A Night of Heroes, Horticulture & Happy Endings at Doddington!

Last night was a special one as we celebrated a big achievement: Paul completed his 400th Good Deed! To mark this milestone for a real-life hero, we had a well-deserved stash of chocolate heroes to fuel our efforts and congratulate Paul on his unwavering dedication.

Our session took us down to the Doddington Community Garden, a vibrant green hub that always benefits the community. We tackled a variety of tasks, including:

Battling the bindweed - an ongoing effort to remove this persistent weed to give the raspberries a chance to flourish. Clearing areas for trees- Annabel and Paul got busy ensuring the ash and apple have the space and light they need Transporting hay and tiles - a true team effort, moving (heavy) items around the garden. Removing dead leaves and sweeping up - Pritesh, Sophie and Jason got rid of all those yellow leaves cluttering up the place

It wasalso great to admire the onions we planted some time ago, now flourishing – a testament to the long-term impact of our GoodGym efforts!

After a productive gardening session, we headed downstairs for a competitive fitness session which saw Sophie and Dave crowned tricep dip royalty!

The run back to base took an unexpected turn as we became embroiled in a missing dog drama. Thankfully, Catherine and Jordan stepped in swiftly and contacted the council, providing crucial assistance. We were all delighted to find out later that evening that the dog was successfully reunited with its owner! A truly happy ending to what was already a very productive night.

A huge well done to everyone, especially to Paul on his amazing 400th good deed!

Join us for our next mission this Saturday: moving mulch! Your help would be greatly appreciated. You can sign up here

On a blustery, rainy bank holiday six GGers fulled by coffee and bananas ran down to Bramford community garden to plant a goji berry bush, do a massive litter pick and do battle with an ailing raised bed. Several brackets and rusty screws later we think we emerged victorious but time will tell - we'll check in with the bed and its curious robin next visit!

What a brilliant Monday night we had in Wandsworth – full of energy, effort and excellent exercise!

Sophie led the session superbly from start to finish and, excitingly, is soon to become Wandsworth’s newest fitness leader – a huge congratulations is in order! We can all agree she did a fantastic job, keeping us motivated and moving all evening.

We kicked things off with a fun warm-up where we shared our favourite sporting moments – everything from iconic football goals to Olympic heroics and epic tennis battles. Inspired and limbered up, we set off for the beautiful Paradise Community Garden where we met more GoodGymers ready to get stuck in.

The task for the night was centred around the orchard – we worked together to clear the area around the trees and topped them with manure to help them thrive. Paradise Garden is a vital green space in the heart of Wandsworth, offering a place for locals to connect with nature, grow food, and enjoy some peace – and it was fantastic to contribute to its upkeep. We’ve already heard back from the lead gardener who said we did a fantastic job – great work team!

After our task, Sophie wasn’t finished with us just yet – she put us through our paces with 45 seconds of challenging exercises. Think squat jumps, lunges, jacks with a twist, and the intriguing “marionette move” (a new favourite!). It was tough but satisfying, and a perfect way to round off the evening.

Coming up:

• This Saturday: We've got a huge mission at Doddington – an amazing opportunity to do something good for the community and enjoy a little Saturday social afterwards. We'd love to see you there!

• Next Monday is Bank Holiday so we’re switching things up with a lunchtime run – perfect if you fancy a dose of feel-good activity before your afternoon plans.

See you soon for more good deeds and good vibes!

With a last minute task cancellation last night we had to pivot quickly but that didn't dampen our enthusiasm in the slightest! Maybe that was because it was our fitness leader Catherine's birthday so we were feeling festive (and energised by the prospect of cake) or maybe it was that spring was in the air, or perhaps it was just those Monday GoodGym good vibes!

We kicked off with a warm up and a quick round up of what we'd be wishing for if we were blowing out the candles. From new houses, to more dogs in the world, to be able to fly, to fewer candles on the cake - our dreams are certainly varied!

We set off on our run to Bramford Gardens, a community green space run by a volunteer, Shah. Unfortunately when we arrived we found that a contractor had been in and pulled up a load of carefully thought out plants. We needed to jump into action to tidy up the place as best we could - and fast.

We divided up into teams. There was plenty to do - collecting and transporting pallets, litter picking, strengthening the raised beds which had been knocked down, scrubbing graffiti and picking out that sticky weed - which seems to get everywhere!

After a good stint we were done, and moved onto party game themed fitness. There was freeze tag and a plank waterfall, with just one team emerging victorious, although it was a close run thing.

After a run back it was time for stretches and cake - lots of cake! Next week it's Easter Monday so there will no group run - but don't worry it wil be scheduled for later in the week. There is plenty to look forward to, including this mission to beautify a nature reserve and a task to dig lots of holes in Southfields!

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!