Chiswick House & Gardens Becomes Hub For The Community
How GoodGymers are helping maintain and grow community spaces in the heart of London
October 29, 2025
For years, GoodGymers from across London have been visiting Chiswick House and Gardens to help rejuvenate the grounds in a new eco-conscious and community focused image.
Since Covid, Chiswick House and Gardens Trust (CHGT), looking after a picturesque slice of historic London, has decided to use its land and buildings for the betterment of the community - committing to a plan to become more financially, and environmentally sustainable as a result.
It’s About Trust
Having made significant headway already, volunteers have been instrumental in making it happen. Rosie Fyles, Head of Gardens and a key organiser for the grounds voluntary activities says, “for a lot of historic places, volunteers were only allowed where they couldn't damage anything. I think we’ve done a great job of changing this - it’s about collaborating and trusting each other”. 100s of people from the local community have contributed to maintaining the grounds over the years, and with plans to revitalise more of the unused space, there’ll be a need for many more.
CHGT has put volunteers at the heart of their plans and Rosie has been amazed at the range of skills, experience and commitment volunteers bring to the projects they get involved with. By creating practical ways for the community to get involved, people are able to design the spaces they want and need. The most recent project completed is a set of 21 studios for public use. Rosie reflects on the success of the project so far saying, “we have a whole creative community that we didn’t have this time last year”.
The Brutal Side of Weeding, a GoodGym speciality
GoodGym brings a unique take on volunteering. We’re high energy, high activity, short time commitment. A contrast from most volunteering opportunities but a boon for Rosie and her team of gardeners, “it enables my team to package up tasks that have a clear beginning and end, that they know will get done”. Rosie praises GoodGymers for their eagerness to get stuck into the difficult and dirty jobs that most volunteers steer clear of, “the benefit of working with GoodGym for us is we can think about specific things that need doing by people that really want to get stuck in, that have the energy and motivation to do it”.
Some previous tasks have been “the brutal side of weeding”, as Rosie described, creating bug hotels, mushroom grows or mulching at the base of 300+ year old cedar trees, some older than Chiswick House itself.
What makes being at CHGT special is the behind-the-scenes access. Often we arrive as the grounds close to the public and whilst there’s always plenty to get on with, the quiet emptiness of all 65 acres offers a chance for GoodGymers to reflect and relax as a weekday evening is spent at an iconic piece of London history.
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Find out more about Chiswick House and Gardens