What a night in Wandsworth! We celebrated ten years and Felix's 50th good deed with an amazing cake courtesy of Catherine, a job which included creating a new water installation, Steph's brilliant quiz, a chaotic GG task themed relay and the mysterious case of the disappearing tongs...

It all started with our warm up and we revisited our very first 'co-run-drum' - how many bricks are there in the Battersea Power Station building. Well done to Annabel who nailed it with her guess!

We look a warm run down to the garden where we were met by the brilliant Malissa who set us to work. Jason and Emily's team got stuck into creating a new water featuring with a very green bath, while Steph led a group pulling up mallow. Meanwhile everybody else was working to rake up hay and fill raised beds.

As we worked, there was some decorating going on and we were gifted with a lovely homemade rum punch, a bottle of martini and banana bread from the generous committee!

Job done, it was time to go downstairs and create beautiful chaos in the shape of the GG task relay - there was planting (sorting coloured balls into pots), watering (transporting sponges to see who could collect the most water - shout out to Jack who took the job so seriously that he could be found sponging up water from the pavement) and sorting recycling. Or there would have been, if the tongs hadn't mysteriously disappeared and reappeared again.

We moved on to a static hold quiz before a final competition to see who could create the best '10' as a group. The independent judges vote was unanimous, and Team A emerged victorious, bagging themselves a box of chocolates. Excellent work!

After all that, it was party time. There was a table groaning with food, there was the most amazing cake, there were fabulous gifts (thank you all so so much!), there was a quiz where we all learned something and there were speeches...

Ten years ago we went from the BAC to the Katherine Lowe settlement to give it a good clean. None of us could have known what was to come. A decade later we have achieved over 11 500 good deeds. That's over a thousand good deeds a year. All done by you. And that's before we even count the bonds we've made. Because not only have we helped support our community, we've done races and parkruns together, we've won quizzes, we have built life long friendships, and there have even been some GG weddings and babies.

There have also been some very memorable tasks. ITen years ago we had our very first goodgym wandsworth run. We went from the BAC to the Katherine Lowe settlement to give it a good clean. None of us could have known what was to come. A decade later we have achieved over 11 500 good deeds. That's over a thousand good deeds a year. All done by you.

And that's before we even count the bonds we've made. Because not only have we helped support our community, we've done races and parkruns together, we've won quizzes, we have built life long friendships, and there have even been some GG weddings and babies.

There have also been some very memorable tasks. Who could forget the time we came to this very garden ahead of the jubilee celebrations and moved no less than five tons of compost? Or when a group got together to form a human chain and managed to clear an overcrowded house so that the resident could use some of their rooms for the first time in years. Or when we created a community garden from a bare patch of land and grew produce which we then donated to the hospice on clapham common.

When covid brought us to a standstill, we pivoted. Our group runs stopped, but that didn't mean we did. You started to do food deliveries to isolating people,some of whom didn't have contact with anybody else for months. You delivered shopping and medicines. You went to Wandsworth foodbank to sort through much needed donations. You were a lifeline.

Almost all of the tasks over the last ten years have had challenges in common. Usually a spectacular lack of resources. But that is where goodgym shines. No tools? No problem. You've used tiny kids plastic spades to shift tones of sand, you've had nothing but leaking buckets to wash mobility buses, shopping trolleys have been commandeered to move massive piles of woodchip. Using just muscle power and blind optimism we moved things that noone thought possible.

But whether you've walked away from these tasks covered in mud (or worse), streaked with paint, or completely soaked from a downpour one thing is always true - you always do it with good cheer and lots of laughs. We've also supported each other when things were tough. We are all here to support each other, we're more than just a volunteering group.

Our task owners that allow this all to happen - so many work tirelessly to make Wandsworth the beautiful place it is. I recently got some feedback from one of regular task owners, Natasha,who said:

" I couldn't think of a more deserving group of people. They have been instrumental to us on many levels. I am always thankful for how much work they do for us free of charge, from cleaning , gardening, painting, leafleting ... nothing is ever too much for them and they do it with such a joyous disposition - no matter what they are asked to help with.I can't sing them enough praises."

So to all of you that have pulled on a red shirt over the years, whether this is your first time, your 50th, or if you've earned those GG wings, you've made this happen. Here is to the next ten unforgettable years of GoodGym Wandsworth.

Paradise Gardens really was living up to it's name on Monday evening. As the sun cast a gorgeous golden glow over planters packed full of almost ready to harvest fruit and veg, the GoodGym team cracked on with the tasks. Jo and Jack distributed fresh wood chips along the paths between the veg beds, while Jason, Ali and Dave, armed with wheel barrows and pitch forks, got to work in the compost heap, transporting ready compost to the plants and turning the next batch (not an enviable task in this heat!) There was a very near fatality when Jason came close to skewering a toad, buy luckily Caroline spotted it just in time! Steph, Felix and Hazel and Jack grabbed brushes and painted the new toilet shed a demure shade of black... and we saw just how fast a completer-finisher (Hazel) really can paint when the timer is running! (She-didn't show no signs of stopping!) When the tasks were complete we packed up and trotted over to the Roundhouse pub to test out a new venue for our monthly pub quiz... The team won 3rd place, but did the pub win the prized spot of becoming our new regular? Let's see what September holds...

On another beautiful night in Wandsworth, we were delighted to welcome Becky & John to their first Goodgym session - lovely to have you join us! Before heading off, in the spirit of the commonwealth games, we discussed imaginary events we would like to have the chance to compete in - there was everything from a tiramisu eating contest to speed sudoku and even a spot of sword juggling!

We were back to the lovely Larkhall park and it was great to see it full of people enjoying their evening. We had a great fitness session with everyone contributing their favourite exercises and then we showed some love to the Pentanque court they are getting ready to use clearing weeds away. Great work Team Wandsworth!

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

We were greeted by Mrs J who showed us to her lovely little flat. We went over Laptop usage but ran out of team to cover all of her requests.

Last night, GoodGym Wandsworth divided and conquered with two missions, helping spread the word for two fantastic local organisations: Balham Nursery and the Battersea Youth Summer Scheme.

We split into two teams before heading off in different directions. Steph, Felix, Beth and Jordan headed to Balham Nursery, where they were welcomed by packs of flyers, carefully marked maps... and the sweetest surprise of the evening. The children had made us some adorable handmade thank-you cards to show their appreciation for our efforts. They put a smile on everyone's faces before the team set off to deliver the flyers around the local area.

Meanwhile, Pritesh, Matthew, Kate and Catherine made their way to Caius House to collect the envelopes we'd stuffed at a previous session for the Battersea Youth Summer Scheme.

It turns out a stack of envelopes is a lot heavier than it looks! After a bit of quick maths to divide the load evenly, everyone grabbed a bundle and headed off on their delivery routes.

There was time for a pit stop: a team photo alongside a very fancy car (see photo!). Then it was back to the task in hand, delivering every last envelope.

With both missions complete, everyone ran back to reunite at BAC, where we wrapped up another evening of positive impact.

Great work, team! 🎉