It was freezing, it was wet, it was dark - and yet, in true GoodGym style, a brilliant crew gathered to run, graft and contribute to the community.

Despite our lucky charm being present, which usually guarantees dry conditions, the weather did not comply. So after a bit of persuasion we stepped out of the Town Hall for a brisk warm-up and then set off through the rain towards one of our regular tasks — a local school we know and love. We’ve been there plenty of times before, but this visit came with a well timed upgrade. For once, we were allowed inside.

Well… almost all of us.

Two absolute heroes remained outside to shovel woodchip in the rain — proving that some people are simply built different. Gus and Steph, take a (soggy) bow!

Inside, it was all hands on rollers and sandpaper. There were lots of different jobs to do, including

• Painting skirting boards in a sophisticated 'mushroom' shade
• Rolling walls like pros
• Sanding, prepping and testing knee joints
• Loo transformation by Alan and Lucy

There’s something deeply satisfying about a new paint job, it really makes a difference. An epic collective effort and Caretaker Claire was over the moon. The school needed to look tidy and properly cared for ahead of an upcoming Ofsted visit, and thanks to a high-energy GG visit in damp trainers, its now fresh, smart, and inspection-ready.

Meanwhile, in a herculean effort, Steph and Gus had managed to shovel the entirety of the woodchip into the wood so the kids can use the area again when they're back from half term. So impressive - next stop Barkley marathon?

Task complete, tools down, photo snapped — it was back out into the rain. We splashed our way back through the streets of Hounslow, earning ourselves the warmth that comes from a good deed well done (and the pub).

Massive kudos to everyone. Next week it's a visit to Comboni spiritual centre with Michelle, who I know will bring the sunshine!

It was looking a bit touch and go for our session yesterday, and the day before our regular group run was to happen there was still a worrying lack of sign ups. Would we be able to go ahead? Out went the weekly email with a last minute appeal - and in came a GG hero in the shape of David!

We met during a momentary reprieve from the rain and ran a pacy 3km down to the Abbey Centre. Normally our job there is in the small community garden, but as we had recently brought a big group down, we had been asked this time to give the woodwork a good clean.

The Abbey centre is an amazing community hub near Victoria which offers a range of resources to local people. From hot food to legal advice, language classes to community choirs, it's a real lifeline.

Our task for the evening was to wash down the woodwork - over four floors of it! Undeterred, and armed with cleaning supplies, we hit the floor and began scrubbing. Discussing all things literary, the world of property and how running is the new socialising, we worked hard for almost half an hour. Our knee joints well and truly challenged, we could finally enjoy the fruits of our labour - sparkling (almost) white skirting and doors! Hopefully seeing the building being cared for will make local people know that they are welcome.

Next week there is a great session handing out clothing and blankets to rough sleepers. This is one task that really makes a difference.

We had a flipping great time in Wandsworth last night as we enjoyed pancake day, birthdays - and a whole lot of positive impact!

There was lots of good news to share, including these two upcoming missions:

• at a local nature reserve on Saturday where you will be creating safe access, building 'dead hedges' and log pile habitats which provides refuge for important wildlife species such as hedgehogs

• and prepping or delivering food on Sunday so that our most vulnerable people get a hot meal

Not only was it almost pancake day and a sweet social to look forward to, but it was also Jo's birthday - so there was plenty to celebrate. After our warm we each guessed how many pancakes are eaten across the UK today, with Ali's guess coming closest to the whopping 117 million total!

We set off for our task at Larkhall Park where after a bit of confusion about our meeting spot we met Theresa with tools and instructions. Our job for the evening was to weed an area so it can be planted up with hundreds of new plants, and to clear the troublesome bamboo - which was more stubborn than we anticipated.

After half an hour of solid effort we had made a big difference, and we just had time to squeeze in fitness session based on isometric holds to improve our strength and stability.

A quick run back to base and it was pancake time! Great work everybody. Sophie will be leading you in a session at the GoodGym garden next week, so why not sign up to start the week off right!