0 Month Streak
10 Month Streak
Block or report Annabel Richardson
Mon 20th Jul at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
Another fantastic Monday night in Wandsworth saw us back at the Gwyneth Morgan Day Centre. The centre provides vital support, activities and companionship for older people in the local community, helping to reduce isolation and enabling people to stay active and independent. Keeping the outdoor spaces looking welcoming makes a real difference to everyone who visits.
First up, there was plenty to cheer about. We chatted about Josh Kerr's incredible 1500m world record at the weekend, before giving a huge round of applause to Felix, who absolutely smashed his PB at the recent London 10km. Amazing running! We also got to welcome Fliss to her first group session - so lovely to have you join us.
After the warm up, we headed out to meet the rest of the crew at the Age UK Wandsworth centre.
Once there, we split into teams and got straight to work. There was weeding, spreading compost, sweeping paths, tidying up huge areas of the garden and plenty of general gardening. But the most coveted task of the evening in this hot weather? Washing the mobility bus! Naturally, the hose had its usual ideas about how the evening should go, but after the customary battle with the equipment, everyone got stuck in (with a few extra splashes over the side of the fence...purely in the interest of keeping everyone cool, of course).
By the time we packed everything away, the transformation was obvious. The garden looked so much tidier, brighter and well loved, and the freshly cleaned bus was gleaming. It's the kind of difference that the centre's users will notice when they come in today.
With the task complete, it was time to raise the heart rates with a Tabata session. Twenty seconds of hard work followed by ten seconds of rest—simple, brutally effective and guaranteed to get everyone working! We rounded things off with a squat challenge and finished on happily wobbly legs.
Well done to everyone for another brilliant evening of running, positive impact and fitness.
Don't forget our big 10-year anniversary party on the 10th—keep an eye out for the sign-up link coming soon.
Next week we're back at Larkhall with Sophie. Sign up and all the details you need right here
Mon 20th Jul at 6:30pm
Join us to support this amazing local day centre for the elderly
Read moreMon 6th Jul at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
After Sunday's football excitement, we were a slightly smaller crew than usual. Could it be a coincidence? Whatever the reason, spirits were high and there was plenty of energy where it counted.
Before we set off, it was quiz question time and this week it was a clean sweep: everyone knew that Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time. It was far too easy for the brains of GG - be warned, next week's question is going to be a lot trickier! We headed down to Doddington for our monthly visit to this fantastic community rooftop garden . It's an incredible local space, not just for growing fruit, veg and flowers, but for bringing neighbours together, sharing skills and creating a green oasis in the middle of the estate. Exactly the kind of place GoodGym loves to support.
A big Wandsworth welcome goes to Michael, who joined us for his very first GoodGym session! It was brilliant to have you with us—and little did we know we'd also recruited an absolute quiz ringer for later in the evening. More on that shortly...
Once we arrived, Malissa showed us to our patch for the evening. Our mission, simple but satisfyingly tough, was to pull up invasive mallow (and a healthy collection of other weeds) before turning over the soil so it would be ready for future planting. Half an hour of digging, pulling and turning later, we'd made a big difference. Along the way, conversation covered a wonderfully eclectic range of topics including all things green, killer cows, and the importance of getting a good night's sleep (particularly if you're Felix!)
With the gardening complete, we moved over to a (semi) green space for a fitness session. This week's theme was unusual planks. There were diamond planks, walking planks, bear planks, commando planks, pull-through planks and side planks.
Then came the decision between stretching at base or straight to the pub quiz - where we're delighted to report that we finished first! The winnings will be going straight into the pot for our 10th birthday celebrations on 10th August. Keep an eye out over the coming week for more details—it's the big one.
Next week we'll be splitting into two groups to spread the word about Balham Nursery and the Battersea Youth Scheme helping two brilliant local organisations reach even more people.
See you there!
Mon 6th Jul at 6:30pm
Come and join us for a great session in a thriving community space - plus post run pub quiz!
Read moreMon 22nd Jun at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
With temperatures on the brink of soaring, a welcome breeze kept conditions comfortable as the GoodGym Wandsworth crew gathered for another Monday night run.
After meeting up for a warm-up, we were delighted to welcome Robyn for a very first GoodGym session. Great to have you with us, Robyn!
Before setting off, it was time for the Quiz Question of the Week: Which country holds the record for the highest peak temperature ever recorded? A tricky one this week, but the answer was Kuwait, where temperatures have reached a blistering 54°C. A bit like the Victoria line this week...
Our destination was Balham Nursery School, where a long list of jobs awaited us. This state nursery plays a vital role in providing early years education and support for local children and families, making it a fantastic community asset where we love to help out.
On arrival we found Annabel already hard at work so we followed her example and quickly split into teams.
Robyn, Chris, Hazel and Matthew rgot busy tackling the gardening and weeding. Meanwhile, Adam and Felix took on the tree trimming, with Caroline bagging up the cuttings as they worked. Over on bunting duty, Pritesh, Beth and Jack were tasked with decorating for the nursery's upcoming open day and party. Faced with a breezy evening, they came up with the ingenious solution of tying spoons to the ends of the strings to stop them flying away. So simple, so effective, soGoodGym.
It was hard work - but the result?
And then came the reward. We were introduced to the nursery's newly hatched ducklings. Tiny, fluffy, chirpy balls of yellow cuteness that had only recently entered the world. It just goes to show that no two GoodGym tasks are ever quite the same.
We've got a mission coming up this weekend in Southfields, and next Monday we'll be helping to spread the word about the Battersea Children's Centre scheme by stuffing envelopes. Hope you can make it!
Mon 22nd Jun at 6:30pm
This nursery will have a better environment to improve and enhance their learning
Read moreMon 18th May at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
Last night we were back at Balham Nursery following the amazing work the team did last Monday – and this time it was all about painting!
After a warm up and a Eurovision-themed quiz question (where the team impressively remembered all five UK Eurovision winners: Sandie Shaw, Lulu, Brotherhood of Man, Bucks Fizz and Katrina and the Waves), we headed off on our run to the nursery.
Natasha, the headteacher, was ready and waiting for us with a perfectly prepped painting area, so it was straight into action grabbing brushes and rollers. Within minutes the place was already looking brighter and fresher. A few of the team also tackled the windows, giving them a much-needed wash down and making an immediate difference.
Natasha was absolutely delighted with the transformation and told us we had saved the nursery a “small fortune” – a good reminder of the impact a Monday night GoodGym session can have.
With the painting complete and the rollers downed, we headed over to Clapham Common via the “scenic route” for fitness. And by fitness, we were staring down the barrel of a FIVE MINUTE plank challenge. Yes. Five whole minutes.
The variations included military planks, diamond planks, side planks, reverse planks, shoulder taps and plank jumps. Who knew there were so many ways to suffer in a horizontal plank position?
Very impressively everybody managed the full five minutes. What an incredible effort.
Next week we’ve got a special lunchtime Bank Holiday session helping clean up a pétanque court at Larkhall Park – come along! We'll follow with coffee/ice cream (delete as appropriate depending on bank holiday weather...) You can sign up here
Mon 18th May at 6:30pm
This nursery will have a better environment to improve and enhance their learning
Read moreMon 11th May at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Sophie Humphrey
The weather cheered up just in time for Goodgym Wandsworth to assemble! Brilliant to see so many friendly faces. We checked in on Eurovision plans and tested our knowledge of the most successful nations (Ireland and Sweden joint top in terms of previous wins for those who missed it).
We were off to help at a local nursery today with some fantastic jobs lined up. An empty sandpit awaited which was swiftly filled at record speed with fifty fresh bags ready for the kids to enjoy tomorrow. Elsewhere there was some energetic hosing and scrubbing from Jordan and Ali to ensure the cover looked as fresh as the pit itself. The rest of the team got stuck into freshening up some planters with cardboard bases, twigs and then compost. Bags galore and all ready for the children to do some planting.
The team were so quick that they even fitted in a quick spot of weeding out the front to finish the session. It was back to Clapham common for some exercises spelling out Balham (spot a very happy Felix doing his high knees!) and making the most of the glorious light evenings. We even spotted a pony being walked. When in Clapham! Well done all and hope to see you soon.
Mon 11th May at 6:30pm
This nursery will have a better environment to improve and enhance their learning
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