We piled the posh poo perfectly at Paradise plus some post project PE!

If you think it's hard getting your mouth round that tongue twister you should have seen the challenge we took on last night during our Monday session! Yes, the puns were well and truly flying as we shoveled our way through a mountain of horse poo which had been kindly donated by the posh horses at Richmond riding school.

It was a pleasure to be back at Paradise Cooperative after a little time away. The positivity began early as we met to do our warm up and discuss all the nice things we had done over the weekend. From trips to the dump, football with family, fleabag binging and STP it sounds like everybody made the most of it.

It was a glorious evening for a run which was topped off with a minor miracle. For the first week ever we cracked the code for the gate and the shed first time!

This meant we could get straight on with the mane task at hand. With one team making sure the barrows were filled in a strong and stable manner, it was up to the group to giddy it all up into the compost bins. While we worked we covered lots of conversation points, including the fact that yesterday marked 100 days until it's a very mare-y Christmas! Thanks for all the punspiration team, and especially to Annabel and Sophie for this run report title.

After the task we ran over to Wandsworth common to make the most of the last of the light and knock out a quick tabata session. It was fast and furious and covered all our major muscle groups - well done team!

I mentioned a couple of upcoming sessions that might be of interest, including this one tonight handing out food and other resources for rough sleepers in Trafalgar square and also this one on the following Tuesday in Leicester square sorting donations for a refugee centre that could really do with some more help if you're free!

Next Monday in Wandsworth we're going to be helping out at the Scout Hall, hope to see you there!

There was lots to celebrate last night, from Catherine's victory at the Great North Run yesterday to welcoming Ammrs to his very first group run - give him a big cheer!

Unfortunately not everything went quite go to plan, as when we turned up to Battersea Park's lovely therapy garden, our task owner for the evening was nowhere to be seen! However, that did not stop us getting to work. After a quick phone call for the code to the shed we got stuck in to a spot of weeding along the paths.

The garden is used as therapy for adults with a variety of conditions such as autism, physical disability, mental ill health and learning difficulties. It also offers various programs such as vocational training and support to enable unemployed disabled Londoners to overcome their barriers to employment and access job opportunities, and helps stroke survivors improve their mental and physical health by working with horticultural therapists. There are workshops for adults whose mental health means they need an environment designed to minimise stress and anxiety and also women only gardening programs.

It may not have seemed like we had loads of big jobs to do while we were there, but with the garden being used for such impactful activities on a day to day basis, helping keep it weed free and welcoming really does make a difference. And we also got to admire the huge courgette flowers and opium poppies!

After half an hour of work we found a nice spot in the park for our fitness session, which last night focused on upper bodies. Our traps, lats, biceps and triceps all got a thorough workout - and we even got joined by a beautiful dog keen to get involved!

It may feel like Autumn is drawing in, but we've got plenty to keep you warm over the coming months! Why not join me for a plog along the river tonight helping collect polluting litter? Next week in Wandsworth we're going back to Paradise cooperative garden and then on Tuesday we have a great task at Trafalgar Square handing out food and sorting donation for rough sleepers. Hope to see you there!

Last night, the Wandsworth GoodGym team gathered for our regular monthly visit to Doddington Community Garden. We were thrilled to welcome Nancy on her first group run in Wandsworth. The group loosened up with some light jogging, and dynamic moves, shaking off the day’s stiffness. After a guess at when the first Paralympic Games were held (answer: 1960 in Rome!) we set off, unaware that we were about to be greeted with a very sluggish reaction at the garden!

The run to Doddington Community Garden was a breezy 2km, filled with chatter and upon arrival, Malissa expertly assigned tasks, making sure everyone had a chance to get their hands dirty.

Jordan and Sophie tackled the jungle-like overgrowth, showing those stubborn weeds who was boss. Jasmin, Beth, and Catherine handled the unruly jasmine plant, with Jasmin taming her namesake. Steph and Nancy took on the bindweed, binding it up for good with some serious teamwork. Kevin kept the garden hydrated, ensuring that our leafy friends got a good drink, despite the slugs trying to take them down. Meanwhile Malissa was walking round the garden dispatching every slug and snail she saw with a steely determination. After various jobs, Jason was still on a mission to empty that water butt. The team worked with precision, not letting any slimy distractions slow them down. By the end, Doddington Garden was looking even more tidy and fabulous.

With the main jobs done, the group shifted gears to a fitness session that focused on a intense mountain leg workout designed to replicate a hard hill session. Despite the challenge, everyone pushed through, legs burning but spirits high.

The evening wrapped up with a cool-down jog to the pub, stretching out those hardworking muscles. It was out monthly social featuring our regular pub quiz. Proving that GoodGym Wandsworth isn’t just about physical strength, the team came in a strong 2nd place, showing off their mental muscles too.

Our next Monday session will be at the herb garden in Battersea Park, which will feature even more beautifully scented medicinal plants, and hopefully fewer slugs! You can find out all the details and sign up here.

On the hottest day of the year we were treated to some refreshing water during our warm up thanks to the volunteers at the BAC community garden who hosed us in between watering! It cooled us down but did nothing to dampen our spirits, as we had a lot to be cheerful about during our Monday run.

First of all it was [Catherine] (https://www.goodgym.org/v3/profile/catherine-moore]'s 200th good deed, which is absolutely amazing. Give her cheer for being a fantastic task force member, and for the tonnes of compost she's shifted, the masses of weeds she's pulled, and the huge amount of donations she's sorted over those 200 sessions. Way to go Catherine!

Secondly, we had some new faces to welcome to the group. Give a big clap for Lily, Kirsten and Hugo who all joined us for their first session. Brilliant to have you along, and thank you for all your fantastic efforts with a big job tonight.

In the first year of gender parity between the participants of the Olympics, we took a guess at how many athletes in total were attending before we set off for our run. Ali was bang on as she knew the answer, while Lily took a highly accurate guess. If you're wondering, it's a whopping 10 500 people going for gold this summer!

Inspired by the thought of all that sport, we set off for the Rose Clubroom. We had already started the job two weeks ago, and we were back to do the next stage of painting. It was quite a substantial run with lots of twists and turns, so when we arrived we found that a few GGers had already started work, which was great. Lovely to see Maria and Kymm join us for the first time in Wandsworth!

We got got ready to roll, commenced cutting in, and brushed up on our brush strokes, and before long the place was transforming from drab cream to a colourscape of beautiful blue and crisp white. OK, there may have been as much paint on us as there was on the wall, but the finished product was pretty impressive! Well done everybody. The community centre is a vital lifeline for local people, offering free classes and hot meals, advice, support and community building programs. It's great to help make it as welcoming and bright as possible.

Next week I'm away so Catherine will be leading this community mission to Doddington community roofgarden. Don't forget there is the weekly pub quiz social afterwards!

Let me know if you'd like to be added to our whatsapp group and I'll send you a link. And last but not leat, MOnday 12th is our 8th birthday, so get ready for a fun, birthday themed session and social!

A last minute change of task yesterday meant that rather than running to help open up a community garden which has been closed for years, we were down at Battersea Park's beautiful Thrive therapy garden. This amazing space is used to promote therapeutic horticultural skills to bring about positive changes in the lives of people living with disabilities or ill health, or those who are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable. At GoodGym we truly believe in the power of getting active outside so it was the perfect fit for us!

We started off the night by welcoming some new faces to our group - so great to have you along for your first session Ben, Mike and Helen. Give them a big cheer, GoodGym!

Thankfully it was a lovely warm night compared to last week's washout, so we did a brief warm up to get those muscles firing. Before we set off on our 2km run to the park, we also went round the group to find out what everyday item (aside from our phone) we couldn't live without. Coffee and delicious things to eat came very high up, as did our watches, beds and our trusty kettle!

We made our way into the park, trying not to notice all the picnics and cool drinks at the cafe, and headed into the therapy garden where we had a list of jobs waiting for us. There were plenty of tasks to choose from, from watering, litter picking, weeding and leaf raking. Everybody cracked on with their chosen task, and somehow it was Paul who ended up on the wrong end of the hose again - or perhaps given the warm weather the cooling off was welcome?

At the end of 40 minutes we had got loads done, including collecting a huge ton bag full of leaves and making sure all the plants (and some humans) got a good watering. It was a calm, regenerative place to spend the evening and easy to see what a great resource the garden is for local people. We'll be back across the park at the herb garden in a few weeks, so get those green fingers ready for more Thrive fun!

It was almost time to run back, but not before an intense plank challenge. For four minutes without a break we held various plank positions, working all those ab muscles. If that wasn't enough we finished off with a core triathlon before heading back to base for stretches. Great work everybody.

Next week we will be back at the Rose community centre to finish off a huge painting job. There are plenty of other sessions to get involved with too, from supporting junior parkrun to helping deliver food for vulnerable people.

As always, if you have any questions about any sessions or events coming up don't hesitate to let me know, and if you haven't joined already we have a busy whatsapp group full of all the GG and social news. Happy GoodGyming everybody!