Last night's session might have been low on mileage, but it was super high on impact!

We had planned to do a plog and litter pick in the local area. I had done a pre session run to check out the places most affected by rubbish which involved a route of a few kilometers. But even the best laid plans are subject to change, as we soon found out after stopping for our first pick.

After a five minute run we found that the situation was worse than we thought, and the area was crammed full of discarded bottles, wrappers, cig packs and vape cartridges. Not only is this an environmental hazard but it is not pleasant for local people and wildlife. So after some local insider knowledge from Annabel and Dave (who were also the winners of last night's quiz question of the week, correctly identifying how many London boroughs there are), there was a quick pitstop at the library to pick up recycling bags, before we got to work with our litter pickers.

We did our best to clear the area, carefully sorting out what was recyclable and what was not and dividing it up into bags. However, after a spot inspection by Sophie, who helpfully works in sustainability, it turns out some of us (me) needed to be more picky with pickers! We also discussed how frustrating it is that every borough has different recycling parameters, and whether or not litter pickers themselves could be recycled.

After moving onto another polluted spot and collecting several bags absolutely brimming with rubbish, we realised that time was ticking on and we didn't have time for our fitness session. A win for the environment, a fail for my time management skills.

We still had the run back to base, but it soon emerged that the final challenge was tearing Sophie away from the remaining litter. 'Just one more can...ok, maybe more than one..' Great work everybody! Next week, double fitness, I promise.

We're off to give our GG garden a good going over, plus a bit of extra weeding at Omnibus next week. Hope to see you there!

What an eeriesistable time we had in Wandsworth last night for our special Halloween run and our monthly pub quiz afterwards...

One by one we turned up at the BAC, a vampire in GoodGym red, several caped ghouls, an elegant bat and even the Grim Reaper made an appearance.

Our warm up was of course spooktacularly themed, with everybody doing different moves when I shouted pumpkin, witch, bat or Halloween. There were definitely a few double takes on our run down to Doddington Garden, with our capes blowing behind us and Dylan brandishing his scythe as we went.

We launched into our task with real spirit, pulling up grass at this amazing community garden and laying down cardboard boxes so that they can efficiently use the space to grow fruit and veg. Hopefully this time next year there will be a brand new pumpkin patch growing in the area! The garden is a much loved place for residents who don't have access to a garden themselves, and welcomes everybody in the area to grow their own plants there.

Job done, we had time to squeeze in a tricky and a bit treaty fitness session, where two team competed against each other to win as many bits of paper as they could by completing the exercise written on it. As always, competitive levels were high, but there was also some great form as everybody knocked out frogs, planks and press ups - just nobody mention the (shh) cheating! As a reward we handed round some chocolates - bone appetit, all...

Running straight from the task to the pub, we settled ourselves in for a fiendish pub quiz, with both teams coming in with some very respectable scores. Fangs for a fun evening everybody!

Next week we're off to lend a hand a residents' association, sign up here for more Monday doing good and getting fit.

Our job for our Monday group session last night was one that didn't come without its own challenges - a dearth of tools, drizzly conditions and more than a little bit of mud - but it was one that promises to bring great joy in a few short months!

First we had the pleasure of welcoming Christine and Hannah to their very first GoodGym session, and to give Andrew a big shout out as we didn't have a chance last week. Really great to have you all join us!

After a quick warm up where we discussed our favourite meal (brunch and breakfast were the clear winners), we headed down to the Falcon Estate in Battersea to meet Senia, who heads up a local community group. The organisation had several hundreds bulbs donated to them in a bid to make the space as welcoming to local people as possible, to curb antisocial behaviour and create more biodiversity. It was our job to get them in the ground - and deep enough that the little squirrel shaped thieves couldn't get their paws on them.

We were raring to go, but our first hurdle was that there weren't quite enough tools to go around. So while half the group got stuck into planting, the other half went off with Senia to find the elusive palm tree somewhere on the estate and give it a good prune.

The planting team soon got into a good rhythm and were joined not long after by the others. This batch of bulbs are sure to be a blooming success as we had the benefit of the expertise of a soil scientist uncovering several worms who were making a quick(ish) getaway from our trowels and forks.

Great job everybody - we'll take a run down there in Spring to admire the fruits of our labours! If that wasn't enough work, we took a short jog over to the local park to take on a Every Minute On the Minute fitness session. This involved trying to fit in a certain number of reps of different exercises every minute and finished with a brutal squat thrust or squat challenge. Brilliant effort from everyone.

Next week we have our monthly run to Doddington, this time with a spooky theme followed by our pub quiz social.

We also have a junior parkrun takeover coming up, plus a special women's safety night run https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/women-only-night-safety-run - I'd love to see loads of you there!

Last night set a new benchmark in the history of GG Wandsworth. Yes, for the very first time our Monday group run featured...no run! But if you weren't there and are reading this thinking something must have gone dramatically wrong, then fear not. It was the first opportunity we had to use our time and energy to volunteer at the place that has been our starting point for the past seven years - the beautiful BAC.

The community gardens outside the BAC right where we do our warm up every week are managed by Permablitz, an organisation which aims to develop community gardens which are sustainable, edible, and wildlife-friendly according to a permaculture design.

We were met by Susannah, who had ready a whole raft of tools and other resources for us to use, which felt like a real treat! The main objective was to create a usable walkway alongside the garden so it is safe and accessible for all users.

We immediately got started pulling out weeds, sweeping away debris and cutting back the hedges. We were joined by a regular volunteer, Lionel, who uses a mobility scooter. It just showed how important it was the area was cleared as the other side of the garden is used by large vehicles needing to load equipment into the BAC hall.

We admired the beautiful plants that had been grown there as we worked, and were delighted to hear Susannah say that when we we are there we are welcome to help ourselves - what a reward!

After a good stint the area was transformed Lionel did a lap to check it was all clear. Given the thumbs up, we downed tools. But there was no way we were going to get away with no workout all together! Accompanied by a pumping soundtrack, we took on two tough rounds of high intensity tabata.

Great work everybody. We're back to our normal running schedule next week as we take on the challenge of planting hundreds of bulbs ready for Spring.

We also have been asked to help with a junior parkrun takeover, please sign out here to help out with this great event!.