Monday 6th July
Written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
After Sunday's football excitement, we were a slightly smaller crew than usual. Could it be a coincidence? Whatever the reason, spirits were high and there was plenty of energy where it counted.
Before we set off, it was quiz question time and this week it was a clean sweep: everyone knew that Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time. It was far too easy for the brains of GG - be warned, next week's question is going to be a lot trickier! We headed down to Doddington for our monthly visit to this fantastic community rooftop garden . It's an incredible local space, not just for growing fruit, veg and flowers, but for bringing neighbours together, sharing skills and creating a green oasis in the middle of the estate. Exactly the kind of place GoodGym loves to support.
A big Wandsworth welcome goes to Michael, who joined us for his very first GoodGym session! It was brilliant to have you with us—and little did we know we'd also recruited an absolute quiz ringer for later in the evening. More on that shortly...
Once we arrived, Malissa showed us to our patch for the evening. Our mission, simple but satisfyingly tough, was to pull up invasive mallow (and a healthy collection of other weeds) before turning over the soil so it would be ready for future planting. Half an hour of digging, pulling and turning later, we'd made a big difference. Along the way, conversation covered a wonderfully eclectic range of topics including all things green, killer cows, and the importance of getting a good night's sleep (particularly if you're Felix!)
With the gardening complete, we moved over to a (semi) green space for a fitness session. This week's theme was unusual planks. There were diamond planks, walking planks, bear planks, commando planks, pull-through planks and side planks.
Then came the decision between stretching at base or straight to the pub quiz - where we're delighted to report that we finished first! The winnings will be going straight into the pot for our 10th birthday celebrations on 10th August. Keep an eye out over the coming week for more details—it's the big one.
Next week we'll be splitting into two groups to spread the word about Balham Nursery and the Battersea Youth Scheme helping two brilliant local organisations reach even more people.
See you there!
Wednesday 1st July
Written by Zaeem
Had a nice little chat with Miss A, did her grocery shop and dropped it off promptly.
Monday 29th June
Written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
With temperatures back in the runnable zone we gathered for our warm-up, and it was brilliant to see so many people choosing to kick off their week by making a positive impact in the community.
We headed over to Caius House, home to Battersea's Youth, Community and Children's Services. This youth club is a real community hub, supporting local families and young people through activities, advice and opportunities that help people thrive.
Our mission for the evening was to stuff as many envelopes as humanly possible. Inside each envelope was information about Battersea's Youth Summer Scheme, which offers local children and young people the chance to take part in fun, engaging activities over the school holidays. The program gives opportunities to learn new skills, stay active, make friends and enjoy experiences while supporting families during the long break.
We quickly developed a highly efficient production line sorting the letters, leaflets, envelopes and before long we were absolutely flying through the piles. There was some distinctly sketchy maths from me along the way, but one thing was clear: the team was emptying whole boxes at an impressive rate.
Fortunately, several people whose mathematical abilities far exceed mine did the proper calculations and worked out that we'd stuffed more than 3,800 letters by the end of the task. An incredible effort that will help spread the word to many families across the area.
Our reward? Fitness! We discovered a tiny but perfectly formed outdoor park and squeezed in a workout based around two levels of effort for every exercise. Think lunges followed by power lunges, planks graduating into plank shoulder taps. Everyone threw themselves into it with loads of energy. Thanks to everyone who came along and helped make such a tangible difference in just one evening.
Next week we're heading back to Doddington for our monthly task, followed by a well-earned pub quiz. All welcome! Hope to see you there!
Saturday 27th June
Written by Stephanie Stevenson
Five GoodGymmers (along with some other volunteers) took secateurs to brambles in various outdoor areas around this community hub. We got loads done in 90 mins. The organisers were thrilled with how much we managed to clear - making room for a heat pump they are getting through a grant, and making the space much more accessible.
Monday 22nd June
Written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
With temperatures on the brink of soaring, a welcome breeze kept conditions comfortable as the GoodGym Wandsworth crew gathered for another Monday night run.
After meeting up for a warm-up, we were delighted to welcome Robyn for a very first GoodGym session. Great to have you with us, Robyn!
Before setting off, it was time for the Quiz Question of the Week: Which country holds the record for the highest peak temperature ever recorded? A tricky one this week, but the answer was Kuwait, where temperatures have reached a blistering 54°C. A bit like the Victoria line this week...
Our destination was Balham Nursery School, where a long list of jobs awaited us. This state nursery plays a vital role in providing early years education and support for local children and families, making it a fantastic community asset where we love to help out.
On arrival we found Annabel already hard at work so we followed her example and quickly split into teams.
Robyn, Chris, Hazel and Matthew rgot busy tackling the gardening and weeding. Meanwhile, Adam and Felix took on the tree trimming, with Caroline bagging up the cuttings as they worked. Over on bunting duty, Pritesh, Beth and Jack were tasked with decorating for the nursery's upcoming open day and party. Faced with a breezy evening, they came up with the ingenious solution of tying spoons to the ends of the strings to stop them flying away. So simple, so effective, soGoodGym.
It was hard work - but the result?
And then came the reward. We were introduced to the nursery's newly hatched ducklings. Tiny, fluffy, chirpy balls of yellow cuteness that had only recently entered the world. It just goes to show that no two GoodGym tasks are ever quite the same.
We've got a mission coming up this weekend in Southfields, and next Monday we'll be helping to spread the word about the Battersea Children's Centre scheme by stuffing envelopes. Hope you can make it!
Monday 15th June
Written by Soph Stern
It was a first time for me, and a first time for Mrs H on Monday evening. I set out to Tooting for my first ever mission which involved clearing and tidying Mrs H's garden. Mrs H had heard about GoodGym through her local church and was very happy to receive some assistance.
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