Here's a draft in a GoodGym run report style:

Last night we headed back to St Mary's Church, the oldest church in Battersea and quite possibly the most beautiful too. Sitting right on the Thames, St Mary's is famous not only for its stunning riverside setting but also for its links to William Blake, who was married there in 1782, and to the artist Turner.

Before setting off, we got warmed up and kicked things off with a World Cup-themed question. Judging by how quickly everyone got it, it may have been slightly too easy. I'll think of something more challenging next time!

A huge congratulations also to Jack and Hazel, who smashed the Blenheim Triathlon at the weekend, racing alongside one of the famous Olympic Brownlee brothers. An amazing achievement.

We then set off, running through the beautiful Battersea Square, which felt like we were on holiday, before arriving at the church. We were greeted by a little and large dog duo featuring the vicar's Great Dane (or was that pony?).

Our task was to help the volunteer gardening team who work to keep the church grounds looking fantastic and welcoming. There was plenty to get stuck into: weeding along the church walls and around the perimeter, sweeping paths, strimming overgrown areas and raking up the results.

As we worked, the church bells rang out across the grounds, the Thames flowed beside us and a family of geese wandered past inspecting our efforts. It was one of those evenings that reminds you why outdoor tasks in summer are hard to beat. Especially when we were rewarded with so many snacks! Eventually prising Felix away from the strimmer and everybody else from the haribo, we headed back towards base, breaking up the run with a series of fitness stations. Single-leg squats, planks and tricep dips were all on the route, and there was also supposed to be one final exercise station, which I forgot and strangely nobody reminded me....

Thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a lovely evening. Next week we're off to rescue the pétanque court at Lark Hall Park. Hope you can make it!

Last night's task was a firm favourite as we returned to find Doddington community garden in full bloom and looking glorious. It's always rewarding to see how much the space changes through the seasons, and even more satisfying to know that the work we've put in over many visits has played a small part in helping it flourish.

It was also fantastic to welcome two new faces to GoodGym Wandsworth. A big hello to Katia and Adam – brilliant to have you along and we hope you enjoyed your first task with us!

Before setting off, it was time for our warm up and our controversial question of the week - which country invented the French fry? Adam and Veronica came up with the correct answer of Belgium, and we headed off towards the garden, where a few GGers were already there and well stuck into the raspberry canes.

Once everyone had arrived, we split into teams and tackled a whole range of jobs. There was soil to be transported up the stairs, which turned out to be quite the workout. Another group set about digging over a badly trampled flower bed (apparently the work of a visiting corporate group – we'll say no more!). Elsewhere, we were busy raking up swathes of yellow grass, composting, pruning and generally doing helpful tasks. We even put some found rubble to good use, stabilising a wonky orange planter and giving it a new lease of life. There was certainly no shortage of jobs to keep us occupied.

With the gardening complete and the tools packed away, we headed down to the square for our fitness session which quickly revealed itself to be a rather intense lower-body blast. Three levels of effort, 45 seconds at a time, and plenty of squats, lunges and pulses later, there were some well worked muscles all round.

After that it was time to choose your own adventure: back home for stretches or onwards to the pub quiz. At the time of writing, no reports of victory have come through on the wires, so the question remains: did GoodGym Wandsworth claim the pub quiz crown? We await news...

Next week we're heading to one of Battersea's most beautiful and oldest churches for another evening of doing good. We'd love to have you join us!

On the hottest day of the year so far, and with many people enjoying a relaxing Bank Holiday Monday, a hardy crew of GoodGymers headed to Lark Hall Park for a mission to rejuvenate a long-neglected pétanque court.

The aim is to bring the space back to life so that people of all ages in the community can once again enjoy using it. With temperatures soaring, we made sure to take things steadily: plenty of water, sun cream, and caps were the order of the day before we got stuck in.

We soon began clearing and restoring the court. Our efforts didn’t go unnoticed — passers-by stopped to ask what we were up to, and the local publican was so thankful that he kindly offered us free pints of lemonade when we were finished!

We took a much-needed ice cream break, giving everyone a chance to cool off but despite the heat, we managed to complete around a quarter of the work, with plenty more planned in the coming weeks — including another session this Saturday

After a hot run back and some stretches, we headed off to enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday feeling good about having done something positive for the local community.

Next week we’ll be back at Doddington, followed by our monthly pub quiz — 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