The temperature was dropping quickly last night but the energy levels were high for our first group run of 2026.

Maybe that was because we had a lovely warm inside task waiting for us at St Saviour's in Battersea? This church and community hub had asked us for a hand coming to take down the decorations we put up the year before, which nicely coincided with the freezing weather.

Or perhaps it was because we got to welcome Katharine and Rohan to their first session - great to meeting you, both!

It could have been the prospect of a great community mission helping a south London nursery create a space for under fives in the garden this Saturday. Jobs will include removing all old sand from the sandpit, putting in plants, sorting and cleaning the greenhouse and creating a seating area round the fire pit. This will be a fun task that will really make a difference!

I think it probably had a lot to do with the fact that we were coming together for another great year of GoodGyming, running and fun in Wandsworth. We started off with a warm up and pledged how many GoodGym good deeds we wanted to complete in January. Answers ranged from 3 to 125 - which I'm excited about seeing happen!

We enjoyed a nice downhill run to the task where we were met by Layton and Catherine who manage the space. After a few instructions we got started removing baubles from trees, shifting chairs, hoovering up pine needles and the mammoth job of unstringing all the lights around the vast space. Knowing what a tricky job it was unwinding the many metres of string lights when they had not been put away so carefully, Felix and Jordan (having put them up) were extra diligent in packing them away neatly. At the end of the year we'll thank our past selves for doing such a good job.

We got the task done quickly, with Catherine and Layton both commenting that it would have taken them hours. Great work everybody. There was time for a lovely toasty strength and conditioning session on the floor of the centre, and it was good to see that the spirit of insurrection against the weekly fitness session was still alive and kicking this year!

After a run back to the start, we did some stretches and even started making plans for GoodGym Wandsworth's 10th anniversary this year - summer '26 in Paris, anybody? Looking to the more immediate future, we have next week's session to get excited about. We'll be heading to Doddington community garden for our regular task followed by a pub quiz social.

It's been a busy old year at GoodGym Wandsworth and we have climbed to an extraordinary 11 071 good deeds!

We marked this amazing milestone with a night of even more doing good, a festive task, delicious baked treats and some amazing singing. Not only that but we were able to celebrate Ali's 30th birthday. What a way to see off the year...

During our warm up we discussed our favourite things to eat on Christmas day - we're looking forward to Christmas pud, yorkies, cauliflower cheese, risotto, pasta, smoked salmon and even...parsnips!

It was great to be going back to a task we hadn't visited in a while. Arriving at the Venue community centre we were met by Hadas and split into three groups. One team tackled the decorations, one had the job of packing away chairs and tables and the third got to grips with clearing the outside space.

It didn't take long for the place to be transformed. It had been looking a bit neglected but with all hands on the deck making space for a big local event and giving it a festive makeover it quickly became a community Christmas wonderland.

The final step was to switch on the lights, so after a countdown it was up to Ali to do the honours. Great work everybody - it doesn't take much to make a big difference.

We ran back to base for stretches, even managing a sprint up the big final hill and perhaps an even quicker sprint over to the pub for a night of sweet treats and plenty of karaoke. Turns out that GG Wandsworth has a lot of hidden talent in its midst - take a look at the photos to see the star turns in action!

There are missions happening over the Christmas period, including the opportunity to help out with a big community meal at the BAC on the day itself. Our first group run of the year will be on Monday 5th January - join us to kick off another amazing year of GoodGyming.

Have a great break everybody and thank you for a year that has been filled with unforgettable memories and a huge amount of doing good (and squats). Roll on 2026!

We spent a lovely morning getting into the Christmas spirit at St Saviour's! There was a lot to do to turn the church into a winter wonderland fit for their carol service but we set to work to pull off a Christmas miracle. Our group of elves set up (and untangled!) six sets of hanging lights, swept up eleven bags of leaves from outside, sorted and decorated two Christmas trees and made sure every surface was looking fabulous with cloths, nets and candles galore. Special shout out to Letizia who took on the task of brightening up the scaffolding and to Jordan and Felix for patiently stringing five hundred lights back and forth.

It will be a wonderful event for the community and will hopefully get everyone feeling festive. It was great to welcome Tom to his first festive group task and to see everyone else ahead of our last task of the year on Monday winding up another fantastic year of doing so much good!

A cracking crew of volunteers rolled into Unigate Woods armed with gloves, loppers, and the kind of optimism usually reserved for IKEA instructions, and got stuck into a proper woodland glow-up: bramble got a ruthless trim, dead trees were chopped down to size, and fly-tipping was given the boot (because nothing says “nature” like someone else’s mystery rubbish). There were scratches, sweats, and at least one “this branch is definitely winning” moment, but by the end we’d cleared paths, reclaimed space for actual plants to exist, and made the woods feel a whole lot more un-litter-gate and a lot less bramble-ramble. Turns out many hands really do make light work—especially when those hands are also hauling a soggy carpet out of a hedge.

Yesterday evening GoodGym Wandsworth gathered at Mary Magdalen Catholic Church to help Age UK Wandsworth spread a little festive joy at their annual carol concert. With doors opening to a bustling flow of guests, the team quickly swung into action.

Sharlie and Jessie braved the cold and guided people to the right door with warm smiles — and in Jessie’s case, a fantastically festive (and slightly ridiculous) gingerbread-man hat that brought instant cheer to everyone!

Inside the church, Ana and Alicia were on hand to support guests as they found their seats, helping people up the stairs and temporary access ramps.

Once the carols began, the festive spirit truly took hold. The whole team joined in the singing with impressive enthusiasm — proving that GoodGymmers are not only helpful but fully committed to the Christmas vibe. The audience were also treated to a wonderful performance by Unity Voices choir!

At the end of the service, Ali, Tracey, and Alicia helped to collect donations with charm and good humour, before guiding guests to the kitchen for festive refreshments. Everyone rolled up their sleeves to serve mince pies and mulled wine, making sure each guest felt looked after and welcome.

It was a lovely way to embrace the season of giving and it was especially great to welcome Alicia, Jessie and Sharlie to their first GoodGym task! Age UK’s service users left with full of Christmas spirt (and mince pies!) and the GoodGym team left glowing from a task well done!

On a wet Monday night in Wandsworth we bought the festive cheer, beginning with a warm up and a survey about Christmas films - do they make you ho ho ho or are they just about as fun as an over boiled brussel sprout? The grinches just lost out in the votes, and the verdict is in - Christmas movies are here to stay!

It was great to see some new faces along to our run - a huge welcome to Emma and Giulio who came along to their very first session. Give them a big festive cheer!

Our job for the evenings was at Larkhall park, a regular location for GoodGym visits. Every time we come we work hard on various spots throughout the park alongside the regular volunteers who help keep it a safe and welcoming green space for local people.

Last night we divided into two groups. The first team was to tackle the big bed at the entrance of the park, the second went off to help shift a massive pile of soil and to clear an area of leaves.

Before long it was action stations and everybody was hard at work. Jordan and Felix took on the massive soil shifting challenge, while Jason debuted his fabulous new invention - the spade light. Quick, somebody get it patented. It only took 40 minutes for us to make a big difference and the Friends of Larkhall Park group appreciated how much got done. Well done team!

The fun didn't stop there though - there was just enough time to squeeze in a circuits based fitness station in the playground. It featured squats, ladder runs, curtsy lunges and plenty of laughs.

Next week it's our final group run of 2026. I'm just finalising the task, so keep an eye out for the sign up page. We'll follow this with a social at a local pub - time to get those vocal chords warmed up!

There are plenty of opportunities to spread the Christmas joy this week, including:

• Helping collect donations and other jobs at Battersea's oldest church tonight. We really need a couple more volunteers for this - and you will be rewarded by celebrity speakers and mulled wine!

• Supporting a carol concert for the elderly on Thursday

• Putting up Christmas decorations at a church in Battersea on Saturday morning