Former GoodGym Brent Area Activator/Trainer; former GG Race Team Chairman & Treasurer; GG Run Leader. Used to do socials.
0 Month Streak
10 Month Streak
Sessions listed
Sessions led
Sessions backmarked
Walks led
Sessions photographed
Reports written
Block or report Pritesh Mistry
Mon 13th Oct at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
Last night we visited a very special place in the middle of Battersea Park to help support a local legend!
Battersea Park's peace pagoda is an iconic part of London's riverside, and was constructed in 1984 by a group of volunteers, including The Reverend Gyoro Nagase. It is a symbol of peace and unity and a spiritual place for many. Today the Reverend is the sole caretaker of the pagoda, and lives in a small building nearby.
It is a lot of work for one person, so we were asked to come and lend a hand. It's a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of the small temple and to be part of this amazing part of Battersea history!
So after meeting for a warm up and to take a guess at which were the least known European capitals (according to Pointless it is Podgorica, Ljubljana and Bratislava!) we ran down to Battersea Park. Our first stop was the Thrive herb garden where we grabbed tools then split up into two groups.
The first party stayed at the garden to free some tiles from the brambles that had grown over them. These weren't just any tiles though - they were tiles that had been blessed by the Reverend Buddhist monk so they can be used to fix the Pagoda. This definitely means that Chris, Becca, Felix and Pritesh are forever more a part of Battersea history!
Meanwhile the rest of the group headed off to the small house and temple a short walk away to help clear the garden there. We were greeted by The Reverend Gyoro Nagase himself, and got straight on with the main jobs. Tasks included cutting a walkway in the hedge for the Reverend to get access to the back of the garden, and collecting up the masses of leaves that had collected and were making getting around the space tricky.
It was an amazing spot to work in, right by the famous fountains, and in the middle of a very quiet, very dark Battersea Park. It almost felt like we had the place to ourselves until we emerged from the area and back into the main carriageway which was buzzing with other running groups and cyclists.
We reunited to find that the tile group had done a very efficient job, and packed everything away. Join us next week as we head over to the scout hall for a tidy up! Dib, dib, do good and get fit!
Mon 13th Oct at 6:30pm
Discover something amazing in the middle of Battersea Park
Read moreMon 22nd Sep at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
We had a last minute change of task last night, but that didn't stop us throwing ourselves into the jobs at Bramford community garden last night - well done everybody!
We started off by cheering Paul's 10km race at the weekend and then moved on to our warm up, where we worked on our hip extensions just like the pros at the World Champs last week!
Before we set off we went round the group to see who were morning larks or night owls. It turns out we are a healthy mix of both, but one thing we could all agree on was that it was time to head down to our task for the evening.
Weaving round the busy streets of Clapham we got down to Bramford gardens where Sha, the lead volunteer who keeps the space flourishing, was waiting with instructions.
While Kamil and Chris set up straight away to remove a stray chair and start collecting all the litter strewn in the area known as the circle, the rest of the team got busy removing all the mallow from the raised beds. With the hot weather and the rain, this particular plant had gone crazy, threatening to take over the space.
It was Felix and Jo who perfected the root removal system, but everybody worked hard getting as much out as possible and the beds were soon looking much clearer.
We used the run home to knock out several glute based stations, before finishing with stretches. Great session everyone! Next week we're back to the GG garden for our rescheduled task, so sign up here for another evening of fun and fitness!
Mon 22nd Sep at 6:30pm
Help the growing space thrive
Read moreMon 1st Sep at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
It was so great to be back at Doddington Garden again after a few weeks away, and even in that time the garden has sprung up. Tucked away on a rooftop in Battersea, it is an oasis of green that we visit regularly to do lots of different tasks.A much-loved community garden it brings people together and produces some delicious fruit and veg.
It was a bit of a soggy evening, but a happy crew of GoodGymers were delighted to welcome Larisa, Annie and Renee to their first group run. Great to have you join us despite the drizzle!
Once we got there, we got stuck into all sorts of tasks, including getting new plants in the ground, sweeping up leaves to keep paths clear and create mulch, plus shifting compost bags to tidy up the space.
Great to see the garden flourish as the seasons change– and this time we were rewarded with freshly-picked plums straight from the tree. It was a perfect energy boost for the fitness session ahead!
The hard work didn’t stop at gardening - downstairs it was time for a seven-station upper-body blast – press-ups, dips, and a whole mix of arm-burners had us testing our biceps, triceps and traps. We just had time for a run back and some stretches to round off the evening.
Next week, Catherine will be leading the session with plenty of fun, doing good, and getting active guaranteed
Brilliant effort tonight, team!
Mon 1st Sep at 6:30pm
Come and join us for a great session in a thriving community space
Read moreMon 18th Aug at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
It was brilliant to see everybody for not one but two tasks last night. We set off with a quick round-up of news: the first ever donation from our GoodGym garden to Wandsworth Age UK – a large bag of home-grown potatoes, gratefully received and reportedly delicious. Great to see some familiar faces back for a visit, our lovely regulars, and a special shout out for Kamil too, who notched up his first parkrun at the weekend.
With that, we limbered up and shared predictions for the evening’s challenge: how many panes of glass we would manage to wash at Omnibus Theatre, a charity that brings the arts to the local community. Numbers ranged from optimistic to ambitious – and one person got very close to the final tally (more on that later).
After a zippy 2km run, we arrived to find buckets and cloths neatly lined up, ready and waiting. The group split into two squads: one to tackle the great glass clean-up, the other to give the GoodGym garden a bit of TLC.
The garden team were soon picking ripe tomatoes, and uncovering tiny treasures – like the brand new peppers that have just appeared. Meanwhile, the window crew got stuck straight in, leaving the panes sparkling in their wake.
By the end, we reunited to compare notes and count up the evening’s total: a grand total of 60 windows were washed, guessed most accurately by Rob!
There was still time for a tough but effective lower-body blast in the square before running back and then heading off to the pub, where we split forces again – this time across quiz tables and finishing 2nd and 6th. Great result!
Don't miss next week's Bank Holiday special: a lunchtime task! Sign up here
Loading...