Anastasia Hancock

GoodGym Wandsworth

WandsworthMission
Zaeem

I’m raisin the bar with this one: shopping for groceries is just pear-fect when you find a good dill.

Wednesday 1st July

Written by Zaeem

Had a nice little chat with Miss A, did her grocery shop and dropped it off promptly.

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WandsworthGroup run
+10
Stephanie Stevenson
Jordan
Sophie Humphrey
Matthew Stuart
Anastasia Hancock
Pritesh Mistry

Having a first class post-itive impact

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!

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WandsworthCommunity mission
Felix
Letizia
Tracey Deal
Ali
Stephanie Stevenson

Chop chop - gardening in the sun

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.

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WandsworthGroup run
+5
Hazel Crosland
Annabel Richardson
Matthew Stuart
Anastasia Hancock
Pritesh Mistry

Without feather ado, we quacked on

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?

  • Beautifully tidy gardens
  • Freshly painted windows
  • Cheerful bunting ready for next week's open day and celebrations
  • Neatly trimmed trees creating a smart welcome outside the nursery

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!

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WandsworthMission
Soph Stern

First Timers!

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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WandsworthGroup run
+9
Ali
Stephanie Stevenson
Dave Clarke
Jordan
Sophie Humphrey
Matthew Stuart

Weed like a game of pétanque!

Monday 15th June

Written by Sophie Humphrey

It was back to Larkhall park tonight to continue to tackle the petanque court. It has sadly become overgrown and so it was us vs the weeds (and the ants it turned out!). A beautiful timelapse created by Jason shows just how hard the team worked to clear it out and help to get this space back in shape.

We did test our world cup knowledge before we went and ended up with some freestyle fitness. Good work Wandsworth!

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