Area Activator for Wandsworth and Hounslow. All things running. For fitness, fun, racing and to feel good - and for everybody!
67 Month Streak
108 Month Streak








































Block or report Anastasia Hancock
Wandsworth
📍Battersea Arts Centre SW11 5TN
Come and join us for a great session in a thriving community space

Wed 26th Nov at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
At GoodGym Hounslow we're practically experts at planting bulbs now! The team kicked off the season by putting in daffs at Chiswick House, last week we were brightening up the High Rd with tulips and last night we were back at Harvard Hill to plant 300 narcissus bulbs. By next week, when we go to Gunnersbury tube to help Abundance get yet more bulbs in the ground we'll be a finely tuned planting machine!
We met with one of the lead volunteers of Friends of Harvard Hill, who handed over the tools and bulbs and gave us instructions about where they all needed to go. Luckily the ground wasn't totally frozen, although it was certainly nippy conditions last night! It was great to meet our favourite project manager, Sybil the Cat, at the task. She kindly oversaw our work making sure our planting was paw purrfection.
After 40 minutes of hard graft, we had got to the bottom of the sack. There was just one more thing to do to ensure we didn't get too chilly - a lower body blast. We kicked off with pogos, moving on to curtesy lunges, jack lunges and squats before calling it a night. Job well done!
This Saturday we have a mission with Trees for Cities - you can find all the details and sign up here
Finally, a huge congratulations to Maxime who, last weekend made it to that magic milestone - 50 good deeds! What an achievement - great to see you in your black tshirt Maxime!
Tue 25th Nov at 6:30pm
Westminster Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
Every time we visit the amazing Abbey centre in Westminster it's brilliant to see all the activities going on in every room of the enormous space. From free legal clinics to Eastern European folk dancing for older people, the place offers an abundance of resources for local people.
The centre has recently been donated a load of flowers, including pansies and ferns, from the royal parks - for free! Our job was to get all the plants into their permanent homes in time for winter.
We grabbed trowels and had a brief discussion on colour schemes and artful plant-scaping before getting stuck in. It was very satisfying sliding the 40 or so plants out of their pots and into the planters and before we knew it the job was done.
We'll be back in January for our next session at the Abbey centre, don't miss out on the opportunity to support the community in central London.
Tue 25th Nov at 6:30pm
The Abbey Centre is a vibrant Westminster community centre supporting local communities to improve their quality of life
Read moreMon 24th Nov at 6:30pm
Westminster Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
One Monday night, two great runnings communities and three impactful tasks - what better way to kick off the week?
Last night we had the first - but definitely not the last - collab between the fabulous Monday Night Mood Booster run club and GoodGym. With so many smiles and plenty of good vibes right from the off, it was clear it was going to be a great match.
While here at GoodGym we get fit by doing good, the lovely people at the Monday Night Mood Booster run club start the week with an inclusive run around Hyde Park where people connect over a shared love of running. Join the MNMB crew every Monday and then make it a double header by coming along to GoodGym Westminster every Tuesday evening - you'll be buzzing until Friday!
We kicked off the night with some warm ups in a beautifully festive Hyde Park with MNMB's traditional celebration of the past week's achievement. Huge congratulations to Sophia for smashing a new sub one hour PB at the Nike 10km and to Steven and Simon for an amazing run at the New York marathon (complete with a photo job around the route and beers before the finish line - very impressive!).
With MNMB's run ambassadors leading the way, we ran down to St Andrew's youth club. This amazing community hub is the oldest of its kind in the world. It offers young people in the borough incredible experiences and resources, such as music, dancing, martial arts, healthy food classes, residential trips and access to the arts. It is run by Adrian, who greeted us - fresh from the House of Lords - to give us a run down of the three tasks he needed us to complete.
The first job was to tackle the very full garage, creating more space and keeping it organised for the kids. While this got underway, the second group were upstairs to take on the table challenge. Several extremely heavy tables had to be shifted and built which took not only muscle but some strategic thinking. There were some very impressive Ikea skills on display!
Meanwhile the third team were downstairs in the gym sorting out a cupboard brimming with sports gear, including some of the heaviest medicine balls we've ever seen (check out the photos to see who managed a very respectable strongman style lift!)
After 45 minutes of hard work the garage was neat and tidy, the tables were built and put away, and all the sports gear in the cupboard had been carefully organised. It was amazing to see just how much could be done with everybody working together. Great job everyone!
If that wasn't enough of a workout we just had time to take on a couple of challenges which tested our lower body and abs. First was the progressive squat hold minute before we finished with a core triathlon - it was great to see excellent form from everybody despite the groans!
Thanks so much for all the positivity, hard work and the fun and welcoming atmosphere. Special shout out the brilliant Charlie and Marcus for making it happen. It was great to team up and enjoy a Monday night full of good moods and good deeds!
Thanks to Simon for capturing photos of the night, you can check out the gallery here
Wed 26th Nov at 12:00pm
Wed 26th Nov at 6:30pm
Wed 19th Nov at 6:30pm
Hounslow Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
There was plenty of chat pre-task about whether we would be planting bulbs in the snow last night, but that didn't stop a group of be-thermalled GoodGymers turning up to help out with the second half of a big task last night. Just goes to show that GG Hounslow is made of sterner stuff!
So, after a much needed warm up at the town hall, we ran down to meet Abundance London for the second part of our mammoth task to plant thousands of bulbs on Chiswick High Rd. The plan is that the spring flowers will deter passers-by from throwing rubbish in the beds, to improve biodiversity next to a busy road, and to cheer up the place with a splash of colour!
Last week we had spent some time clearing away the leaves and doing a bit of weeding. Not only did this prep the area for planting but it made sure the pavement had fewer slip risks from the wet leaves. We grabbed our shovels and bulbs and started work.
There were established plants to get in, tulips, daffs and narcissus, and a limited period before we lost all feeling in our fingers. There was no time to lose!
With hundreds of bulbs to go in, and we dug and planted steadily. By the time we had finished, Karen from Abundance London said that we had saved them days of work! Well done everybody.
Don't forget about the session this Saturday at the Bend it like Beckham task and next week we're back at Harvard Hill - see you there!
Tue 18th Nov at 6:30pm
Westminster Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
With the temperatures dropping and snow on the way, it put into harsh reality of living with housing insecurity in central London. Luckily the amazing charity Under One Sky regularly heads out onto the streets to hand out hot food and drinks - and we were very happy to pick up food that would otherwise be wasted to help them in their mission.
Veronica and I met up at Hyde Park to run down to the Artisan Bakery, and were surprised to find out that it had shut a whole hour earlier than usual. However when we went round the corner to their sister store, they were kind enough to load us up with croissants, pastries and other treats.
Following the live location we had been sent (always a bit of a challenge!) we finally located the Under One Sky team who took the goodies and handed over bags for our next stop - Pret.
What we pick up always depend on what has been sold during the day, but last night we were truly in luck with masses of delicious looking food. What was particularly helpful was the stack of soups, stews and hot pastries they handed over. Thanks Pret!
Next week we're back at the amazing Abbey centre for another task that supports vulnerable people in central London.
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