It was a lovely start to a Saturday down in Wandsworth. A few of us breezed through Parkrun and met the wider group for a quick refreshment and then a whistle stop tour of the garden. It’s really starting to bloom nicely and we are close to harvesting some of the fruits (& veggies) of our labour. Everyone got stuck in weeding and watering to get it into the best condition. We were able to pick some cooking apples from the tree which the community theatre were pleased to accept and even got our first handful of potatoes which was very exciting! Jordan had stocked us up with broccoli and leeks which we excitedly planted while checking out the great progress of our tomatoes, figs and kale. Great work Wandsworth - we may run in red but we definitely have some green fingers!

We kicked off yesterday's group run with some good news, which is always nice! There was a big round of applause for Paul, who, by completing a whopping 17 good deeds last month left him at number 7 on the GoodGym wide leaderboard. Amazing! If you're going to buy a lottery ticket anytime soon then make sure you take Annabel as the luck is with her - great news that she has got a place in next year's London Marathon on her first ballot attempt! We're with you every step of the way.

Given the huge amount of sport being played at the moment what with the Euros and Wimbledon going on at the same time, we did our warm up and then took it in turns to name a sports venue - the more obscure the better! Options ranged from the classics such as Lords to The R. Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka - so safe to say we had quite a range!

We set off for our run down to Doddington Roof Garden for our monthly session there, meeting with Jason who was already getting the lowdown on what needed to be done from Malissa. The jobs were watering, cutting back ivy and hanging mirrors, building a bug habitat and tearing up cardboard to lay as a base in the raised beds.

We divided up in to teams and quickly got to work. We were just working out how to hang the mirrors to make a reflective wall when the whole garden was filled with gales of laughter from the hose area - I'm not sure what happened but there were quite a few damp red tshirts and maybe even one or two guilty expressions?!

Jobs done, a few of the group headed for the pub to secure the tables for the quiz, while others ran over to a green space to do a floor based strength and stability session. It may not have been quite the ideal spot as we were treated to enthusiastic encouragement from a nearby dog, but Chris took the positives, noting how good the wildlife diversity was on the ground there, and a bet between Leanne and Paul saw Leanne earning herself a pint!

Great job everybody! Next week we're back to the Doddington estate to move a whole load of donated wood to a community centre. Hope to see you there! happing GGing everybody.

We had one big challenge last night, as a community space which has been locked since before the pandemic has finally got the green light to be opened up again. Luckily we had a group of GGers willing to brave the impending rain, and we also got to welcome two new faces to the group. Give a big cheer to Jasmin and Isabel, who came along to their first session. Great to meet you!

After a warm up, we took the short run down to Doddington to check out the state of the space we were were to be working on that evening. We had helped local residents work hard to clear the garden in 2019 and open the area again for community use. Unfortunately it wasn't able to happen and has since become overgrown with vegetation. The outdoor furniture and play space have become dilapidated and dangerous.

A voluntary organisation, s.labs, is leading a project to bring this space back into community use this summer - and asked us to be involved! s.labs' mission is to deliver more social and sustainable spaces for everyday communities to thrive. They believe in spatial justice, but have a lot of work ahead of them to make the space usable again. Lydia, who volunteers for S.labs and is also a local resident, asked us to come down and tackle the first steps.

So without wasting any time we got started on the first job - litter picking. It didn't take long to collect several dozen bags full to the brim with trash, so we then moved on to sweeping away debris, pulling up weeds and cutting back brambles.

It was pretty amazing to see the big change that can happen in just an hour with so many pairs of eager hands and a playlist to keep us motivated! It's going to be really exciting to see the changes that are going to happen over the next few months - watch this space...

On the way back to base we stopped for four different fitness stations, each working on a different area. First it was planks for core, followed by wall sits for quads and glutes, then the finishers - toe taps for balance and cardio and the final hill sprint for strength and endurance! We were even treated to a beautiful rainbow at the end of the run as our reward.

Incredible effort from everybody! There are a few things to shout about coming up and I'd love to see you there. This Saturday morning we have a nice little mission helping to tame a small community garden. We also have our regular session helping deliver food for vulnerable people on Sunday. Next weekend we will be doing Clapham parkrun together - running or volunteering - followed by a coffee and optional task at the GG garden. Whether its helping local organisations, running or socializing, there is something for everybody coming up!

With bright blue skies and a nice big group of us, we were all set for our monthly trip down to Doddington roof garden last night. We kicked off the night with strides. This exercise is 20 or so seconds of running, growing incrementally faster, and are a great warm-up to help get the blood flowing to your legs and your heart rate elevated. Wee did four sets of these, with some of the group opting to increase the intensity by including a bit of hill - great effort!

We took a nice steady run down to the garden, which is a huge space run entirely by volunteers for the benefit of local people, so there was no time to lose! Malissa met us at the bottom of the stairs, giving us our first job of bringing up some heavy tiles for use in the garden. We then took a whistlestop tour round the space, with tasks being given out as we passed the relevant spot.

There was loads to do, but the main job was getting the raised beds built up with top soil and compost so that vegetables could be grown. There are big plans to increase the produce, which will include carrots, brassica, potatoes, tomatoes and so much more, all to feed the community.

The place was soon a hive of activity, sped along by the discovery of a lightening quick way to crack into compost bags. No more fiddling with trowels and keys trying to break into the sacks!

The beds were filled, cardboard laid, compost shifted, and we even learned about a new planting process called the Milwaukee method. Every time we come we learn more and our fingers get just that little greener!

There was just time to shift that infamous marble table a few inches before we waved goodbye and headed downstairs for a fitness session that focused on glutes. That's right, it was all about that bass last night! We did sets of exercises focused on the major muscle group, which will not only help our form when running but prevent injury. Mixing it up between time based drills and reps, we gave those glutes and good work out.

It was also the monthly quiz last night - well done to our elite quizzing team!

Next week we have an earlier task at lunchtime helping a community association to empty and restock a storage cupboard. Hope to see you there.

We also have a really impactful mission coming up on 11th May to create a therapy garden at a nearby hospital for patients in rehab.You can find all the details and sign up here] (https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/support-a-therapeutic-gardening-initiative-for-the-rehab-ward-courtyard-at-springfield-hospital).

Have a happy week, GoodGym!

We packed so much into such a short amount of time that I'm not sure how we're still standing today! Don't believe me? Read on for a run down on our brilliant Monday night at GoodGym Wandsworth...

First we met and welcomed Chris to his very first session - brilliant to have you join us Chris, and we definitely appreciate your green-fingered expertise!

We said a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jordan, who got given the task of choosing the weekly question after our warm up. As it was Earth Day he went for a plant based one, and we all chose our favourite flower.

Then we had our run up to Paradise Cooperative garden, a beautiful space for local people to grow and for educational programs for children. We divided up into two teams - one to tackle the turning of the compost, and one to saw up wood into pieces that could be used on the bonfire.

There is zero wastage at Paradise, so the wood was going to be used for community bonfires and the compost, which was rich with all sorts of beasties, was destined to be spread on the flower and veg beds.

Jobs done, we then popped over to the common to take on the three minute plank challenge, before racing to a local restaurant to make our reservation for 2 for 1 burgers!

To finish off a very busy but very joyful night we were treated to the most magnificent three layer cake with incredibly special icing courtesy of super baker Catherine, and some squidgely fabulous brownies from Sophie who had also tracked down the burger deal and booked for us. Team work truly does make the dream work!

Next week we're back at Doddington roof garden followed by our monthly pub quiz. See you there. And another very happy birthday to Jordan (and Paul and Catherine for recent celebrations too!).