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!

It's been a season of shears, loppers and secateurs in action, particularly at our Tuesday sessions supporting the William Hobbayne charity in Hanwell. Only a week ago, we had cleared a footpath at Half Acre Woods, and now we were back at the Community Gardens to finish off the job we started a month ago - clearing an overgrown area to make room for a new community space.

To reach the Community Gardens, Sevan, Freya, and Harvey ran 3 km from Ealing Broadway. Nishy, Jamie, and Jamie tried to find their way to the task, coming from the canal and getting stuck (thanks, Google Maps!), but were fortunately discovered by Kash and Harvey before they lost hope. Chris, a regular at Hobbayne's sessions, had more luck (or experience) finding the entrance, where Anna, today's task owner, awaited with the tools.

It was the first Ealing group session for Jamie, who was glad he didn't have to work in extreme heat, unlike at his first-ever GoodGym task. GoodGym Ealing not only booked a nice breeze for today but also perfectly dodged the evening rain. We are really good at ensuring top working conditions! Welcome, Jamie - we hope you enjoyed the weather, the task and our company! We're looking forward to seeing you again on another occasion.

The brambles we had removed in June from the overgrown area hadn't started properly growing back yet, so it was an excellent opportunity to clear the other half of the future community space. There was serious hype built up after our previous task in the gardens as we had found a canoe paddle, a tennis ball and a shed hidden in the brambles. This week's findings seemed less exciting.

Kash: "What did you find in the brambles? Anything interesting?"
Freya: "More brambles."

Sevan found particularly long bramble stems that made quite an impression on our newest team members. Little did they know, they'd be pulling equally intimidating blackberry plants themselves if they stuck to us. One of the Jamies already upped his GoodGym game, trying out a new tool: a small slasher to cut through the jungle. He'd love the larger slashers we used for chopping nettles and brambles near Pear Tree Park!

West London brambles are particularly nasty with their oversized, sharp thorns. They were a cause of many ouches today. We all have been bramblestruck! To alleviate the pain from the scratches, Nishy thoughtfully brought us a snack to enjoy at the end of the session: popcorn. Thank you, Nishy! While the real reward was seeing the whole garden space finally cleared of overgrowth, we enjoyed the gift from Anna: freshly harvested radishes from the allotment.

Next week, we are heading towards a different part of the borough. Sign up now to join us for a leaf sweeping and collection task at a school in Acton.