The Changing of the Gard(en)!

It was a whopper of a night in Wandsworth last night, and good job too as we had a massive task!

Welcome to Marika, Ben, Ingrid, Emma, Emily, Chloe, Karen, Thomas, Izzy and Guy - give them a big cheer GoodGym!

We started the night with a round up of the week's news:

• Congratulations to all those runners and volunteers at the Hackney Half on Sunday!

• We have been invited by one of our task locations, Elay Networks, to their Ramadan Iftar on Friday. If you would like to go, check out the details and book your place here. Elay is an amazing organisation founded to provide a community support structure for young people and students at risk of exclusion from school, and not in employment, education or training.

• Plogolution is coming to Wandsworth. Fancy running (5k) or walking (2k) whilst picking up rubbish at the same time? Get that double endorphin hit of not only keeping fit but also making a massive difference at the same time. Everyone welcome, pop along and make some friends! Sign up here for all the details of these event on 8th June.

• A big welcome to Klara, who is the new trainer for GoodGym Exeter - spread the word about GG's newest area!

Next stop was to head outside for our warm up, which featured lots of dynamic moves designed to get our heart rates up, and a very quick survey to find out all the places we'd like to go that we haven't visited yet - New Zealand came up pretty high, as did anywhere hot and tropical, and even the moon. Better start saving those airmiles!

It was week three at our massive ongoing task last night, so we ran down to the Venue Community Centre to pick up our tools, then headed over to the Doddington Estate in Battersea. This huge space right in the middle of a big residential estate has been shut for many years, but we have been helping with the project to transform it into somewhere that can be opened up for the local people, is welcoming and safe for everybody.

The garden is already looking much better, but there is still a lot to do. So we got straight into weeding, clearing, pulling up astroturf and plastic, cutting back shrubs and ivy, scraping moss, litter picking, sweeping, and digging over. After 40 minutes of hard work, the garden was looking even better - there is still some stuff to do including painting benches and planting, so we'll be back in a couple of weeks to the last few jobs before the big opening. We even had Chi there taking some pretty amazing pictures to document our work!

So after returning the tools, we jogged over to a nearby green space to do a bit of a fitness session, which last night focused on a variety of unusual planks. Not only does a strong core improve your running posture and speed, but it increases stabilization in the torso, keeps you upright, reduces rocking and so lessens the energy you need to maintain form, and improves balance. For 30 seconds each we held bear, reverse, X, side, single leg and dip planks and gave our abs and proper good work out.

All that was left was to run back to base, tackle that last hill, and do some stretches kindly led by Klara. Great work everybody! Next week it's a bank holiday - but don't worry, you can still get your GoodGym fix! We'll be meeting at the BAC as normal, although there's nowhere to leave bags on this week only. Spend your day off doing good and getting fit - sign up here for all the details. See you there!