Kingston Samaritans were fundraising outside Waterstones in Kingston today and were very welcoming and keen to have some GoodGym help with it.

Having selected our shifts on their fancy Doodle Poll, we turned up, donned the incredibly fetching bright green tabards, hauled Santa's sacks on our shoulders (i.e. picked up a bucket) and got to it. Shoppers reached into their pockets for any loose change and kids were treated with festive stickers in return, and many noted how much of a great cause the Samaritans are, particularly at this time of year.

We enjoyed chatting to the volunteers about their helpline work and all about GoodGym, all the while getting some bicep building action in from all the bucket carrying. Samia learned how she'd made a rookie error #1: picking a shift late in the day meant a rather heavy bucket to carry, whilst Caroline learned to check that the photo has taken before leaving - whoops! (Thanks to the Samaritans' Twitter page for the photos that we, ahem, "borrowed"...).

And it was topped off with a follow-up email to announce the grand total of today's collection:

We collected nearly £1,000 today (£961.28) at Waterstones so many thanks to you and Caroline for your part in this fantastic result.

All that's left to say is a massive CONGRATULATIONS to Caroline for your 50th good deed!