Last night we celebrated nine glorious years of GoodGym Wandsworth – and we did it in classic GG style: with a run, a task at our own GG garden, a lot of laughs and even more potatoes.

We kicked things off with a warm-up and a guess at just how many good deeds have we racked up over the years. The answer? A huge 10,772. That’s a phenomenal amount of digging, weeding, painting, planting and moments of kindness.

We set off to the Omnibus Theatre, where we’ve been cultivating a garden space over the past year. This isn’t just any community garden — it’s one where the produce goes straight to charities supporting families facing food insecurity. With summer in full swing, everything had sprung up— and that includes the weeds! We rolled up our sleeves for a big clear-out. But amidst the weeds were some real treasures. The black gooseberries, figs, beans and chard were all looking lush and leafy, but the highlight was a huge haul of homegrown potatoes – check out the photos to see just what we have produced.

We then dashed over to the road for our traditional birthday fitness session, where last night everything was decided by the roll of a dice. There were squats, sprints and side planks as we battled it out. Even after nine years, the GG Wandsworth competitive spirit is strong– and we never miss a chance to make burpees "fun".

Celebrating what we’ve achieved together in nine years was pretty special. From community clean-ups to massive missions, planting gardens to growing friendships – it’s been a super fun ride powered by the energy and generosity every GoodGymer who’s ever pulled on that red tshirt.

To round off the evening, we returned to the theatre for our party which included double amazing cake courtesy of the legendary Jordan and Catherine, an amazing quiz crafted by ace Quizmaster Paul and of course a toast to the next nine years of doing good and getting fit together. Thanks to everyone who came, ran, weeded, rolled, quizzed, caked and celebrated. Here's to many more miles...

Happy Birthday, GoodGym Wandsworth! ❤️🥔

On a gloriously sunny Monday evening, a merry band of GoodGym Wandsworth legends laced up their trainers and headed skyward—well, eventually—towards the leafy heights of Doddington Rooftop Gardens.

Joining us for their very first GoodGym escapade were the fabulous Mariella, Samand Karen! We can confirm they passed the initiation test with flying colours (and only mild compost-related trauma). Welcome to the gang—you’ve officially earned your sweat badges. 🌟

After a breezy run that had us all feeling deceptively fresh and full of sunshine-fuelled optimism, we arrived at the gardens… and were immediately greeted by many, many bags of compost. They weren’t going to carry themselves up several flights of stairs, so with military precision (and a good amount of giggling), a human chain was formed. Efficiency levels were high. Biceps were engaged. By the end, we were wearing more compost than clothes.

Meanwhile, an elite fridge-hunting squad was dispatched to a mysterious building nearby to retrieve a rogue refrigerator that was apparently playing hide and seek. Rumours of fridge-related riddles and mazes are still unconfirmed, but huge props to Dave and Caroline, who found the elusive appliance and to Sam who heroically hauled it up the stairs and into position like an absolute legend.

Back at base camp, composting dreams came true: leaves were swept, a giant compost patch was lovingly sculpted, and weeds were decisively evicted. Shoutout to Mariella, who took on one particularly stubborn root system with the determination of someone trying to cancel a gym membership—no weed stood a chance.

Just when we thought our upper bodies might revolt, it was time for a partnered HIIT session—but with a twist: we paired up with people we hadn’t chatted to yet. Lunges, squats, and a bit of mid-squat small talk ensued. Apparently, nothing says “let’s get to know each other” like high knees and mutual breathlessness.

To round off a Monday evening well spent, we made our way to The Latchmere for our much-loved monthly pub quiz, where compost facts were (probably) not part of the trivia, but team spirit was sky-high.

A Night of Heroes, Horticulture & Happy Endings at Doddington!

Last night was a special one as we celebrated a big achievement: Paul completed his 400th Good Deed! To mark this milestone for a real-life hero, we had a well-deserved stash of chocolate heroes to fuel our efforts and congratulate Paul on his unwavering dedication.

Our session took us down to the Doddington Community Garden, a vibrant green hub that always benefits the community. We tackled a variety of tasks, including:

Battling the bindweed - an ongoing effort to remove this persistent weed to give the raspberries a chance to flourish. Clearing areas for trees- Annabel and Paul got busy ensuring the ash and apple have the space and light they need Transporting hay and tiles - a true team effort, moving (heavy) items around the garden. Removing dead leaves and sweeping up - Pritesh, Sophie and Jason got rid of all those yellow leaves cluttering up the place

It wasalso great to admire the onions we planted some time ago, now flourishing – a testament to the long-term impact of our GoodGym efforts!

After a productive gardening session, we headed downstairs for a competitive fitness session which saw Sophie and Dave crowned tricep dip royalty!

The run back to base took an unexpected turn as we became embroiled in a missing dog drama. Thankfully, Catherine and Jordan stepped in swiftly and contacted the council, providing crucial assistance. We were all delighted to find out later that evening that the dog was successfully reunited with its owner! A truly happy ending to what was already a very productive night.

A huge well done to everyone, especially to Paul on his amazing 400th good deed!

Join us for our next mission this Saturday: moving mulch! Your help would be greatly appreciated. You can sign up here

** A Towering Team Effort with Tom's Run Club 🌱🏃‍♂️**

Yesterday's session was in collaboration with the fantastic Tom’s Run Club, a friendly and inclusive running crew known for combining social miles with a real sense of community - and plenty of post-run socialising! We met up at Bermondsey in high spirits, so after lots of introductions and a whole load of energy we did a warm-up that got the blood pumping.

With the sound system fired up, we hit the streets—winding our way through the hustle of London Bridge and along the Thames to our destination: the new garden by the Tower of London.

This isn't just any garden. It's part of an inspiring project by Grounded Ecotherapy, a community-focused organisation that supports people in recovery or facing mental health challenges by connecting them with nature. They’ve been transforming what was once a sad, neglected space into a lush, thriving green haven—and we were here to help keep that momentum going.

Once we arrived, we split into teams and got to work. Before we could tackle a huge planting task we had a serious challenge: hauling bags of stones up the stairs. A proper workout, with a purpose! Then it was onto getting the greenery into the ground. It was incredible what a difference it made - what was once just concrete planters suddenly came alive with pollinators, herbs, flowers and a whole range of other plants.

And just when we thought we’d earned a rest… we finished with a squat challenge followed by a cheeky core triathlon that had everyone working hard.

With the job done and muscles worked, we wrapped up with a shorter run back to base, took a team photo, and hung out for a well-earned post-run social. Running with Tom and his crew was a real pleasure—here’s to more teamwork, more miles, and more positive impact ahead. 💪🌿