Well, it was once more unto the breach, dear friends as we returned to attacking the wall of mostly black (but not all) bagged donations, stacked up in trolleys waiting at the Greenwich and Bexley Hospice warehouse. Waiting, indeed, for some ‘expert’ sorting by seasoned old hands and GoodGym-ers Caroline and me.

Once again, we tackled a huge assortment of new, nearly new, not bad, okay, just-about-usable or ‘I don’t think so’ type clothing. During the session, we did uncover a couple of mildly amusing T-shirts, plus a hat which I rather liked.

Supervisors James and Andrew were as friendly as ever, and we were all treated to some onion bhajis and samosas—cooked on a donated air fryer which was being tested. We’re prepared to make sacrifices. It works—yay!

Simon

Yet another three-hour session at the Community Hospice Shop, sorting through clothes and all manner of curiosities. This time it was just Caroline and me representing GoodGym, alongside our ever-cheerful supervisors, James and Andrew.

As usual, the time flew by. We kept ourselves amused with the weird and wonderful items that pass through our hands — it’s like rummaging through the backstage wardrobe of life. I was particularly delighted to discover a Spongebob Squarepants soft toy, which brought an immediate smile. Not long after, a Spongebob onesie appeared too!

I have a bit of a soft spot for Spongebob. On a long-haul flight back from some far-flung destination, I once watched an episode out of sheer curiosity. I was instantly hooked by the madcap, ridiculous, but genuinely hilarious world of Bikini Bottom, the underground city where he lives. Rather aptly named for this line of work.

Later, I couldn't resist trying on a rather fetching ‘Game Over’ hoodie-robe hybrid. It looked useful for lounging around and watching the Women's Euros. Fingers crossed that it’s not game over for England after today’s match (Wednesday the 9th) against the Netherlands...

Meanwhile, Caroline was busy modelling some of our more eccentric finds. First up: what she described, optimistically I thought, as a "loungesuit". Next came what I’d call a shepherd’s jacket, which wouldn’t look out of place in a 1970s TV drama or on a hillside with a flock of sheep. Good heavens, 1970 is 55 years ago!

Just another day in the magical mystery tour that is the sorting room!

We were back at the Community Hospice warehouse this morning from 10am to 1pm for another stint of clothes sorting.

Andrew was the staff member on duty today—always friendly and efficient. He welcomed us and spent some time showing the new Goodgym volunteer, Maria, the ropes as it were. Caroline and I are feeling like the veterans now on our fifth clothing sorting expedition.

Soon we were back into the usual rhythm: sifting through bag after bag of donated clothes. As always, it was indeed a mixed bag—literally and figuratively. Some people clearly go the extra mile, delivering beautifully laundered and even ironed clothes folded to perfection. Others, not so much.

One bag in particular stood out: a pile of jeans absolutely splattered in white paint. I found myself wondering who on earth imagines these are still usable. Into the rag bag they went.

I found another item that to me wasn't immediately obvious what it was. Then I realised it was what you might call a 'sports balaclava'. Something you might wear running in cold weather conditions or perhaps use for more nefarious purposes!

As usual, the time passed quickly and I believe we all felt it was a satisfying mission with a good work done. Congratulations on your first ever GoodGym task, Maria 🥳.

Simon

There was plenty for us to do helping with renovations at the much-loved Blackfen Community Library — a vibrant community space powered by its trademark 'Big Hello' and popular Rooted Coffee House☕📚.

We got stuck into:

🧽 cleaning chairs and shining up windows

🎨 painting the loo walls with classic white-on-white

💪shifting crates and furniture into a side room to clear the carpets for deep cleaning, and

🪛 IKEA-style assembly of a flat-pack filing cabinet.

💬 Quote of the day:

“We need four No. 8 screws.” “I can’t find any No. 8s…” “Oh wait—it’s eight No. 4 screws!”

An afternoon of teamwork, elbow grease, and good fun all the way. And a shout out to Simon on hitting ten good deeds 👏.

What a fantastic time we had helping out at The Community Hospice!

This was our most popular community mission so far, with GoodGym members coming from Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Camden, and of course, Bexley. It was great to see so many friendly faces ready to get stuck in!

Jason, the Head Gardener, had lots of jobs for us to do to get the garden looking at its best before the Open Gardens Festival next weekend. And wow—we got loads done!

✅ We pulled out weeds

✅ Cleared ivy and brambles from the wall

✅ Cut back some bushes

✅ Tidied up the whole area

Everyone worked hard and made a big difference. The garden is now looking fresher and ready to welcome visitors!

We also had some brilliant milestones to celebrate:

🎉 A huge congratulations to John gaining his GoodGym crown with his 500th good deed—amazing 👑!

👏 Well done to Zita, Robert, and Caroline for reaching 10 good deeds each.

Go team!

Thanks to everyone who came along—it was such fun, and we’re already looking forward to the next one. 🌼🌳