We kicked things off last night with a warm-up and our Quiz Qu of the Week: Which country is wider than the Moon? Russia certainly threw us off the scent, but three of you cracked it! 🌍 Well done! Apologies that I forget to mention at the time, but a huge shout-out goes to Pritesh for running the Royal Parks Half Marathon yesterday – fantastic effort! 🏃‍♂️👏

We also welcomed Molly who joined us for their very first GoodGym session. 👋 Great to have you with us!

Then it was time to head out into the darkness and make our way to Paradise Community Garden, a special green space that provides a haven for wildlife and a green oasis for the local community. Community gardens like this are vital for supporting biodiversity, creating habitats for wildlife and giving people a place to connect with nature.

Unfortunately our original task to shovel manure had to be postponed as access issues meant it hadn't been delivered. Luckily, there were still two tasks to keep us busy – chopping up firewood and painting the shed. But first, we had to navigate our way through the frogs! 🐸 We've never seen so many - they were everywhere, creating, as Joput it,'a carpet of frogs', so careful footwork was essential. We did our best to avoid stepping on our tiny amphibian friends and keep this happy, healthy ecosystem thriving.

Once we'd safely negotiated the frog-filled terrain, we found our way to the firepit and split into two teams.

🎨 Team Shed Painting took on the challenge of finding the right colour for the job. Getting the shade just right was all part of the challenge, as was the dark surroundings. Nevertheless, they persevered and a beautiful newly painted shed was soon underway.

🪵 Team Firewood tackled the sawing, which came with its own challenge: mastering the two-handed saw. With a bit of practice, the team perfected their techniques with various implements around the site, keeping a safe distance from one another. All fingers and toes remained intact – result! Great work, everyone. 💪

As the rain started to set in and we'd already had a good workout, we decided to give the fitness session a miss this time and head back for some well-earned stretches. We took care to avoid the wildlife on the way, although the snails unfortunately didn't all make it through unscathed. 🐌 Let's just say it wasn't a completely casualty-free journey!

A huge well done to everyone for being adaptable, getting stuck into the tasks and helping look after this lovely community space.

Next week: We're heading back to St Mary's to give the outside of Battersea's oldest church a good blitz. 🧹 We hope to see you all there!

Until then, happy running, and thanks for being brilliant, GoodGym Wandsworth! ❤️

As the autumn evenings rapidly draw in, the GoodGym Hounslow crew gathered for some energetic warm-ups to get the blood pumping before heading into the twilight. Headlight season is officially upon us!

Warmed up and raring to go we headed down to Staveley Road where we met up with Michelle and Alanna. Last night's mission was to support Wild Chiswick, a fantastic local charity dedicated to increasing awareness of local wildlife, conducting vital citizen science, and creating robust urban habitats. This includes building hedgehog highways to managing a dedicated wildlife allotment plot - and this is where we working last night to help it get ready for winter.

With tools in hand, the team split up to tackle a variety of tasks across the plot:

• The Artichoke Excavators: Steph and Maxime took on the Jerusalem artichoke beds. They dug deep and found absolutely loads of bulbs which will be planted in spring
• The Weeding Wizard: David took charge of the first bed, meticulously weeding it until it was completely clear and ready for its next phase
• The Hedgerow Heroes: Jon and Michelle tackled the (currently mini) hedgerows, weeding between them to ensure they grow back stronger
• The Allium Avengers: Alanna and Gus teamed up to chop down the alliums and dig out the dead matter, tidying up the debris to keep the patch healthy

With the tasks successfully completed, we switched our headlamps to high beam and headed back to base. The return run offered plenty of interest, including a stop to admire a charming local attraction—a tiny diorama nestled right at the Chiswick traffic lights! We chatted along the way, discussing the old philosophical paradox: why bad news is actually good news. GoodGym sessions are nothing if not varied!

It is never too early to get into the festive spirit. Next week, we are escaping the autumn chill and heading indoors for a lovely seasonal task. We will be helping out and getting everything ready for Christmas at the beautiful Chiswick House and Gardens. Don't miss out on the indoor festive fun—go ahead and sign up for next week's session here!