Tonight we had three missions in one! How did we do it? Four of our volunteers went to Refugee Action Kingston to sort the kid's clothes, another went to another RAK office to hang a blind and the rest of us went to Elm Road... phew! Here's the run report about our amazing volunteers...

Nettled but Not Defeated at Elm Road!

In sweltering heat, the GoodGym crew took on the nettle jungle at Elm Road playground, working with the local community group to help reclaim the space for local kids. Armed with spades, forks, and a few poorly chosen gloves (ouch!), we tackled the stubborn roots - some so long they felt like they were heading for Narnia.

Marcos and Tom kept spirits high with sports facts while litter picking, and Rachel captured the action on camera. Newbie John gave it his all but ran out of water - thankfully, local residents came to the rescue with bottles of the good stuff!

Despite roots hiding under the fence, we cleared a massive stretch and even uncovered some old mosaic tiles. One hot, sweaty hour later, the bed was clear and the team absolutely smashed it. Great work all round!

Such a sort out at Refugee Action Kingston

Claire, Anna, Laurel and Sabir ran and walked their way to Refugee Action tonight.

We were greeted by air conditioning which was a welcome relief plus lots of children’s clothes that required sorting. Having made signs for different age categories we sorted the clothes by size for boys and girls and boxed them up so that they could be easily selected by the customers. The area is now much more organised and I’m sure we will be back to tackle the coats another day.

Driller thriller

Dave went to a RAK office to help fix a blind. In his own words has a hot sweaty mess but at least the charity workers won't be now.

GoodGym Kingston - you are simply tri-mendous!

It was all hands on deck (and trowels in the soil) as a crack team of GoodGymmers—Jana, Emily, Emma, Sabir, Farzeen, and Anna—headed to the Bradbury Day Centre to help them get summer-fair ready! With Clair from the Centre giving us our marching orders, we set out to transform the outdoor space in just two hours… and what a transformation it was!

Farzeen didn’t waste a second, diving into a corner of the garden destined to become the Silent Disco Zone—because who doesn’t want to boogie among the begonias? With her speedy hands and creative flair, she not only cleared and cut back overgrown plants but also helped place a perfectly summery bench in the area. By the end, it was practically begging for a party.

Emma turned multitasking into an art form—sweeping, weeding, brushing, and even giving the windows a shine. If there had been a "Best All-Rounder" medal, she'd have earned it before tea time.

Emily took on the artistic challenge of the day: painting the raffle tombola. But that wasn’t enough—she then went into full transformation mode in the greenhouse. Despite a surprise ant invasion, she bravely cleared out old debris and reorganized the entire space, turning it from “abandoned jungle” to “garden showroom chic”.

Sabir arrived and brought his weeding A-game to the front of the centre, steadily amassing a mountain of weeds like a gardening machine. His dedication made a huge impact—especially to the front-facing first impression.

Anna arrived fashionably late (thanks to a very late night on the dancefloor!) but was full of energy and good vibes. She brightened up the space by hanging bunting inside and out, transforming it into full-on summer fair territory. Glitter optional, joy guaranteed.

Jana tackled the patio, giving it the weeding equivalent of a deep tissue massage—by the end, it was ready to welcome a hundred fair-goers with open slabs.

We were powered throughout by cups of tea and an excellent biscuit selection—essential fuel for community transformation. As a bonus mission, Emma and Jana took to the streets to flyer the local area and even charmed their way into a church to get a poster on the notice board. Local outreach: complete.

To wrap up (literally), we bundled up prizes for the Lucky Dip and admired the results of a job very well done.

So here’s to a fabulous fair on Wednesday—we’ll be cheering you on, Bradbury Day Centre!

Our group run this week took us to Refugee Action Kingston and we were tasked with jobs at two different locations. Claire, Dave, Emma and Farzeen all ran and walked to one of the offices were they were asked to take apart a desk so that it could be transported to the other location. They were a very efficient team and they got to work making sure all the screws were accounted for so there would be no issue with reassembly. A staff member then drove the desk in her car to the second location while the runners transported themselves to help unload.

The second location was where all the other GoodGymers were hanging out and organising the rest of the shelving units. The women's clothing area and toiletries was tidied up by Tom, Anna and Marcos, Amy got stuck in to the bunting making sure there were no knots and neatly folding it ready to put away, and Raquel and Luke sorted the menswear. As soon as the desk arrived it went up in the lift and was reassembled well within the hour we had there.

A great session with lots of big and small jobs completed. Heidi from Refugee Action Kingston was so grateful that these jobs were completed as it then frees them up to concentrate on other important tasks within the organisation. So well done team! Thank you for all your help.

We got properly stuck in at tonight’s task at The Kingston Pantry—a vital community foodbank based in Tolworth Recreation Centre.

Four of us ran there, two cycled, and others came on foot — everyone enthusiastic to be there, including first time GoodGymer Petra.

The Pantry had been restocked earlier in the day, so our usual deep clean wasn’t needed. But Susan, ever prepared, whipped out her trusty spiral notebook packed with 'one-day' tasks—the little jobs that never quite make it to the top of the to-do list… until now.

Here’s what we tackled: • Emma and Petra deep-cleaned and organised the cupboard under the sink, and gave all the food baskets a good wash. • Claire and Jacqui took on the fridges, clearing out spills (including a sticky raspberry juice situation). • Jana sorted out the vegetable racks • Dave got into the nooks and crannies, scrubbing those corners the mop usually misses. • Luke restocked and cleaned the pet food area • Rachel and Emma gave the stationery cupboard a long-overdue tidy. • Jacqui got the hoover out and • Petra followed up with a thorough mop for a gleaming finish.

Teamwork and elbow grease, and the job list was fully ticked off!

The Kingston Pantry plays a crucial role in supporting individuals and families on low incomes trying to cope in a time of rising costs. It was a pleasure to lend a hand, free up the volunteers’ time, so that those that run it can give their clients the best experience which includes a very high environmental health status.