It was our monthly trip back to Doddington last night. This former multistorey car park has been transformed into a thriving community garden, providing a valuable growing space for local people who might not otherwise have access to a garden of their own. We also had some very special reasons to celebrate: a huge congratulations to Jason on his 100th Good Deed! 🎉 And a very happy 30th birthday to Annabel! 🎂

We kicked things off with a warm-up and the evening's quiz question: how many dimples are there on a golf ball? There was some doubt over the answer, but I'll leave you to decide whether to trust the quizmaster…

We arrived to find a whole host of jobs waiting for us: clearing mallow and teasels, laying down cardboard and mulch, shifting mulch into the raised beds and transporting soil. Before too long everyone was busy getting stuck in. 💪🌱

There was also an added incentive for the evening: whoever collected the most teasels would win the famous Tromboncino!

But what exactly is a Tromboncino? This wonderfully weird looking vegetable is a variety of butternut squash which is used like a courgette — and if you leave it to mature, it can grow into a long, curved, trombone-shaped fruit of up to around a metre!

Once we'd done our bit at the garden, it was time to head down to the square for some fitness. This week's challenge was 130-themed: working in pairs, we had to complete a series of exercises which cumulatively added up to 130. Plenty of counting, plenty of reps and plenty of teamwork. Congratulations to Katie and Catherine, who completed the challenge first! 🏆

Then, of course, it was time for cake and the grand presentation of the Tromboncino. After her impressive teasel-gathering efforts, the prize went to Annabel — who immediately demonstrated the true versatility of this magnificent vegetable by wearing it as a rather beautiful neckpiece at the pub quiz. 🥒✨

A brilliant evening of community gardening, celebrations, questionable golf-ball trivia, fitness, cake and vegetable couture.

Huge congratulations again to Jason for this huge milestone - 100 good deeds shows massive commitment, energy and effort which has had an unquantifiable positive impact.

Next week... We're off to Balham Nursery to help with some jobs. You can sign up here

Last night, GoodGym Wandsworth divided and conquered with two missions, helping spread the word for two fantastic local organisations: Balham Nursery and the Battersea Youth Summer Scheme.

We split into two teams before heading off in different directions. Steph, Felix, Beth and Jordan headed to Balham Nursery, where they were welcomed by packs of flyers, carefully marked maps... and the sweetest surprise of the evening. The children had made us some adorable handmade thank-you cards to show their appreciation for our efforts. They put a smile on everyone's faces before the team set off to deliver the flyers around the local area.

Meanwhile, Pritesh, Matthew, Kate and Catherine made their way to Caius House to collect the envelopes we'd stuffed at a previous session for the Battersea Youth Summer Scheme.

It turns out a stack of envelopes is a lot heavier than it looks! After a bit of quick maths to divide the load evenly, everyone grabbed a bundle and headed off on their delivery routes.

There was time for a pit stop: a team photo alongside a very fancy car (see photo!). Then it was back to the task in hand, delivering every last envelope.

With both missions complete, everyone ran back to reunite at BAC, where we wrapped up another evening of positive impact.

Great work, team! 🎉

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!

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!