Last night, 8intrepid GoodGymers gathered to take on a mammoth task at the Katherine Lowe Settlement (KLS). For those whose first visit to this Battersea institution, KLS is a truly wonderful community centre that provides support for older adults, refugees, young people and vulnerable communities in the area. Not only do they provide a warm, supportive environment, but they also offer vital social services and activities for local people so we were more than happy to help out!

KLS was having two floors redone, and they needed all the old flooring transported down to be picked up this morning. We knew it was going to be quite the session so after a warm-up (where we spent way too much time discussing whether we were motivated by the carrot or the stick – turns out, mos of us stick people, which we should probably look into a bit further!), we set off on a quick jog down to KLS.

As we arrived and were met by Tracy and Tony. The scale of the job soon became evident with Tony's first question, 'how strong are you feeling?', which gave us an inkling about what was ahead! We were working in a beautiful Victorian building, but those narrow stairs were definitely not designed for moving hundreds of planks of wood. Still, we are GoodGymers. And we fear no floor.

The plan was simple: Start at the top, and move planks down, all the way to the bottom.We were soon sweating, but there was a job to be done and we were going to do it no matter what. It was like a full-body workout, but after half an hour of intense work we managed it - after all, many hands make light work. We celebrated with a very artful group photo and headed out into the night.

The fun didn’t stop there. After all that lifting, we finished the night with even more fitness- a workout based on the classic game, I Have Never. We soon found out who has run more than 15km in one go, who has recently moved house and even who’ has broken the law. But there is a golden rule - what happens in GoodGym fitness stays in GoodGym fitness.

If you're free this weekend, Jordan will be leading a session on Saturday at the GoodGym Garden. You can find all the details here. Next week, I’m away, but Steph will be leading the session and you can find the info for that here

Great work, team! Another task well done, with plenty of laughs along the way. Until next time! 👏👏

Last night’s task marked our second week of transforming the Wandsworth Bereavement Services space, where we’ve been painting the walls to help create a more welcoming environment for those seeking support. With one week of solid progress behind us (and most of the tape neatly in place), we dove straight into the task. A huge welcome to Raquel and Anais, who joined us for their first session—hope you enjoyed the colourful experience!

As soon as we arrived, we split into teams, ready to tackle the task of turning the drab, beige walls into a calming masterpiece of blues. Over the course of the next 45 minutes, we worked our painting magic, transforming the rooms from dreary to dreamy. It was like a little paint-powered orchestra—everyone had their part to play, and together we created a soothing atmosphere for the service users.

The great news? TWO rooms were finished and, to our collective delight, all the paint stayed neatly within the lines! Success! Well, almost… Enter: The Mini Disaster™.

There was a slight hiccup when a tin of paint, perched precariously at the top of a stepladder, took a tragic tumble. In a moment of pure gravity-defying chaos, it exploded in a spectacular splash zone that could rival a Jackson Pollock masterpiece. But in true GoodGym style, panic wasn’t an option. We sprang into action, everyone shouting out solutions and working together to restore order to the chaotic scene.

From vinegar to scrubbing pads, suggestions poured in, but it was Annabel’s genius idea to call in the Rug Doctor that truly saved the day. Within 20 minutes, we had a rug-cleaning machine on-site, and the industrial-scale cleaning operation was in full swing. The rug doctor was a true hero, and we managed to clear up most of the the mess with the speed and precision of a well-oiled machine.

Apologies for the chaos towards the end, everyone! I promise next time we’ll return to our usual, smooth-running selves. And yes, we’ll be back to dry, paint-free floors next week—so rest assured, your beautiful running kits will remain safely free from splashes.

Great work, team! Until next week, when we’ll be back at it—this time helping a local charity with a lovely floor-lifting task. We also have a great community mission this weekend at a local nature reserve.

Stay colourful, GoodGym! 💙🎨

What a session! A big warm welcome to Hollie , who bravely joined us for her first ever GoodGym session and we also had the pleasure of welcoming Michael from Tower Hamlets, who joined us for his first group run in Wandsworth. Lovely to have you both with us.

We had a new task for the evening, one that was short in distance but big on impact. Wandsworth Bereavement Services provide invaluable support to people coping with grief, offering a compassionate space for those navigating difficult times through free counselling. With a paint job last done over 30 years ago, they asked for with some much-needed painting and decorating.

We jumped straight into the task with typical GG energy – tackling the rooms named August, Summer, and Winter. Armed with tape and rollers, we delved into the technical jargon of the painting world. Words like "cutting in" were casually thrown around as if we were all seasoned pros even if the techniques were slightly more mixed.

There was some debate over whether we were getting more paint on ourselves or the walls, but I think we all know the answer – it was a bit of both. By the end of the session, however, we could all agree that the rooms were looking much fresher, and progress had definitely been made.

Next week, we’ll be back to finish what we started and finish giving the place a great facelift for the service users. If you're in the mood for some more fun this Saturday, join Jason at Age UK Wandsworth where we'll be washing buses and tackling a few other bits and bobs. It’s a task that's definitely cleaner than painting. Fingers crossed.

Thanks again to everyone for your hard work and enthusiasm for a massive task, hope to see you all for the big finish next week!

We were a lovely big group last night, which was brilliant as we had a lot to celebrate!

We got to welcome G to GoodGym for the first time - great to have you join us! It was also lovely to have some visitors from Merton - hello Rachael and Jade, and welcome!

Perhaps the good turnout had something to do with our very own Catherine leading the session to become a fully fledged run leader? Catherine absolutely smashed it all, taking us seamlessly from warm up to stretches with a killer fitness session in between. Give her a big cheer!

It might have also had something to do with the double social night - we had not one, but two fantastic social options to choose from. It was our regular monthly pub quiz as usual, but as it was Shrove Tuesday there was also the choice of going for pancakes. What a decision!

We kicked off the night with some great warm ups, and the question of the week was suitably themed. What is your favourite pancake filling? Answers ranged from savoury to sweet, from the classic sugar and lemon to the more avant garde biscoff and nutella!

We set off for Doddington, where we met up with the rest of the team and set about doing various jobs. There is always loads to do at this community garden, which has been transformed from a derelict space on top of a multi story carpark to a thriving area which local residents use for growing food, educating children about nature and composting.

We were tasked with all sorts of jobs, from pruning to digging trenches, to cardboard laying and transporting strawberries, to dispatching a Christmas tree!

If that wasn't enough of a workout, little did we know Catherine had even more in store for us. A fiendishly inventive Shrove themed circuits challenge, complete with star jumps, high knees, repeater lunges, oblique crunches, vertical jumps and explosive squats. See what she did there?! The result was a great all over workout.

Then came the big decision of the night - quiz or pancakes? The majority came down on the seasonal side of things, and had a lovely time eating the sweet treats. Meanwhile a smaller group hit up the pub, and managed a place on the podium in second position! A good time was had by all.

There is lot of fun stuff coming up, including this international women's day run on Saturday - all welcome! Next weekend there is a lovely community mission to help spruce up an day care facility while Monday's group run is a painting job at Wandsworth bereavement services. Hope to see you there! And once again - congratulations to run super leader Catherine.