Wast Not Want Not in Battersea is an amazing organisation which strives to save perfectly edible and nutritious food becoming waste and instead uses it to benefit our local community. They do this by collecting surplus food from nearby markets, especially at New Covent Garden Market, and save around 750-1000 kg of food every week from ending up in the bin.

They are having a major refurb at the moment, and plan to open up the zero waste hub again in March, so they need loads of help making sure its ready to go. That's where we come in! Our job for the evening was to help clear the shelves of glassware, pots and much more so that cupboards could be moved in to store items that needed to be locked away. The plan is that they will create a welcoming, efficient drop in centre for the community to use.

So, after a warm up and a discussion about whether sweet or savoury was better (and a side debate about the merits of chicken and maple waffles and sweet and salty popcorn!) we set off for the short run down to the charity.

We don't always know exactly what we'll be doing when we meet up with local legend Hadas, but we know we'll be kept busy! The first task was moving some very heavy kitchen equipment around the maze-like centre. Then we tackled our nemesis: the gazebo. We've had a bit of history with this particular structure, but last night I think we finally cracked it, figuring out how we can actually make it tall enough for humans to stand under!

Then came in the main jobs in question. Forming a human chain we got cracking moving everything off the shelves and setting up a triage station outside. Then the challenges came thick and fast. Balancing precarious trays of glass, shifting huge shelves over cabinets, avoiding falling over one another like a giant game of tetris. After a good stint we had managed to clear the area, pack up the items, create space and move the cupboards back into place. And all without one single las being broken. No mean feat! Well done to the super crew.

We just had time to do some optional fitness, which included 4 rounds focusing on cardio, arms, legs and abs. With four exercises per round we concluded with a tough abs finisher. Amazing work everybody!

Next week we have a session at the GoodGym garden, somewhere we haven't been in a little while so there will be plenty to do! Hope to see you there.

GoodGym is all about promoting an active lifestyle, embracing new skills, making a positive impact on local communities and building new friendships. It turns out that aligns with many of the pillars of local Brownie group, the 19th Battersea Brownies. Unfortunately the organisation has seen a drop off in new members since the lockdowns, and they asked us if we could help get the word out about the fantastic opportunities they offer. With many similar values we were only too happy to help, so 11 of us met at the BAC for our Monday mission.

Temperatures were seriously low, so we wasted no time warming up our muscles. After a few minutes of heart pumping exercises we took a moment to banish the bad vibes of Blue Monday by going round the group telling the others what cheers us up when we're a bit down. Chocolate and cheese featured highly, as did chats with friends and family, and meeting new dogs!

After a brisk run down to the Katherine Low Settlement we were greeted by the happy sight of lots of little Brownies who came out to meet us holding loads of leaflets, posters and some beautiful thank you cards which they had made themselves. What a lovely gesture - have a look at the photos to see their creations!

We divided up into groups to cover as much of the local area as we could, and quickly started putting as many leaflets through letterboxes as we possibly could. Before long we had delivered the whole pile. If you know of any little ones who could benefit from joining the Brownies then drop them a message on 19thbatterseabrownies@gmail.com to register.

We just had time for a brief but intense fitness session which involved short, sharp bursts of exercises such as toe taps, high knees and power squats, before retreating into the warm for a pub quiz. Questions throughout the night included where is that draft coming from, where have the beetroots disappeared to, and what on earth links Simon Pegg to tipping? We didn't make the podium this time but a great time was had by all! Well done teams.

Next week we're off to Waste Not Want Not to help with various jobs, and if you're looking for a way to get involved this weekend there is also a mission on Saturday helping to shift willow branches. Until then, keep warm!

After an afternoon of pretty consistent snow and temperatures dropping below zero, I wasn't necessarily expecting a massive group ready for an outside task in challenging conditions for our first run of the year. But as I turned the corner to our meeting point at the BAC, there they were - a group of happy faces, red tshirts and even some bare knees, like a beacon of positivity in the dark!

It was great to see everybody again after the break, and lovely to welcome some new faces, including Frances to her very first session.

After a warm up we went round the group talking about who had made New Year's resolutions, who hadn't, and who doesn't believe in them one bit! It was great to hear that some involved doing more volunteering or getting more active - you've certainly got off to the right start!

We took a nice steady run down to the Doddington community garden, just about avoiding the big rat that had met a bit of a sticky end on the way, and arrived as the snow started up again. Malissa was there with a list of jobs, and we quickly got moving shifting cardboard boxes, pulling up grass, clearing area, clipping up old shrubs and shifting compost.

Malissa was really pleased with everything we got done. There was just one big task left - moving a huge, incredibly heavy, marble-topped unit. We discussed at length and from every angle how it could happen, plotted potential routes and tried to come up with a hack. Eventually we had to admit defeat - for now. We won't be beaten! We're back on the first Monday of every month to contribute our time and energy to this much loved community space, so let's see what we can work out next time (when hopefully we won't have to contend with an impending blizzard!).

With temperatures dropping even further and with icy fingers and toes to contend with, we decided to forgo our usual fitness session in favour of a speedy run back to base. There is loads of good stuff coming up to look forward to, starting with a pub quiz and social next Monday immediately after the group run, when we will be delivering leaflets to encourage girls to join the local brownie and guide group.

On Saturday there is a mission to hep out at Wandsworth allotments that could do with a few more pairs of helping hands. Keep an eye out for all the future missions, such as this one to help cut and move willow branches by the river side.

Well done on kicking off 2024 in a positive, active way that supports the community- what could be better! Looking forward to seeing what the next month holds - and don't forget every good deed you do and every mile you run contributes to GG Wandsworth's progress with the January challenge!