News news news! Read all about it!

So much lovely news this week. We kicked off by saying a huge well done to Emily and Tom who both smashed their first trail runs this weekend at the Maverick races. Great running! Well done to all that took on the challenge this weekend, and everybody that did a parkrun too.

A huge welcome to Vicky

Only two days to go to hit our January challenge target and we're only 15 good deeds short! So if you can make it out to another group run, mission or community mission before Thursday, we have got a chance of making it!

There is a great community mission going on this Sunday in Battersea Park, and you don't need to be DBS checked for it. Sign up here to help out with the mini marathon and spot the stars of the future!

Want to spend Early May Bank Holiday weekend doing something to challenge yourself? Chi is organising a weekend away at the Spartan Race where if you volunteer for one shift in exchange you will receive a FREE race pass - check it out here . He will also be putting on a series of fitness session to get you ready for it in advance - all welcome!

No cold shoulders here

It was super nippy last night, but with two tasks and two options of distance to choose from, we got stuck straight into our warm up (discussing nice things that happened to us at the weekend, highlights including discovering brussel sprout gratin, coffee in bed, spending time with family, eating and drinking all the beer) before dividing up into two teams.

Team Little Village opted for the longer run (6.5km in total) to Balham. After a nice run down there we spent the evening sorting donations for this amazing charity which provides clothes, toys, supplies and other useful things to families who need them. Little Village is like a foodbank, but for equipment for babies and children up to the age of 5, it's a movement committed to alleviating material poverty in London - find out more about this wonderful initiative here.

Meanwhile Team Two, led by Chi, ran down to Battersea to help out Anthony with his allotment. Anthony grows food for the residents in his sheltered housing, but struggles to look after the whole garden by himself. So after a good stint helping him out with digging, clearing and weeding Chi took the group into the warm residents' dining room to do what sounds like an intense workout featuring mountain climbers, side planks, tricep dips and planks! He's a tough taskmaster, but he gets results! Thanks Chi :)

Next week we have an exciting new task for an amazing charity, the Rainbow Trust, which supports very ill children. You have two options - runt he first half down to Putney and take public transport back (so bring your oyster cards with you!) or to complete the whole 10k (5k each way) but be prepared to be back a little later than normal. We'll make sure everybody sticks together on the run after this fun new (indoor!) task. Please do turn up on time for this run if you can because we'll be leaving at 7pm sharp so we can get there in good time. Sign up here for the details.

We kicked off last night's run with the excellent news that we are record breakers - with the largest number of good deeds done in GoodGym history last week. With an enormous 1621 runs to help out an elderly person or support a community project, the impact you are having is incredible. Keep it up GoodGym!

Speaking of huge numbers, the January challenge is going pretty well for Wandsworth, with an impressive 114 out of a goal of 220 good deeds done. We do need to work on the distance a bit though, as we've currently clocked up only 873 out of 3000 kilometres. I know you are running machines though, and every step counts, so lets make the rest of the month count!

Last night we welcomed three lovely new runners to the group - please give a big Wandsworth welcome to Jane, Sonja and Julie . Great to have you run with us!

If you do know anybody who is keen to find out about GoodGym but is a bit nervous about coming along or unsure about fitness levels then point them in this direction. I'm running a start session which is designed for new runners on saturday, but if you're up for a little extra weekend GoodGyming, then experienced GGers are also very welcome!

• A light bulb moment*

Last night our task was at a local estate, but before we set off we did a few exercises to get our hearts pumping and warm up our cold muscles while discussing our fav films. Gladiator came out top, while Lion King, Mary Poppins and, appropriately, Speed were also mentioned.

The task was only a short 2k run away so we set off at a steady clip, only pausing for a few lunges and squats along the way. We arrived to find Donna, the Chairperson of Kambala Cares, the organisation set up to support the local community there, waiting for us with spades, bulbs, brooms and bags, and we divided up into two groups to tackle the two jobs she had for us.

Naughty squirrels had been digging up the bulbs we had carefully planted a few weeks ago, so we got stuck in with a whole new lot of them. Meanwhile, 18 other industrious GGers got going with a thorough litter and junk clean up, filling up a huge number of bags. Nice work team!

After just over half an hour of work, we waved goodbye to Donna and Andrew and set off for the river to do an intense fitness session. In three different groups, we worked on cardio, conditioning and sprints, focussing on a technical point each time. This wasn't an easy session, but you guys smashed it - well done on the effort! By combining strength work with high energy sprints the session is really effective - do this regularly and you will definitely see an improvement in your speed!

All that was left was a fast run back to base - apologies I got you back a little later than normal last night! - but well done on a great session where we got so much done. Next week we've got a short run down to a local school to help create an outdoor learning space (and we'll be back on time!) . Sign up here for more GG Wandsworth fun - see you then!

With the penultimate run of the year and two tasks ahead of us, we were feeling decidedly Christmassy in Wandsworth last night !

We kicked off the night with a bumper news session...

If you're free on Friday and can sign up for this mission on Friday for the amazing Evolve housing charity, please do as soon as poss! The organisers need eight people for the mission to go ahead and will cancel it if they can't get that.

Next week is our last run of the year but we're back on the 7th January for our first run - perfect for shaking off those January blues and any vestiges of a NYE hangover. We'll also be doing a starter session, so let your friends know if they wouldn't like to find out more about GoodGym!

Remember all those bulbs we planted for the Kambala Cares project? They're having a Christmas party on the estate, complete with local choirs and mulled wine, and we've been invited! Check out the details here.

We had to bid a tearful farewell to Alyx who is leaving us for new adventures in NZ! She's been a big part of the GG family, and we'll miss her. Thanks for all your amazing efforts and enthusiasm over the last two years Alyx! Come back to visit please!

Two Task Monday

It was a biggie last night, with two tasks to choose from. The first was a shorter run down to the Venue Community centre to various jobs at this local centre, and the other was a longer run to a family refuge centre in Balham to do a painting and weeding job.

So after a warm up and a discussion on our favourite veggie meals, we divided up into two groups, with Alyx (who might have thought she'd get a night off on her final run for a while with us) taking one half on the longer run.

The Venue group made it down to the centre in very quick time....perhaps a bit too quick as the task owner hadn't turned up yet! But after a quick call while Helen led the group through a few exercises and our weekly plank minute, we got our instructions, and started by taking compostable waste over to the local community garden. On returning, we knocked out a few less fun jobs, such as clearing rubbish and cleaning, before moving onto the creative bit - decorating the community centre! The decorating methods were pretty inventive - from some lovely tinsel garlanding, to some trolley-based arranging ("I've never been so tall" said Beth!) - but very effective. We left the place looking very festive, and jogged over to Battersea Park to do some competitive fitness. Dividing up into groups, everybody had a turn in choosing the exercise (including dancing like a fairy? Apparently this worked our ABCs...!) before sprinting, with one team just pipping the other to the post - but not by much. Excellent effort guys!

Over to Alyx to hear what the guys who ran down to the family refuge centre got up to:

After a long but steady run, we arrived at the house ready for action and were greeted, welcomed in and shown our task. One of the bright yellow rooms was to be painted yellow, plus there was some weeding to be done outside! We took it in turns painting and doing 1 minute planks, so despite the long run we still all got in an abs workout too. After just 30 minutes we had weeded an area of the garden, laid down some wood chip and painted an entire room - many hands sure do make light work! We ran back to the BAC to meet Ana and the rest of the team for some stretches.

Next week it's our final run of the year! (sniffle). But don't worry, we are really going to go out with a bang. Sign up here for a very festive running and caroling task in support of a local cancer centre, a very Christmassy fitness session and then our very last social of the year in the Four Thieves across the road. See you then for a Christmas cracker of a run!