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!

27 Goodgymers ran 3-5k to help Thornhill Square Gardens and Frelighters City Farm!

Welcome along to Cosmo and Becky whose first time it was. Great to have you along!

In the news this week:

1. A big well done to Steve Lee who just hit 200 Good Deeds - amazing!
2. Fantastic stuff from Steve Coman who ran 3.49 at Edinburgh Marathon recently - winning his age category, getting a big PB and a good for age time - woop woop!
   
3. On Thursday it's GG Monthly Social in Old Street (I think) - go along and have fun - more details here.

Thornhill Report by James:

Around a dozen of us split off to head to Thornhill Square Gardens in Barnsbury. This is a task we visit at least a couple of times a year and it was lovely to see it in the light, since last time we visited we were wearing head torches.

WATER HERE!

We were met by Anna who was delighted to have us on short notice and soon had us working efficiently around one lucky garden plot. We were variously: pulling weeds, cutting back grass, re-anchoring wicker fence, and planting - sunflowers, dahlias, geraniums and primrose - the watering of which was elevated to an artform by our skilled irrigationists. To the melodious incantations of "Water here!", "Need water here!" and "Does anyone have some water?" there wasn't a dry bulb in the house.

Farm Report:

15 of us headed to help Frelighters City Farm, we went via Highbury Fields to extend the route slightly. Upon our arrival Liz told us our tasks, which was as follows:

• A team of five weeding the front of the farm, swept up and made inroads in weeding the back garden
• Meanwhile a group of eight shifted some soil. First of sieving old soil from broken down planters, and then this was wheelbarrowed over to Chris and Aidan who developed a progressively advanced system to get the soil into the planter.
• Lastly Frances and Nina broke up bags of compost, checking for rocks and roots, and then wheelbarrowed it over to near the planter and made a pile.

After we finished up we said hey to the animals - pigs, shaven sheep, an 18 and 19 year old cow's, big goats, little chicks and a loud bird! We then ran to meet James Thornhill crew to do a time trial around the Emirates - nice!

Sign up for next week here when we'll be helping Caxton House Community Centre.

PB out