Monday 29th September
Written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
After a summer of hard work at the GoodGym garden it was time to reap the rewards! We have been carefully maintaining the space at the back of the Omnibus theatre for over a year now, planting, weeding, sowing and digging whenever we had the opportunity. The idea is that we grow fresh, organic fruit and vegetables to donate to the Trinity hospice just a few doors up the road. Last night we went to harvest what we had produced - and I think we surprised ourselves!
We gathered at the BAC for our warm up and for the weekly brain teaser. This week is was Adrian who nailed the answer to the question - which is the longest tube line? At 46 miles long, and founded in 1900, it was the central line. Good knowledge!
We took a nice run up to the garden in the fading light, and wasted no time getting our hands dirty. First up was the chard, the biggest success of the season. It was leafy, green and very prolific, and Sophie and Adrian got a whole crate of it! The beans had also done really well, with Kamil harvesting a big tub. There were a few tomatoes, and lovely zucchini flowers, and the fig and pear tree were flourishing. Well done team!
There was time to fit in a good core session across the road, and Jordan even requested a squat challenge finisher which was the perfect way to end! With our crates of goodies, we walked up to the hospice and dropped off the produce for the chef there to use. It's great to see that all that investment in the garden resulted in something really positive.
Next week we're back at Doddington for our monthly session at the community garden followed by the pub quiz. Hope to see you there!
If you're up for a post work task in central London tonight, why not join us at this bulb planting session at a community centre in Victoria - we're looking for a few more pairs of helping hands!
Monday 22nd September
Written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
We had a last minute change of task last night, but that didn't stop us throwing ourselves into the jobs at Bramford community garden last night - well done everybody!
We started off by cheering Paul's 10km race at the weekend and then moved on to our warm up, where we worked on our hip extensions just like the pros at the World Champs last week!
Before we set off we went round the group to see who were morning larks or night owls. It turns out we are a healthy mix of both, but one thing we could all agree on was that it was time to head down to our task for the evening.
Weaving round the busy streets of Clapham we got down to Bramford gardens where Sha, the lead volunteer who keeps the space flourishing, was waiting with instructions.
While Kamil and Chris set up straight away to remove a stray chair and start collecting all the litter strewn in the area known as the circle, the rest of the team got busy removing all the mallow from the raised beds. With the hot weather and the rain, this particular plant had gone crazy, threatening to take over the space.
It was Felix and Jo who perfected the root removal system, but everybody worked hard getting as much out as possible and the beds were soon looking much clearer.
We used the run home to knock out several glute based stations, before finishing with stretches. Great session everyone! Next week we're back to the GG garden for our rescheduled task, so sign up here for another evening of fun and fitness!
Saturday 20th September
Written by Jason Kurtis
After letting nature restore the Wood during the summer we were back to clearing bramble and opening paths. We tools in hand and terrific weather we made a great start to the season. There’s lots more to do in the months ahead!
Monday 15th September
Written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
One of the best things about GoodGyming is the opportunity it gives us to discover new places, organisations and hidden gems that are doing good stuff all over our borough. Last night was no exception as we headed over to Larkhall Park for our first visit to this lovely little London park.We were treated with a welcome from a group of volunteers who manage the space, a task which quickly made a difference, and even sightings of bats and foxes. What more could we ask for?
We started the night on a high, welcoming Felix to his very first session - lovely to have you join us Felix!
We did our warm up and, in recognition of our task at a local park, our question for the evening was on theme. The first national park opened in 1872, but where is it? We had lots of great guesses but it was Jason and Adrian who nailed it in one - it was Yellowstone Park in the US. Good pub quiz practice!
We took a nice gentle run to Larkhall (little did we know we should have appreciated the downhill nature of the journey there as we only realised on the return leg!) to find The Friends of Larkhall Park waiting for us with loads of tools and instructions for us.
We divided up into teams, each taking on responsibility for one area. Gloves on we got cracking with the weeding, clearing, litter picking and general tidying up. Passers by stopped to admire the work we were doing, and its great to see how quickly people notice when our public areas are cared for. Hopefully it means there will be less litter dropped, creating a safer, more sustainable local space!
Job done, we returned the tools and moved over to the grass for a balance for runners session. we tested our skills (very impressive!) with an eyes shut challenge, before doing several drills that work on our coordination. Great job everybody.
Next week we're off to the GoodGym garden - so sign up here for another Monday of getting fun and active.
We also have a great community mission happening this Saturday helping clear out and clean up a nature reserve.
Monday 8th September
Written by Catherine Moore
One task, double the impact! Tonight 12 GoodGymers carried bin bags of leaves from Christchurch Gardens to Doddington Roof Gardens, proving that one person's trash really is another person's treasure. GoodGym Wandsworth collected the leaves into bags at a previous task, to help keep the church garden, clean, safe and accessible. But rather than see those bags head to landfill, the quick thinking team arranged to carry them a mile down Battersea Park Road and hand deliver them to Chief Gardener Melissa at Doddington Roof Gardens. In their new home, the leaves will be tossed on the compost heap and turned into nutritious mulch to fuel another year of gorgeous garden growth.
We also welcomed Rosie to her first ever GoodGym session and the lovely late summer sun tempted Carol, Andy and Jamie back too! It was great to meet them and to share not one, but two of the local community spaces we have worked with in the past year.
After the task the team took on a 5 minute fitness relay, with two teams going head-to-head in sprints, jumping jacks, plank holds, squats and high knees, to get the heart rate up, test our strength and even have a bit of fun in the meantime. Then it was onto the pub quiz for our monthly social (delayed by one week). Not everyone could stick around this month, but the 6 Salt & Shakers who stayed came a respectable 3rd - no cash prizes for the garden this time, but a good time was had and we all left with a hankering for old-school crisps with names that alliterate (Hula-Hoops, French Fries, Monster Munch...)
Monday 1st September
Written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
It was so great to be back at Doddington Garden again after a few weeks away, and even in that time the garden has sprung up. Tucked away on a rooftop in Battersea, it is an oasis of green that we visit regularly to do lots of different tasks.A much-loved community garden it brings people together and produces some delicious fruit and veg.
It was a bit of a soggy evening, but a happy crew of GoodGymers were delighted to welcome Larisa, Annie and Renee to their first group run. Great to have you join us despite the drizzle!
Once we got there, we got stuck into all sorts of tasks, including getting new plants in the ground, sweeping up leaves to keep paths clear and create mulch, plus shifting compost bags to tidy up the space.
Great to see the garden flourish as the seasons change– and this time we were rewarded with freshly-picked plums straight from the tree. It was a perfect energy boost for the fitness session ahead!
The hard work didn’t stop at gardening - downstairs it was time for a seven-station upper-body blast – press-ups, dips, and a whole mix of arm-burners had us testing our biceps, triceps and traps. We just had time for a run back and some stretches to round off the evening.
Next week, Catherine will be leading the session with plenty of fun, doing good, and getting active guaranteed
Brilliant effort tonight, team!
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