watching the world go by.

Did you know that In the UK, nearly 16 million plastic bottles aren’t being recycled each year and that over 8 million tonnes worth of plastic bottles end up in the ocean annually? And that they take around 450 years to decompose? The scale of the problem is pretty stark.

But there is good news! There is two major things we can do to counteract the waste. Firstly, the average British resident could save 94.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide each year by switching to reusable bottles. The second? Join us for a plastic bottle litter pick like we did at GG Hounslow last night!

We arrived from all corners of the borough, grabbed our litter picks, courtesy of Active 360, and got stuck in. The drawbridge at Kew was absolutely swimming in plastic bottles, so we divided up the trugs into what could be recycled and rubbish that was destined for the regular bin.

There was plenty to keep us busy, and after just half an hour we had collected several bags worth of litter. In the past where we've found all sorts of interesting things including messages in bottles, shoes, and some unmentionables, but last night's pick was relatively uneventful in that respect. We did clear two trugs' worth of plastic bottles, however, so it can definitely be considered an evening well spent. We just had time to pose for GG Hounslow's next album cover before setting off.

On the way back to base we stopped several times for fitness stations which included tricep dips, planks and stair runs. Unfortunately I forgot to do the very last station back at the Town Hall, and funnily enough, no one reminded me!

Great work everybody. If you can't get enough GG - and who can? - there is a great mission to plant an apple tree and lots of bulbs this Saturday, or you could get involved with this lovely new mission at Age Concern's Friendship Club.