Last night we celebrated nine glorious years of GoodGym Wandsworth – and we did it in classic GG style: with a run, a task at our own GG garden, a lot of laughs and even more potatoes.

We kicked things off with a warm-up and a guess at just how many good deeds have we racked up over the years. The answer? A huge 10,772. That’s a phenomenal amount of digging, weeding, painting, planting and moments of kindness.

We set off to the Omnibus Theatre, where we’ve been cultivating a garden space over the past year. This isn’t just any community garden — it’s one where the produce goes straight to charities supporting families facing food insecurity. With summer in full swing, everything had sprung up— and that includes the weeds! We rolled up our sleeves for a big clear-out. But amidst the weeds were some real treasures. The black gooseberries, figs, beans and chard were all looking lush and leafy, but the highlight was a huge haul of homegrown potatoes – check out the photos to see just what we have produced.

We then dashed over to the road for our traditional birthday fitness session, where last night everything was decided by the roll of a dice. There were squats, sprints and side planks as we battled it out. Even after nine years, the GG Wandsworth competitive spirit is strong– and we never miss a chance to make burpees "fun".

Celebrating what we’ve achieved together in nine years was pretty special. From community clean-ups to massive missions, planting gardens to growing friendships – it’s been a super fun ride powered by the energy and generosity every GoodGymer who’s ever pulled on that red tshirt.

To round off the evening, we returned to the theatre for our party which included double amazing cake courtesy of the legendary Jordan and Catherine, an amazing quiz crafted by ace Quizmaster Paul and of course a toast to the next nine years of doing good and getting fit together. Thanks to everyone who came, ran, weeded, rolled, quizzed, caked and celebrated. Here's to many more miles...

Happy Birthday, GoodGym Wandsworth! ❤️🥔

We're lucky enough to have some beautiful spots to work in during our GoodGym tasks - think Paradise cooperative garden, Doddington roof garden, the panoramic terrace at St Joseph's school and so many more. Last night most certainly fit into that category as we ran down to the oldest church in Battersea - St Mary's. This historic place by the river was where Turner painted some of his iconic images of the Thames, and the area outside is a popular spot used by local people to enjoy. The space is cared for by volunteers, who asked us to come and help make it as welcoming and safe as possible.

We arrived to find not only tools, but all sorts of snacks and drinks waiting for us - we could get used to this! But first - the jobs. We divided up into teams to tackle various tasks. These included weeding, raking, litter picking and sweeping. Grabbing what we needed we scattered across the churchyard.

Paul, Pritesh, Caroline and Catherine were in charge of making sure the area in front of the church was neat and tidy - with the help of the world's largest broom. Meanwhile Katie and Annabel were tackling the weeds alongside the building and searching for a sign of the grass seeds that had been planted 50 years ago - any day now. Jo, Jordan and Steph covered plenty of ground collecting all the dried leaves and grass, and Johnnie, Jordan, Sophie and Ali were waging war on the cig butts and other litter messing up the place and polluting our waterways. Great work everybody!

There was just time to enjoy some Haribo and a photo opp before we went round the corner to do our fitness session on some of the greenest, bounciest grass in Wandsworth. There were burpees, there was balancing, there were some yoga moves and there were some very smoooth transitions. Impressive moves, team!

The big news is that next week we have our birthday themed task and social - please come along to celebrate, to do some good and to mark an amazing nine years of GG Wandsworth. I'd love to see you there

Check out our community missions page if you'd like to help with the Battersea Summer Scheme every day this week. There are plenty of ways to help support this event for disadvantaged kids in the area.

Not even the threat of torrential rain (and the reality of it later on in the evening!) could put off a compact team of GoodGymers eager to put their energy to good use last night.

A special welcome to Johnnie who braved the weather for his very first session, and earned himself some impressively muddy hands as a badge of honour. Great to have you join us Johnnie (and not only because of your gardening expertise!)

We had brought our usual monthly trip to Doddington forward by a couple of weeks because our task owner Malissa is going to be away, but also because our 9th birthday celebration falls on our regular day. Make sure you join us for plenty of fun, doing good, and birthday themed fitness.

So with the clouds rumbling overhead we ran down to the garden and got straight to work. Jobs included thinning out the borders, digging holes and planting donated shrubs, and waging an ongoing war on a tough root ball (which we eventually won). Thank goodness we managed to get out off making those jammy snail traps!

Towards the end of the task we were forced under cover as the heavens opened, but it just gave us a chance to admire the beautiful plants and produce all around us grown by local people. From fat figs, to climbing squash, stunning lilies to fruiting apple trees, the place was thriving.

The rain was showing little sign of stopping, so we decided to bite the bullet and finish the task. Great job everybody!

Instead of fitness in the square, we broke up the run back with different stations, all focused on the glutes. The targeted workouts aimed at giving us buns of steel, and also earned us a few bemused looks from the passing drivers! We finished off with a hill sprint and stretches before heading back to dry off. Nice work on a very soggy evening! Next week we'll be back in the sunshine at beautiful St Mary's - hope to see you there!

Last night saw us heading back to a firm GoodGym favourite – St Mary's Primary School – for another rewarding evening of digging, running, and even a bit of sliding.

We kicked things off with a warm-up and a chat about our favourite school trips. From Paris to the Isle of Wight and even the sensory delights of Eden Camp – complete with the authentic sounds, sights, and smells of WWII – there were plenty of nostalgic stories to share before we set off.

The run to St Mary's was breezy, and the reward at the end was worth it: a stunning rooftop terrace view over Battersea and beyond. Lucky kids!

Before getting stuck in, we took a moment to admire an area we’d previously cleared, now flourishing as a climate garden. All that hard work shifting compost on a dark winter's night was worth it!

This time, our mission was to tackle a massive raised bed in preparation for a new wetland wildlife area. Tools in hand, we set to work digging, bagging, raking and generally making light work of a heavy job. The transformation was soon complete!

And then… the moment we’d all been waiting for: The Slide. A mixed bag of dismounts, but credit where it’s due – former pro gymnast Jason delivered a textbook landing. Gold stars all round.

We wrapped things up with a quick fitness session – think running drills, high fives, and arm burners – before heading off on the return run.

Next week we’re onto a brand new task at a local nursery, helping to create an exciting garden space for the under-fives. Sign up here!

We kicked our big task off last night with a warm up and a debate about the best breakfast. From leftover pizza to avo on toast, fritters got a mention and the classic eggs – any which way – got the most votes. With that settled, we set off for our ongoing garden transformation project.

The big news was that we received a grant from the NHS to put towards the garden! 🎉 Thanks to this support, we’ve been able to take the space to the next level. Check out the before and after photos from when we first started at the garden.

At the weekend Jordan and I went on a garden shopping spree, coming back loaded with plants, tools, and an ambitious planting plan. The aim for the garden is to grow fresh produce to donate to local communities living with food insecurity so we wanted to get as much in the ground as possible.

On arrival, we got stuck straight in. There was a lot to plant – from herbs and flowers to a new pear tree, courgettes, chard, peppers, and tomatoes. The potatoes were looking especially healthy, the gooseberry tree had started to fruit, and the fig was looking fabulous. Unfortunately so were the weeds, so they were the first to come out.

After a good stint digging, planting, watering and sowing, we popped across to the square opposite for a our workout – mixing cardio with strength-building conditioning.

We finished up back at Omnibus for a good stretch and a lovely post-session social.

This Saturday we have a great mission helping to marshall at West London Queer Project’s 10km walk. It’s going to be a fun day out supporting a great cause – come along if you can! We also have a new weekly task on Thursdays during the day helping people with Parkinson's get active starting from next week.

Next Monday we're back for our regular visit to Doddington community garden - see you there!