Even without the light spring evening, the prospect of a pub quiz in our immediate future and exciting collabs to chat about, there was so much to celebrate last night!

Let's start with

• Katie's 100th good deed and Jason's 50th good deed! Absolutely spectacular GoodGyming from both of you, huge congratulations on the commitment, positivity and fun along the way

• welcoming Jennifer and Cheski to their very first GG session - give them a massive cheer! So great to have you join us

• The upcoming Friday Night Lights festival of running in Battersea park where if you sign up to volunteer either for the morning or the afternoon session you get free entry to the festival and entry to the fun social evening 5km. Vibez!

That's without even mentioning Annabel getting to the end of her epic marathon training and Ali smashing the Putney half. You've all been extremely busy bees.

But not too busy to throw yourselves into several tasks at Doddington Community Garden, a space which is used by local people for growing organic produce, educating kids and providing a safe green space for those who don't have access to one.

There was loads of watering to be done, cavolo nero to snip, leaves to clear and one huge path to dig and cover with cardboard. We soon got busy and the time flew by. There was just a few minutes left for a group photo before heading down to the square for a fitness session that worked on balance and agility for runners.

Luckily the chalk fairy had been down earlier to mark out a course on the pavement. We had a quick run through of the various challenges, including ladder runs and lateral jumps, and set off for our first round. The idea was that we would time it and then try and beat our first time. It took a bit of getting used to, but fast feet and cat-like balance skills were on form and the second time round our previous record was easily smashed. Well done team!

All that was left was stretches and a run to the pub where we very, very almost emerged victorious. Second place is pretty good! In the end, we were all winners when Catherine produced the most incredible lemon and poppyseed cake - her magical powers with cake never fail to make us happy.

Well done to everybody! Next week we're back at it, this time heading to Waste Not Want Not to help with jobs there. See you there!

It was our favourite Monday of the month last night, as we went for our regular visit to Doddington community roof garden, followed by the pub quiz! Only one thing could make it better - a new face joining our group. So imagine how happy we were to welcome Laura to her very first session! (and not least because she cracked the tricky anagram question in the aforementioned quiz...)

We started off the night with a balance based warm up and, giving we've just entered the spookiest month of the year, a poll about scary movies - yes or no? The answer was a pretty much unanimous no - obviously we're all too busy getting out there for runs and doing good!

We had a bit of a soggy run as we headed down to Doddington, a former derelict car park which has been transformed into a thriving community garden, but arrived ready to get cracking on various jobs.

Malissa explained that the main task for the evening was the rid the garden of various grasses, mallow, bindweed and salvia. After a quick run through of what exactly we were looking for we got stuck in, each tackling a different corner of the huge space.

Keeping in with the Halloween theme of the evening, we managed to dodge the many massive spiders as we watched over by the clowder of cats that have made the garden their home. We filled compost bins, pulled weeds and dug out soil until it was time for us to leave.

With the rain setting in we opted out of a fitness session and headed instead directly for the pub where we tested our grey matter. Out of a lucky 13 teams, I'm happy to report that the Bindweed Babes came a very respectable 5th and Jesmond Dene parkrunners finished in third! Great work everybody.

If you're looking for a fun and rewarding way to spend your Saturday, why not join the group at Unigate Nature Reserve in Streatham helping to clear the paths to make the area move accessible? It's a task that will make a big impact and will double up as a great workout too!

Next Monday we're back to waste Not Want Not to empty a room to make space for donations. Hope you can make it!

Last night, a group of eager GoodGymmers earned their community service badges by tidying up the outdoor area of a local scout hut. With the space being underused and overgrown, it was our job to make sure it was in tip-top shape!

Warming Up with Some Badges of Honor 🏅

Before we set off on our mission, we kicked things off with a lively warm-up. And to add some fun, we shared what our own personal scout badges would be – and lets just say, they were deliciously varied! From cheese eating to flapjack munching, it is clear that we have varied tastes and skill sets! Some of us had niche talents, like dog grooming, or the coveted town crier badge. Of course, we also had some practical talents in the mix – shout-out to those aiming for the Excel spreadsheet badge, a real hero in any modern taskforce. And let’s not forget the classic carrot crunching badge!

We gave a shout Out to Paul! 🎉, who was fresh off the back of the Vitality 10K on Sunday! Despite his race efforts, he still joined us to lend a helping hand. 🏃‍♂️👏

Let's Scout It Out 🏕️

Once our imaginary badges were awarded, we marched over to the scout hut, where we found the outdoor area in need of some TLC. Armed with loppers, gloves and bags we got straight to work. We cleared away litter and debris from the pathways, pulled up weeds, swept the area, making it safe for little people, and dispatched overhanging branches. With everyone working together, the transformation was remarkable. The outdoor space was soon scout-ready, ready for whatever adventures lie ahead for the small community heroes.

Mission Accomplished! 🎯

With the outdoor area looking better than ever, we wrapped up our session feeling pretty pleased with the change. Another mission completed, another good deed done. As always, it was great to chat, laugh, and get stuck into the task together. The scouts will now have a clean, safe outdoor space to enjoy – and we can all feel proud about that.

We had time to squeeze in a leg based workout before we headed back for stretches, with exercises including crab walks, squat/oblique crunch combo, pulsing lunges and more - making sure to dodge the buses at the same time.

Next Week: Our next Monday GoodGym adventure will take us onto the streets of Wandsworth in aid of Foodcycle, a charity which helps those struggling with food insecurity. Don't forget about our upcoming community mission at the GoodGym garden which we will double up with optional parkrun and coffee. There are plenty more badges to be earned!

Until next time, keep running, keep doing good, and keep dreaming of that cheese-eating badge! 🧀💪