Even without the light spring evening, the prospect of a pub quiz in our immediate future and exciting collabs to chat about, there was so much to celebrate last night!

Let's start with

• Katie's 100th good deed and Jason's 50th good deed! Absolutely spectacular GoodGyming from both of you, huge congratulations on the commitment, positivity and fun along the way

• welcoming Jennifer and Cheski to their very first GG session - give them a massive cheer! So great to have you join us

• The upcoming Friday Night Lights festival of running in Battersea park where if you sign up to volunteer either for the morning or the afternoon session you get free entry to the festival and entry to the fun social evening 5km. Vibez!

That's without even mentioning Annabel getting to the end of her epic marathon training and Ali smashing the Putney half. You've all been extremely busy bees.

But not too busy to throw yourselves into several tasks at Doddington Community Garden, a space which is used by local people for growing organic produce, educating kids and providing a safe green space for those who don't have access to one.

There was loads of watering to be done, cavolo nero to snip, leaves to clear and one huge path to dig and cover with cardboard. We soon got busy and the time flew by. There was just a few minutes left for a group photo before heading down to the square for a fitness session that worked on balance and agility for runners.

Luckily the chalk fairy had been down earlier to mark out a course on the pavement. We had a quick run through of the various challenges, including ladder runs and lateral jumps, and set off for our first round. The idea was that we would time it and then try and beat our first time. It took a bit of getting used to, but fast feet and cat-like balance skills were on form and the second time round our previous record was easily smashed. Well done team!

All that was left was stretches and a run to the pub where we very, very almost emerged victorious. Second place is pretty good! In the end, we were all winners when Catherine produced the most incredible lemon and poppyseed cake - her magical powers with cake never fail to make us happy.

Well done to everybody! Next week we're back at it, this time heading to Waste Not Want Not to help with jobs there. See you there!

Last night’s task marked our second week of transforming the Wandsworth Bereavement Services space, where we’ve been painting the walls to help create a more welcoming environment for those seeking support. With one week of solid progress behind us (and most of the tape neatly in place), we dove straight into the task. A huge welcome to Raquel and Anais, who joined us for their first session—hope you enjoyed the colourful experience!

As soon as we arrived, we split into teams, ready to tackle the task of turning the drab, beige walls into a calming masterpiece of blues. Over the course of the next 45 minutes, we worked our painting magic, transforming the rooms from dreary to dreamy. It was like a little paint-powered orchestra—everyone had their part to play, and together we created a soothing atmosphere for the service users.

The great news? TWO rooms were finished and, to our collective delight, all the paint stayed neatly within the lines! Success! Well, almost… Enter: The Mini Disaster™.

There was a slight hiccup when a tin of paint, perched precariously at the top of a stepladder, took a tragic tumble. In a moment of pure gravity-defying chaos, it exploded in a spectacular splash zone that could rival a Jackson Pollock masterpiece. But in true GoodGym style, panic wasn’t an option. We sprang into action, everyone shouting out solutions and working together to restore order to the chaotic scene.

From vinegar to scrubbing pads, suggestions poured in, but it was Annabel’s genius idea to call in the Rug Doctor that truly saved the day. Within 20 minutes, we had a rug-cleaning machine on-site, and the industrial-scale cleaning operation was in full swing. The rug doctor was a true hero, and we managed to clear up most of the the mess with the speed and precision of a well-oiled machine.

Apologies for the chaos towards the end, everyone! I promise next time we’ll return to our usual, smooth-running selves. And yes, we’ll be back to dry, paint-free floors next week—so rest assured, your beautiful running kits will remain safely free from splashes.

Great work, team! Until next week, when we’ll be back at it—this time helping a local charity with a lovely floor-lifting task. We also have a great community mission this weekend at a local nature reserve.

Stay colourful, GoodGym! 💙🎨

The Katherine Low Settlement in Battersea is an amazing hub for all sorts of charities. They support refugees with various programs, have clubs for the elderly, provide food for vulnerable groups and loads of resources for kids. They also have a garden which has been neglected over winter, and needed a bit of extra love. Which is where we came in!

A big welcome to Holly who joined for the very first GoodGym session, great to have you with us Holly!

We met at a very chilly BAC and got straight into getting those frozen muscles with lot of dynamic movements up the hill. We finished off the warm up with a quick Valentine's Day related quiz question with a bit of a dark edge to it before setting off.

After a brisk run down to the centre we were shown the garden and given a list of jobs which included deadheading, sweeping, clearing and weeding. There was also a job inside for the lucky few tidying up a games cupboard and sweeping.

Before long we were a buzz of activity and within 25 minutes of hard work the garden was looking so much tidier and more welcome for the service users. The games cupboard was immaculate and ready for use by the kids club, and the floors were spotless thanks to Jo and her giant brush.

After a few minutes thawing out in the warm we headed back out to face the night and do a fitness session based on lower body muscle groups. Every 30 seconds saw us change up the exercise, from curtesy, plié, oblique crunch and static squats, to lunges, jumps, single leg holds and pulses. Phew!

Next week we have an indoor task writing envelopes for an intergenerational charity - sign up here

Great work everybody, thanks for all your efforts on a pretty cold night!

Brrr, the cold snap wasn’t letting up last night, but that didn’t stop our awesome group of runners from showing up and getting straight to work! There was no time to hang around in the freezing temperatures, we were all eager to get moving, warm up, and make a difference.

We welcomed some new faces to the group this evening — a big GoodGym welcome to you all! We’re so glad to have you with us and hope you’ll be back for more fun in the future. Great to have you join us Hannah, Lisa and Benjamin

We kicked things off with a quick warm-up, and Catherine came up with an excellent Monday question - where is the best roast in the area to be found? It got us all thinking (and hungry) — there were some great suggestions but we decided we definitely need to find a good veggie option. Suggestions welcome!

Once we were all warmed up and ready to go, we ran down to the Venue, a community hub that serves as a space for healthy eating classes, kids' groups, storage for donations, and more. Our task for the night was a massive tidy-up. There was plenty of composting, cleaning, and clearing to be done, but the biggest challenge? A pool of dried, spilled cream that had made a sticky mess! It was a tough one, but there was no use crying over spilled, er, cream. With hot water, cleaning fluid, and plenty of elbow grease, we managed to get the job done. No more rancid spillage, just one big sparkling floor!

There was lots to clear away, but with so many hands working together, we got through it all in no time.

After the task, we finished off with a core session. We all got to know each other a little better as we squeezed into one corner and got down to business.Core work helps with stabilising your body when you get tired during a run, so you can maintain good running form. It’s a key part of injury prevention, so well done on some great efforts from everybody.

After a run back we wrapped up with some stretches after all that hard work. Next week we have a new task in Balham, which means we’ll be leaving sharpish to get there. If it sounds like too much of a stretch, you can always meet us there. After the task, we’re having a social at the Four Thieves with some board games — it’s going to be a lot of fun, and we’d love for you to join us!

Some more dates for your diary:

• On Saturday there is this great mission to help clear the paths at a nature reserve

• We have a new regular community mission helping out with a kids club at the Doddington community garden late Thursday afternoons

• If you're free on the morning of the 24th and have an hour to spare, this amazing organisation which is home to several charities needs some help moving two offices around

It was certainly nippy last night, but that did not stop a group of buds coming together to, er, nip some leaves in the bud...

We kicked off the first Monday group run of 2025 with lots of cheers, some bad puns, talking about our favourite cheeses, and by welcoming Helen to her very first session - great to have you join us!

Feelin' gouda

We did a much needed warm up whilst discussing all the future plans that January holds - like this excellent new mission gardening at St Barnabus Church this Saturday and another the following weekend clearing paths at Unigate common.

The Age UK Wandsworth day centre is also looking for old magazines to use for an art project for their older service users. If you have any that you'd like to donate then you can drop them off at the Gwyneth Morgan day centre on East Hill for the attention of Frank, or let me know and I'll sort something out.

Just before setting off we each chose our fave cheese. There was blue (clearly influenced by the sub zero temperatures!), brie, gorgonzola and Wensleydale (which was accompanied by a very interesting Wallace & Gromit fact!)

Brie the best you can be!

It was a short run down to the garden and we wasted no time with cracker-ing on with jobs. There were plenty of brown leaves to be picked to fill the raised beds, compost to be shifted, naked trees to clothe and dead branches to transport. There was an interesting disparity in the size of tools on offer, from massive spades to a teeny tiny fork.

Still, it didn't hold us back and it's always amazing to see just how much can be done in a short amount of time. This is our traditional first task of the year, and it's been a joy to see how the community garden has evolved over the years.

It doesn't get cheddar than this

Job done, and with very little feeling left in any of our extremities we made our way down to the square for some EMOM based fun. With five rounds of exercises completed against the clock, we soon warmed up! Great to see you all work so hard and don't forget that if you have any goals this new year I can help with then don't hesitate to let me know.

Most of the team headed off for the monthly pub quiz social which came down to a nail biting finish. There is another one planned with games towards the end of the month, so watch this space!

Great to see you all for a fantastic start to the year. Don't forget you have three more days to make your GoodGym good deed pledge for January - it's a great way to aim for a target and stick with it.

Looking forward to seeing you all at another session that is guaranteed to beat the January blues soon!