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!

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!

Last night we were back at Balham Nursery following the amazing work the team did last Monday – and this time it was all about painting!

After a warm up and a Eurovision-themed quiz question (where the team impressively remembered all five UK Eurovision winners: Sandie Shaw, Lulu, Brotherhood of Man, Bucks Fizz and Katrina and the Waves), we headed off on our run to the nursery.

Natasha, the headteacher, was ready and waiting for us with a perfectly prepped painting area, so it was straight into action grabbing brushes and rollers. Within minutes the place was already looking brighter and fresher. A few of the team also tackled the windows, giving them a much-needed wash down and making an immediate difference.

Natasha was absolutely delighted with the transformation and told us we had saved the nursery a “small fortune” – a good reminder of the impact a Monday night GoodGym session can have.

With the painting complete and the rollers downed, we headed over to Clapham Common via the “scenic route” for fitness. And by fitness, we were staring down the barrel of a FIVE MINUTE plank challenge. Yes. Five whole minutes.

The variations included military planks, diamond planks, side planks, reverse planks, shoulder taps and plank jumps. Who knew there were so many ways to suffer in a horizontal plank position?

Very impressively everybody managed the full five minutes. What an incredible effort.

Next week we’ve got a special lunchtime Bank Holiday session helping clean up a pétanque court at Larkhall Park – come along! We'll follow with coffee/ice cream (delete as appropriate depending on bank holiday weather...) You can sign up here

The weather cheered up just in time for Goodgym Wandsworth to assemble! Brilliant to see so many friendly faces. We checked in on Eurovision plans and tested our knowledge of the most successful nations (Ireland and Sweden joint top in terms of previous wins for those who missed it).

We were off to help at a local nursery today with some fantastic jobs lined up. An empty sandpit awaited which was swiftly filled at record speed with fifty fresh bags ready for the kids to enjoy tomorrow. Elsewhere there was some energetic hosing and scrubbing from Jordan and Ali to ensure the cover looked as fresh as the pit itself. The rest of the team got stuck into freshening up some planters with cardboard bases, twigs and then compost. Bags galore and all ready for the children to do some planting.

The team were so quick that they even fitted in a quick spot of weeding out the front to finish the session. It was back to Clapham common for some exercises spelling out Balham (spot a very happy Felix doing his high knees!) and making the most of the glorious light evenings. We even spotted a pony being walked. When in Clapham! Well done all and hope to see you soon.

A big Monday night in Wandsworth after a huge weekend in London! There was still a buzz in the air after incredible atmosphere at the London Marathon on Sunday—crowds out in force, sunshine, four world records and thousands of inspiring performances. If it got you thinking 'maybe next year', why not go for it? You can enter the ballot here: https://www.tcslondonmarathon.com/enter/how-to-enter/ballot

Massive congratulations to GG OG Jack who smashed it on Sunday—what a legend 💥

*Mission alert *

We’re looking for a helping hand tonight to transport food from Streatham Hill to Clapham Common. If you’re around and can lend your legs (or wheels), we’d love your help! Sign up here

*Last night’s run *

We headed down to the Scout Hall in Battersea to get stuck into a pre-election spruce-up. With voting day around the corner, the place needed to be looking its best—and we delivered.

Jobs included:

• Mopping floors
• Hoovering throughout
• Deep-cleaning the kitchens
• Wiping windows
• Weeding outside areas
• General tidying and making everything shine

Everyone pitched in and we got through the list in no time, so it was on to the fitness part of the evening! We headed outside for a session focused on stability, conditioning, and strength. There was lots of controlled movements, core work, and a bit of coordination—all while keeping an eye out for reversing buses.

At that was left was a run back to base for stretches before heading to the pub to celebrate marathon triumphs 🏅, recent weddings 💍, the return of familiar faces 🙌 and the exciting challenges ahead (both land and water based).

We’ve got two brilliant weekend missions on the horizon—the perfect start to the weekend. Fancy cleaning up and clearing out a greenhouse at a local nursery school? or making a petanque court accessible for everybody?? Course you do! Hope to see you there 👏