Having a day off on the bank holiday Friday this week was a perfect reason to help Ace of Clubs with their lunch service for the homeless. Two GoodGymers who decided to support this community centre for the first time can attest to that fact.

Catherine ran to Clapham Common from Tooting (though she is officially representing the Hammersmith and Fulham area), while Kash jogged all the way (and back) from Acton - it was her first community mission in the Wandsworth area. The volunteers were greeted by Charlie who gave them a comprehensive tour around the centre. We learned that the local lunch service started around 1991, before Ace of Clubs existed, and had a more religious background - a tribute to that history can be seen in the recently redecorated canteen which features a massive replica of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. Charlie explained that the centre supports not only homeless but also other vulnerable people living in poverty.

Our task was to serve hot and cold drinks, and - when possible - help Mario (deservedly known by the regulars as Super Mario) in collecting the dishes and keeping the tables clean. After the briefing, we were ready to roll. The doors opened at noon and shortly the canteen was full of our guests. Before a queue for the drinks started to build up, we set off to collect the orders from the shyer people at the tables. Regular tea and coffee, usually with milk and sugar, were the most popular options. We also served some juice, hot chocolate drinks and mochas.

Everyone was friendly and very grateful for the food and drinks. When the guests were stopping us to ask about something, we were expecting the types of questions that would require directing people to the office. We were pleasantly surprised that the guests were actually curious about GoodGym. We were queried about runs and races, losing belly fat, tips on building muscle and how to get our awesome red tees! The answer usually was: joining GoodGym.

The lunch finished at 2:00 pm - just at the time when we ran out of milk! Many guests really enjoyed visiting the centre and wished they could stay for longer. Some of them also asked us whether we are going to come over again.

After giving the tables a final swipe, Catherine and Kash signed out and ran back home to enjoy the rest of the day. A bank holiday well spent!