Combining exercise with volunteering works out for members of a UK alternative to gyms

LONDON (AP) — Shoveling piles of compost and clearing weeds on a cold, damp evening in London might not be most people’s idea of fun.

But it’s smiles and chatter all around as a group of people in running gear put on headlamps and get to work in a community garden located on a derelict parking lot rooftop. The volunteers warmed up by jogging a mile to get to the site, and the digging, squatting and lifting they are doing is part of a weekly workout session.

Combining exercise with community service is the mission of GoodGym, an organization that encourages U.K. residents to “get fit by doing good.” There’s no expensive gym membership, treadmills or weights. All participants need is a desire to walk, run or bike and a willingness to sort cans at a food bank, pick up trash, visit an older adult or do other kinds of local volunteer work.

“I go to the normal gym usually and I do other sorts of exercise, but this is my mandatory once-a-week run with the GoodGym group,” said Jason Kurtis, 42, who was among the regulars toiling in the south London garden. “It’s really fun and it forces me to get out, especially on a Monday night when it’s cold and in the middle of winter.”

GoodGym says it has more than 26,600 members in 67 locations across England and Wales, and that it wants to start new groups in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Most weeks there are meetups happening somewhere. Recent workouts in London included clearing sidewalks of discarded Christmas trees, picking plastic litter from the muddy banks of the River Thames, planting fruit trees and setting up cots for homeless people.

Members say that signing up for activities — and feeling they’re a part of something positive — motivates them to exercise regularly.

GoodGym began in 2007 when its founder, Ivo Gormley, started running to deliver a newspaper to an older person in his neighborhood. At the time, Gormley said he wasn’t doing any exercise and missed being part of a basketball team.

“I just didn’t like that idea of going to a gym, going into a sweaty basement and lifting things that don’t really need lifting. I thought I could do something more useful in my exercise,” he said.

He started organizing group runs to places where participants could help with community projects big and small: the first group ripped down outdated posters in his east London neighborhood, Gormley said.

The idea gained traction in other English cities and GoodGym, which registered as a charity in 2015, expanded rapidly. The COVID-19 pandemic ruled out group runs, but the organization received a surge in requests to help older adults who were isolated at home. Volunteers started focusing on tasks like delivering prescriptions and food.

GoodGym still pairs volunteers with retirees who want someone to talk to or need help with practical tasks like moving heavy furniture or lawn mowing. Many home visits call for one volunteer at a time and therefore have no group exercise component, though participants are encouraged to run, walk or cycle to their assignments.

Gormley said he wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to stay in shape and give back. Monthly donations are welcome but voluntary, and members are not pressured to show up, he said.

“You can just sign up today and have a go tonight. We try to reduce the barriers as much as possible,” Gormley said. “You don’t have to come back if you don’t like it. It’s a really easy way to get involved.”

In southwest London's Battersea district, local GoodGym leader Anastasia Hancock instructs members to lunge, jump and stretch as they prepare for their mile-long run to the Doddington and Rollo community roof garden, a rare slice of greenery in the middle of towering apartment buildings that were built as affordable housing in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Hancock organizes a variety of volunteer projects for GoodGym members in her area, but helping to maintain the garden is one her group returns to every month. She recalls how they once helped shift hundreds of bags of heavy compost up narrow steps to reach the rooftop.

“That was an amazing workout,” she said.

Hancock said she hardly ever cancels a scheduled run and activity, and members keep coming even during London's bleak, drizzly winters. For women, the regular sessions have the added benefit of offering a safe way to run outside after dark, she said.

“I really love coming. I think it’s just a boost of positivity in the week,” said Sophie Humphrey, 33. “It’s amazing to get together a group of people who just want to help somebody they don’t know."

Gormley said he doesn’t know of many similar organizations that combine fitness with volunteering, though he acknowledges that to some extent, the idea behind GoodGym is “really obvious.”

“It’s what people have always done, right? You grow some food and literally through the action of planting and digging, that’s where your exercise comes from,” he said.

The opportunity to socialize is a key element that hooks participants, Gormley said. He said a recent member survey indicated that many young people were keen to get away from phone screens and to have more in-person interactions. Members of Hancock's group Monday night group sometimes go to a pub together when their volunteer work is done.

Christian Krekel, an assistant professor at the London School of Economics who does research in behavioral economics and wellbeing, spent two years leading an evaluation of GoodGym to determine if blending volunteering with exercise offered additional mental health benefits. The findings, based on survey results from 3,600 people who had either expressed interest in joining or already were active members, were promising, he said.

A team of economists recorded improvements in all six aspects of mental wellbeing they measured, with participants reporting feeling less lonely and more satisfied with their lives, as well as a greater sense of “belongingness and connectedness,” Krekel said. More research is needed, but the team hopes the findings, if they are validated, could help shape public policies on mental health.

“Because of this unique combination of volunteering or pro-social activity and physical activity, we do find stronger well-being impacts than what the literature suggests for volunteering and for physical activity alone,” Krekel said. “So I think that’s what makes this so unique, and it’s actually quite powerful.”

Participants in the Goodgym group pose for a group photograph after collecting litter to keep the River Thames free of plastic and other waste in London, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Participants in the Goodgym group collect litter from the riverbank to keep the River Thames free of plastic and other waste in London, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Participants in the Goodgym group warm up before running to collect litter to keep the River Thames free of plastic and other waste in London, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Participants in the Goodgym group exercise after collecting litter to keep the River Thames free of plastic and other waste in London, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Participants in the Goodgym group collect litter from the riverbank to keep the River Thames free of plastic and other waste in London, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

MILAN (AP) — At the Milan Cortina Olympic Games, winning medals isn’t the only thing making hearts swell. From the ice rinks to the snowy hills, love is in the frozen air.

Some competitions already seem to have Cupid in attendance.

Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam set an Olympic record in the 1000-meter race, then turned to find her fiancé Jake Paul in the stands; both visibly weeping, they made heart signs to one another with their hands. And downhill skiing champion Breezy Johnson ’s longtime boyfriend proposed to her near the finish line Thursday while surrounded by members of the U.S. Ski Team.

Valentine's Day for athletes and attendees at the Games doesn't usually mean grand gestures, but it's no less special.

Valentine’s Day is the finals for the women’s skeleton event. That means that Kim Meylemans of Belgium and Nicole Rocha Silveira of Brazil — an international couple who play for their separate national teams — will be too busy for a romantic dinner. They told The Associated Press they didn’t even bring gifts to exchange.

But since they are together all the time, “It’s always a bit of a Valentine's Day," Meylemans said. “It is part of our sport every day, our love.”

The two feel fortunate their national Olympic committees arranged for them to bunk together at Cortina's Olympic village, since typically only teammates share housing. Half their room is decorated for Belgium, the other half Brazil.

Rocha Silveira was new to the sport in 2019 when Meylemans was already competing in World Cup races. They fell in love during the pandemic while sharing short-term rentals, since many hotels closed.

Fast forward to 2024, and they unknowingly bought identical engagement rings and planned proposals for the same boat trip in Brazil while on vacation. They married last August.

When they compete, they high-five and kiss before each run, wishing the other well.

“It doesn’t matter which one is on the podium. At the end of the day, it’s a victory for our team," Meylemans said.

Rocha Silveira said it’s important their relationship appears during these Games in Italy, where same-sex marriages aren't recognized and only married heterosexual couples are allowed to jointly adopt.

It’s a great place to “show it even more,” and “encourage and inspire people that they can be themselves,” she said.

Lori and Curtis Brown have been married for over 30 years and will be spend Valentine's Day at the skating arena where they are volunteering for this year’s Winter Olympics.

About 18,000 volunteers are spread across the venues in northern Italy — a sea of navy blue uniforms keeping the Olympics running around the clock, with duties such as giving directions, accompanying athletes to venues, crowd control and medical support.

Curtis, 60, said neither of them had realized they were scheduled to work. Now, they're hoping they can coincide their breaks to have dinner together, perhaps surrounded by the rest of the volunteers, he joked.

“This is the most special Valentine’s Day of our lives,” Curtis said. “Because we’re both here, we’re both on the same page, we’re both enjoying this adventure together.”

While presents are neither’s love language, Lori, 61, told the AP she bought boxer briefs from the official Milan Cortina souvenir store. Curtis hadn’t bought anything for her.

“It’s not so much about gift giving, just going out and doing something together,” said Lori, 61. She spoke while sitting beside Curtis, so perhaps she’ll be surprised on Saturday.

Canadian hockey forward Laura Stacey and her wife, team captain Marie-Philip Poulin, have a different kind of date: playing Germany's team in the quarterfinals in Milan.

“We have a game, we have a big game, so spending it together. We’re pretty lucky,” Stacey said. “Most people don’t get to do what they love, chasing their dreams together, and we do. So I think on February 14th, I think it’s important for us to just appreciate that and not take it for granted."

Aside from taking on Germany, they don't have plans — but Stacey said they will surely at least give each other cards.

Many other couples are at the Olympics, some teammates and others competing against each other.

— U.S. alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin — that sport’s all-time wins leader — is engaged to Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who returned to racing this season after dealing with major injuries.

— Latvia’s luge team includes the husband-and-wife pair of Martins Bots and Elina Bota, both single sliders.

— Italy’s luge team Dominik Fischnaller and the U.S.'s Emily Sweeney married last year after dating for almost 15 years.

— U.S. bobsledding has a power couple with reigning women’s monobloc world champion Kaysha Love engaged to men’s push athlete Hunter Powell. She’s in the Olympics for the second time, while he's making his debut.

— American figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates were married in 2024 and won a silver medal on Wednesday.

—Curling may have the most well-known couples of any sport. Norway’s Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien have been together since 2008 and won bronze in Pyeongchang. Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant of Canada married in 2022 and were favorites this year. There are Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller and Briar Schwalller-Huerlimann, too; they brought their baby and photos of him carrying a curling broom twice his size went viral.

He looked like a curling Cupid.

Associated Press writers Jennifer McDermott in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy and John Wawrow in Milan contributed to this report.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Belgium's Kim Meylemans, right, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira, left, embrace at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Belgium's Kim Meylemans, left, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira react, at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Brasil's Nicole Rocha Silveira arrives at the finish during a women's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Belgium's Kim Meylemans starts for a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Belgium's Kim Meylemans, left, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira react, at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)