What a fantastic way to close out our year of GoodGym runs! This evening’s mission marked our last run of 2024, but not to worry, if you’re itching for some GoodGym action next week, I’m happy to set up a community mission on Monday—just let me know!

We started with a warm-up and the all-important question of the week: Should we retire the question of the week? I was expecting a mixed reaction from some of us thinking it was a fun tradition but it was time to draw it to a close, and others wanting to see it continue into 2025. Unexpectedly the result was unanimous - question of the week is here to stay! (But we might start taking it in turns...)

It was also fantastic to welcome Jack for his very first GoodGym session! Hope you enjoyed it, Jack, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Our task tonight took us to the Gwynneth Morgan Day Centre, a vital local hub supporting older residents of Wandsworth. Age UK Wandsworth provides this space for social interaction, activities, and vital services to improve the quality of life for the elderly. It’s wonderful to be part of a project that gives back to the community in such a meaningful way.

Our jobs for the evening were varied. We started with washing buses, ensuring they were sparkling clean and ready for action. Next, we attempted to fix and move a planter (a tricky job with a bit of a fight back from the planter itself!), and we finished off with some leaf clearing, making sure the area around the center was tidy and welcoming. There’s always plenty to do, and we were glad to be part of it.

A huge thanks to Frank for the thoughtful gift of chocolate, which definitely fueled our run and work! We were also pleased to see GoodGym Wandsworth included in the Age UK Wandsworth annual report—a lovely reminder of our visits. And of course, there are always more jobs to do—so we'll be back in 2025!

Before we headed off, we enjoyed a fitness session featuring Tabata, which was intense but at least kept us warm. We even finally figured out how to correctly pronounce “Tabata”—you’d be surprised how long its taken me!

Finally, don’t forget to RSVP to the GoodGym Wandsworth Christmas Party on Thursday, December 12th! It’s going to be a great time, and we’d love to see you there. Details here - and rest assured there is no pressure to sing, we welcome spectators and performers alike!

That’s a wrap for 2024. Can't wait to see you all next year—stay active and keep spreading the good vibes!

It takes a special kind of people to make it out in the freezing rain on a dark Monday night to rake leaves and chop wood. Luckily GGers are made of tough stuff, and a group of 14 of the toughest were not put off by the conditions last night.

Special kudos goes to Stephen and to Veronica who came along to their first GoodGym session - give them a huge welcome! We also cheered Paul and Dylan for smashing the Fulham 10km this weekend. Amazing stuff.

We kicked off with a much needed warm up, discussing the upcoming missions such as this amazing one to sort donated coats for Wrap Up London on Thursday in Morden. There is also a great session helping make the nature reserve in Streatham more accessible on Saturday. Lots of fun stuff to choose from! We also debated the most important issue of the hour - what is the best condiment. It turns about we are passionate about our favourites, from mayonnaises including truffle and garlic, various mustards, olive oil and BBQ - and in a shock twist no one went for ketchup!

There was no time to waste before setting off in the increasingly heavy rain for Paradise community garden. Through the puddles we splashed, arriving not long after to meet even more GGers.

We divided up into two teams; one to take on the challenge of clearing the leaves that were clogging the pathways and transport them to be turned into mulch, the other to chop the wood into manageable sizes.

The leafers got busy, fueled by Steve and Dylan's kind contribution of sweeties, while the axers were contemplating the best method of effectively breaking down the wood. Ali and Pritesh copied what they'd seen in the films to great success, while Beth guided using her recent impressive axe throwing prowess!

It soon got too damp to continue, but we'd made a big dent in the jobs, so all that was left to do was vote on fitness (no surprise on which way it went) and then head off back into the night for warm cups of tea and hot showers.

Well done everybody! Next week you'll be in the super capable hands of our newest run leader Catherine, who will be taking you to help out at Waste Not Want Not for a warm inside task!