If only the skies had been as blue as the paint job we did last night!

We started off the evening dry as a bone, and even though the gathering clouds were ominous, we were looking forward to an inside task. There may have been a little bit of disappointment for some in the air after the football the night before but we were cheered up with a flying visit from a friend - great to have you back for a session Jack!

The theme of the evening was positivity (especially given the prospect of our margs and margs social later on that evening), so after our warm up we each told the group something that gives us a little lift. Answers included sugar, gin, ringing a friend, yoga, coffee and entering a race - which I think is a very good range!

We set off for the ROSE clubroom, a space which is the home to lots of important resources for local people, including free workshops, classes and meals, a community engagement group, local clean ups sessions and events for children.

When we arrived we found the place already set up and ready to go, and we were delighted to see that rather than refreshing white walls with more white paint as we usually do, we had a major colour transformation ahead of us. Grabbing our brushes, masking tape and rollers, we set about changing the colour scheme from a browny purple to a fabulous bright blue!

During the course of the evening there was plenty of Changing Rooms v 30 Minute Makeover chat, remembering Smiley Carol and all the transformations that didn't quite go to plan! Luckily the new colour at the community centre was universally approved of, and we managed to successfully get the first coat on relatively quickly. We were on a roll(er)! We'll be back in a couple of weeks to do the other sections of wall.

We were just having our group photo taken and finishing up the last of the clearing up when the skies darkened even more and there came the sound of thunder rumbling. The next thing we knew the heavens had opened. We stood under cover for a few minutes discussing what to do, but it was showing no signs of stopping. There was nothing for it but to bite the bullet and head into the storm. The rain spurred us on to a nice fast run back to base and we were back in record time. Or perhaps it was the prospect of margarita pizzas and cocktails at a local bar? Who knows!

Next week we're back at a local community garden which is being reopened to the public after being shut since lockdown. It would be great to see you there!

We've also started weekly Sunday morning sessions helping out with the junior parkrun in Battersea Park. It's a really great event helping get young people active, so if you'd like to join in the fun then please sign up here.

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!

A group of GoodGymers met at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham to check in on the garden we look after at this lovely community theatre. Lots of veg had sprouted, with the rhubarb and tomatoes (admittedly both fruit!) doing particularly well. We did a lot of weeding, gave everything a thorough water and planted some rubber beans and wildflowers. All in an evenings work!