Last night saw us heading back to a firm GoodGym favourite – St Mary's Primary School – for another rewarding evening of digging, running, and even a bit of sliding.

We kicked things off with a warm-up and a chat about our favourite school trips. From Paris to the Isle of Wight and even the sensory delights of Eden Camp – complete with the authentic sounds, sights, and smells of WWII – there were plenty of nostalgic stories to share before we set off.

The run to St Mary's was breezy, and the reward at the end was worth it: a stunning rooftop terrace view over Battersea and beyond. Lucky kids!

Before getting stuck in, we took a moment to admire an area we’d previously cleared, now flourishing as a climate garden. All that hard work shifting compost on a dark winter's night was worth it!

This time, our mission was to tackle a massive raised bed in preparation for a new wetland wildlife area. Tools in hand, we set to work digging, bagging, raking and generally making light work of a heavy job. The transformation was soon complete!

And then… the moment we’d all been waiting for: The Slide. A mixed bag of dismounts, but credit where it’s due – former pro gymnast Jason delivered a textbook landing. Gold stars all round.

We wrapped things up with a quick fitness session – think running drills, high fives, and arm burners – before heading off on the return run.

Next week we’re onto a brand new task at a local nursery, helping to create an exciting garden space for the under-fives. Sign up here!

We kicked our big task off last night with a warm up and a debate about the best breakfast. From leftover pizza to avo on toast, fritters got a mention and the classic eggs – any which way – got the most votes. With that settled, we set off for our ongoing garden transformation project.

The big news was that we received a grant from the NHS to put towards the garden! 🎉 Thanks to this support, we’ve been able to take the space to the next level. Check out the before and after photos from when we first started at the garden.

At the weekend Jordan and I went on a garden shopping spree, coming back loaded with plants, tools, and an ambitious planting plan. The aim for the garden is to grow fresh produce to donate to local communities living with food insecurity so we wanted to get as much in the ground as possible.

On arrival, we got stuck straight in. There was a lot to plant – from herbs and flowers to a new pear tree, courgettes, chard, peppers, and tomatoes. The potatoes were looking especially healthy, the gooseberry tree had started to fruit, and the fig was looking fabulous. Unfortunately so were the weeds, so they were the first to come out.

After a good stint digging, planting, watering and sowing, we popped across to the square opposite for a our workout – mixing cardio with strength-building conditioning.

We finished up back at Omnibus for a good stretch and a lovely post-session social.

This Saturday we have a great mission helping to marshall at West London Queer Project’s 10km walk. It’s going to be a fun day out supporting a great cause – come along if you can! We also have a new weekly task on Thursdays during the day helping people with Parkinson's get active starting from next week.

Next Monday we're back for our regular visit to Doddington community garden - see you there!

🌩️ Thunder, Tasks & Trivia Triumphs! 🌿🧠

A distant rumble of thunder kept us guessing as we gathered for this week’s GoodGym session, but it takes more than a bit of potential drama to throw us off course. Despite a power outage on the tube delaying our task owner, we were well-prepped with a list of garden jobs sent over in advance – and as always, we were ready to dig in.

Before setting off, we limbered up with a quick warm-up and this week's question was pub quiz themed: How many pubs are there in London? Guesses ranged wildly, but Jordan was closest to the correct answer – a a whopping 3,500 pubs! That’s a lot of potential quiz venues…

🌱 Once we arrived at the garden, we got straight to work. There was no shortage of tasks to keep us busy:

• Shifting lemon trees into position
• Plenty of watering to revive thirsty plants
• Weeding pathways and beds
• Sweeping away debris
• Turning compost and moving it around the garden

The garden was soon buzzing with activity and teamwork and the time flew by.

💪 With a few minutes to spare after finishing the tasks, we squeezed in a post-task fitness session featuring:

• A 3-minute mountain legs challenge
• A 3-minute arm burner, in honour of International Chest Day at the gym – we're very on-brand! The result? Some burning muscles and a sense of achievement!

🏆 Then it was quiz time - the team headed off to the pub. With the muscles having been given a serious workout it was time for the brains to get a turn in the hotseat. I'm happy to report the team absolutely smashed it, scooping gold. Huge congrats to all our GG geniuses!

📍 Next week, we’re heading to Paradise Cooperative to lend a hand. If you enjoyed working in the garden this week, don’t forget we have a weekly community mission to help out at the Doddington Community Garden Kids Club – check it out and sign up here.

Have a great week everybody!

"Spud-tacular Effort & Fig-tastic fun"

Yesterday we were back at the GoodGym Garden, a space we use to grow good things, boost biodiversity, and produce (hopefully) fruit and veg to donate to the community.

The potatoes planted last time were thriving and we had big plans to get the magic beans Jordan had brought along into the ground.

The fig tree was looking particularly healthy with plenty of new fruit. Not to be outdone, the gooseberry bush was also laden with tiny berries.

We worked hard planting, weeding, pruning and watering but were called to a halt as the heavens opened - so much for all that watering! Tools downed, we dashed for shelter and turned our gardening session into an indoor coffee-fueled debrief, which included watching out for the VE day flyover. Sadly, no jets were spotted outside but thanks to the BBC alert on our phones, we got a front-row seat to the action anyway.

Next week we return to Doddington for more community fun, followed by our monthly pub quiz. Fingers crossed for some questions on composting.

🌞 GoodGym Wandsworth in the evening sun

On a sun-drenched Monday evening, still basking in the post-London Marathon glow, an energetic gang of GoodGymmers ran to St Mary’s Church in Battersea for a brand-new task. Not just any church—this is Battersea’s oldest, where William Blake tied the knot and J.M.W. Turner once whipped out his paints to create his iconic river scenes.

A massive shoutout to all those who ran the marathon on Sunday, and kudos to the spectators, who undertook the noble task of clapping, shouting and creating signs that Turner would be proud of. Respect.

An even bigger Wandsworth welcome to Kate, who joined us for her very first GoodGym adventure! She picked an absolute banger of an evening: blue skies, a route bursting with blossom, and a riverside scene straight out of a Richard Curtis movie. There were geese waddling past wisteria in full bloom as the sun set over the Thames- all that was missing was Hugh Grant himself.

Our mission for the evening was to weed, litter pick, spruce up paths, and hang bunting. Within minutes, the area was buzzing with the sounds of gardening, laughter and debates over where to hang the next bit of bunting.

Among the more curious discoveries: a small religious plaster figurine and what we concluded was a leg tag—left behind by someone who was in a bit of a hurry...

As the sun dipped lower and the geese gave us side-eye for disrupting their evening stroll, we gathered for a few lovely group shots and admired our handiwork. But we weren’t done yet...

On the way back, we hit up several fitness stations (because one plank is never enough) and made a detour to check on the bulbs we planted earlier in the year. And guess what? Just like GoodGym Wandsworth, they were blooming beautifully 🌷💪

Next week it's a bank holiday so we'll be having a lunchtime run on the Monday over to the GoodGym garden.

This weekend we need help protecting the trees in Wandsworth, and if you fancy a double header of tasks you could op down to Streatham to beautify the nature reserve there - what a bank holiday weekend!